Incredibly charming and exceedingly pleasant - I’m a philistine as I vaped the whole time whilst I read it, what a loser. Well…. that’s not strictly true. I managed to get through the first 100 pages or so on a break from that tediously adolescent and unattractive habit, but Barrie soon won me back on the subject of nicotine (and seeing as I don’t drink anymore I figure I can allow myself at least one vice, that and the excessive masturbation of course), so I decided to give my lungs the good kicking that they deserve. My body is a temple, but the temple is the Hindu’s Karni Mata and there’s rat shit all over it. I’d recommend the book to all, the moments of 19th century (mostly harmless) misogyny be damned, just settle in with the Arcadia gang and their lovely collection of briars and meerschaums, you might even get a chance to hear about another woman Marriot has fallen in love with, or perhaps snuggle up and hear Barrie admit to the murder of three bothersome drunkards outside his window, and if you’re so inclined you could even join in one of the most terrible sounding boat trips committed to paper. Only having finished this did I find out that this bastard created Peter Pan, and for those who are curious that all-important Arcadia Mixture turns out to be a different moniker for the now discontinued Craven mixture (https://pipesmagazine.com/forums/threads/arcadia-mixture.6347/) so…. stick that in your pipe and smoke it!! ( )

London Times
"Written generally in serio-comic vein, brightened with flashes of droll irony and quaint suggestion." ( )