# I like conversation-heavy, witty books. Any recommendations? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 7, 2007, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-like-conversation-heavy-witty-books-any-recommendations/387050 "2007-01-07T15:22:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2007, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-like-conversation-heavy-witty-books-any-recommendations/387050/21 "2007-01-08T14:38:20Z")
[QUOTE=Ukulele Ike] And, yes, nearly anything by Evelyn Waugh, especially the first five novels: **Decline and Fall, Vile Bodies, Black Mischief, A Handful of Dust, Scoop**. [/QUOTE] I was going to recommend the boxed set my father had but it looks like it is no longer available. My mother, who went back to finish college at Brown in her 40s, likes to tell the story of one of the earnest young co-eds who waxed on about Evelyn Waugh’s perspective as a woman really informing her writing. Of course it’s only dumb luck in who I was raised by that I know he’s a guy. ---
**Author:** ![Sean\_Factotum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Sean\_Factotum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sean_Factotum)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2007, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-like-conversation-heavy-witty-books-any-recommendations/387050/22 "2007-01-08T16:09:58Z")
Gregory McDonald’s _Fletch_ series fit. Mystery novels. Don’t go by the movies that were made of the first two. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2007, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-like-conversation-heavy-witty-books-any-recommendations/387050/23 "2007-01-08T16:11:28Z")
This thread would be incomplete without a mention of **P. G. Wodehouse**. Pretty much anything of his would work. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2007, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-like-conversation-heavy-witty-books-any-recommendations/387050/24 "2007-01-08T16:12:00Z")
P.G. Wodehouse. Especially the Wooster and Jeeves books. Wodehouse was arguably the wittiest writer of the 20th century. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2007, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-like-conversation-heavy-witty-books-any-recommendations/387050/25 "2007-01-08T16:12:33Z")
Kinky Kinky Kinky. Friedman that is. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2007, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-like-conversation-heavy-witty-books-any-recommendations/387050/26 "2007-01-08T16:21:37Z")
Talking It Over and its rather melancholy sequel, by Julian Barnes. These novels concerning a messy love triangle are unusually structured: the chapters alternate in their point of view, with each narrated by one of the triangle members, speaking directly to the reader. So they’re all chat, but not chatty in the conventional way. The snobbish bohemian Oliver (the guy who seduces his best friend’s wife) is often hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2007, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-like-conversation-heavy-witty-books-any-recommendations/387050/27 "2007-01-08T16:36:18Z")
[QUOTE=Sean Factotum] Gregory McDonald’s _Fletch_ series fit. Mystery novels. Don’t go by the movies that were made of the first two. [/QUOTE] They’re not great literature, but they are definitely entertaining. My favorites are the original _Fletch_ (unfortunately, McDonald toned down the character from being a complete anti-hero in later books) and _Fletch’s Moxie_. _Fletch’s Fortune_ and _Fletch Won_ is pretty good, too. Ignore the _Son of Fletch_ novels, which can charitably be described as disappointing. The _Flynn_ novels (a spinoff from a character in _Confess, Fletch_) are okay, but not outstanding, and _Love Amongst the Mashed Potatoes_ is a good non-_Fletch_ read. As **Sean** says, totally ignore the films, which are strictly Chevy Chase vehicles bearing little resemblence to either the literary story or character. [QUOTE=Thudlow Boink] This thread would be incomplete without a mention of **P. G. Wodehouse**. Pretty much anything of his would work. [/QUOTE] Ditto squared and cubed again. In fact, I think Wodehouse is the archtype for this. And I second the _Hitchhiker_ books (not conversation-heavy? seriously?) as well as the unfortunately brief _Dirk Gently_ series. You might check out Martin Amis, as well; he’s not for everyone, but he definitely has a way of turning dialogue. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2007, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-like-conversation-heavy-witty-books-any-recommendations/387050/28 "2007-01-08T16:41:11Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic] P.G. Wodehouse. Especially the Wooster and Jeeves books. Wodehouse was arguably the wittiest writer of the 20th century. [/QUOTE] This is possibly the only subject you and I disagree on, but I tried to reread Wodehouse recently and found him cringingly twee, cutesy and repetitive. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2007, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-like-conversation-heavy-witty-books-any-recommendations/387050/29 "2007-01-08T17:00:10Z")
[QUOTE=Eve] This is possibly the only subject you and I disagree on, but I tried to reread Wodehouse recently and found him cringingly twee, cutesy and repetitive. [/QUOTE] Humour varies a lot. I laughed out loud at Wodehouse (which caused some embarrassment as I was on a train at the time!) ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2007, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-like-conversation-heavy-witty-books-any-recommendations/387050/30 "2007-01-08T17:00:55Z")
[QUOTE=glee] Humour varies a lot. [/QUOTE] And thank goodness for that, or only one weiter would be making any money! ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2007, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-like-conversation-heavy-witty-books-any-recommendations/387050/31 "2007-01-08T17:11:32Z")
[QUOTE=Eve] This is possibly the only subject you and I disagree on, but I tried to reread Wodehouse recently and found him cringingly twee, cutesy and repetitive. [/QUOTE] At least tell me you like Mark Twain. 🙂 Did you try one of the Jeeves books? _De gustibus non est disputandum_ and all that I periodically devour the Jeeves stories like popcorn. I think Bertie Wooster is one of the greatest characters in English literature. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2007, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-like-conversation-heavy-witty-books-any-recommendations/387050/32 "2007-01-08T18:40:07Z")
I would also like to recommend the short stories of Saki (which are [available online](http://www.gutenberg.org/author/Saki)). Here is a [previous thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=378889) (in which I link to an even previouser thread) in praise of Saki. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2007, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-like-conversation-heavy-witty-books-any-recommendations/387050/33 "2007-01-09T01:42:58Z")
The Thin Man by Dashall Hammet is almost all dialogue. and it’s good too ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2007, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-like-conversation-heavy-witty-books-any-recommendations/387050/34 "2007-01-09T01:58:04Z")
Ooooh, yes, Saki. Saki is good. Very very good. [QUOTE=gigi] Of course it’s only dumb luck in who I was raised by that I know he’s a guy. [/QUOTE] Wait…Evelyn Waugh was a _guy?_ ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2007, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-like-conversation-heavy-witty-books-any-recommendations/387050/35 "2007-01-09T03:36:16Z")
[QUOTE=Ukulele Ike] Ooooh, yes, Saki. Saki is good. Very very good. Wait…Evelyn Waugh was a _guy?_ [/QUOTE] [Evelyn Waugh](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evelyn_Waugh). I’ll refrain from making the associated _Lost In Translation_ quote. 😉 Stranger ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2007, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-like-conversation-heavy-witty-books-any-recommendations/387050/36 "2007-01-09T13:56:53Z")
[QUOTE=Ukulele Ike] Wait…Evelyn Waugh was a _guy?_ [/QUOTE] Yes, and I think it’s pronounce Evil-in, not ev-elen. [QUOTE=Stranger On A Train] I’ll refrain from making the associated _Lost In Translation_ quote. 😉 [/QUOTE] “[Charlotte snorts](http://www.shakingthrough.net/movies/reviews/2003/lost_in_translation_2003.html) to learn that a friend of John’s, a vacuous American movie starlet played to grating perfection by Anna Faris, is staying in the same hotel under the name Evelyn Waugh; John, clueless, seems personally hurt by her snide revelation that Evelyn Waugh was a guy.” Kelly: I’m under Evelyn Waugh. Charlotte: Evelyn Waugh was a man. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-like-conversation-heavy-witty-books-any-recommendations/387050.md?page=1)