“The Man from Brodney’s” is the fourteenth book I’ve read by George Barr McCutcheon, but had this been the first, then I would not have gone on to read over a dozen more.

Of the other thirteen that I’ve read to date, only “Jane Cable” was a let-down, thus I didn’t give up on this one when, in hindsight, I should’ve stopped instead of hoping that it’d soon improve.

The main problem I have with this novel is that I didn’t care for any of the characters. None stood out from the rest – and there are a lot in this tome; too many, really.

The plot has potential to be better than it is, but this usually talented author does not make the most of the situations given. The reader is introduced to a few English and several Americans who spend time on the tropical island of Japut. The natives are a constant threat, as they are entitled to a great inheritance provided that two of the visitors don’t marry within six months.

The reason for this unusual situation is down to two deceased men who once lived on the island. Their joint will instructed that for their grandchildren to inherit a vast fortune, they must marry within a given timeframe. Problem is, both of them are already married to other people.

Thus we have the situation, yet this isn’t the only plotline. The central characters are an American – the man from Brodney's, who’s on the island as the natives’ representative – and a European princess who’s there visiting friends. They fall in love.

They met previously, so it was an *unbelievable* coincidence that they encounter each other again on this island. The princess is expected to submit to an arranged marriage with a man she hates. This bears a resemblance to Mr McCutcheon’s first Graustark novel, but this is a poor copy.

So there’s a lot going on with little interest to this reader.

Mr McCutcheon is at his best when concentrating on snappy dialogue between amusing characters. Here we have many meandering paragraphs, telling the reader what’s happened/happening, most of which would’ve been better if it’d been heavily edited or brought to life with some character interaction, featuring some of the witty dialogue that this author is so good at.

In short, this book features a good writer on a bad day. ( )

Not one of McCutcheon's best efforts. The plot was even more contrived than usual, and the action dragged quite a bit. It was saved by the occassional bon mot phraseology which is one of the main reasons to read this author.