Scoundrels

This book is best described as a hilarious absurdity or possibly the inverse of that. Set up as an epistolary memoir of two retired Majors Scoundrels and two lifelong major scoundrels, it goes one to tell tall tales of a British gentleman’s club extraordinaire and its two eminent members’ wild adventures in service of their country and their egos. This is a sort of book that might have easily gone too far down the farcical path, but instead it managed to tread the line of wacky and obscene, but oh so funny. Seriously funny. Laugh out loud funny. Very specific sort of funny, mind you, with heavy concentration of butt jokes, both as the main subject and with majors ending up being the butt of jokes. So not particularly mature, but it’s British, so it balanced out. This book covers two decades of Majors’ globetrotting undertakings from 1931 to 1951, featuring mainly their brave mad quests of WWII, but also from early childhoods, to meeting each other in school to trying to stay busy in the loopiest ways after the war. It’s…well, it’s a crazy book. It’s absolutely wackadoodledoo. Pure lunacy. But it’s so freaking entertaining, this insane romp down the well trodden historical paths of the last century by these comically revised James Bond like gentlemen. Possibly an acquired taste, particularly due to all the tasteless jokes, but those who enjoy a nicely roasted spoof should find this very amusing. The Majors are disreputable, louche, vainglorious rogues. Not the most heroic of characters, bickering to this day about events of their lives via email from their respective abodes where each of them have been remained for decades now. Is that any way to reward loyal spies? Well, with these guys all bets are off. But what a duo. Cinematically primed and ready for BBC. Thanks Netgalley.

The premise of the book is that the publishers have been legally obliged to issue this book, despite their misgivings about its literary, moral and commercial merit. This is a book written with a tongue so firmly in someone's cheek that it could poke out of their ear.

The benefit of Amazon’s Look Inside feature is that you can read the first few pages of a book and decide whether it has merit. The presumption is that the author works very hard on those initial pages, attempting to hook the reader. One might surmise that the beginning may be the best part of the book in those circumstances. Not this book, not by a looong way! Use Look Inside to read the first chapter of Scoundrels and then consider that the surrealism and humour is only operating at about 30%. The book just gets better and better - assuming you are attuned to this sense of humour, as I am. Think Goons, think Monty Python, but written by a new energetic generation with the same pent-up ability and desire to take the mickey out of the genre.

Which genre, you ask? Think Ripping Yarns. Think of memoirs along the lines of “And then I twirled my moustache and casually disarmed the six thugs with one hand, whilst making a pot of Earl Grey with the other. Then, of course, I dressed for dinner. Even though I was alone in the tent, I still had to maintain standards.” (That was my invention, not a quote from Scoundrels, but you get the idea.)

Highlights? Possibly George VI making the cocktails or our two heroes (ummm... not sure "heroes" is the best word) inspiring Barnes-Wallis to design his bouncing bomb? No, it has to be Trevelyan crawling along the aircraft wing to put out the fire. I’m still sniggering about that in public several days later, getting suspicious looks on the train to Waterloo.

I loved this book. Volume Two is even better, but you really need to read Volume One first...

I found Scoundrels amusing but not quite as hilarious as some other reviewers did.

It purports to be the memoirs of a couple of upper crust chaps, now long retired, who have had all sorts of outrageous adventures and who, in between chapters of reminiscence, snipe at each other very amusingly. It’s well written and quite outrageous; they are self-seeking, brutal and uncaring with a casual, blind arrogance which far outstrips any abilities they may have. The scrapes they get into are absurd and often entertainingly disgusting (Cornwall’s recovery from fugu poisoning is quite appalling, for example).

How funny you find this will depend on your sense of humour, but it’s well done (in a field which has some terrible turkeys in it). I find it quite entertaining; I read it in smallish chunks, but I do keep going back for more and I will certainly read any subsequent volumes.

(My thanks to Farrago for an ARC via NetGalley.)

This book is a little crazy, a little awful and a lot of fun - but what else to expect from Farrago book.. One just can't put it down, whilst shaking ones head. Probably not a book for the PC crowd, very "tongue in cheek"
Written in a series of letters as published memoires between two friends? enemies or are they just jealous of each other?
The adventures are tantalising, funny and very crazy, for some reason it brings to my mind the steam punk era.
I really enjoyed it and look forward to the sequel

British Comedy?

With the sangfroid of a Monty Python skit, ludicrousity builds on farce with the amusement style of public school/middle school boys. Physical and scatological humor abound; silliness reigns. This will not be everyone's cup of tea but Three Stooges and Benny Hill fans will likely approve resoundingly! Not for the squeamish.

What absurd adventures the Majors had! Impossible but delightful. Thanks to Farrago and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

The CRAZIEST BOOK I've ever read!! Supposedly it's true, but it's so unbelievably weird with plenty to laugh about!!

It's been a long while since I read such a delightful book. Yes, delightful. The interaction between the two main characters could be the setting for a Grumpy Old Men movie! Their disagreements on the facts will cause you to laugh out loud. I'm telling everyone I know to read this book!

Ummmm, prepare to be a bit amazed/shocked/dumbfounded/possibly even scandalised - but I think that is the point!

As a younger I loved to watch Black Adder and this one reminded me of that series and that typical English humor. I found myself snorting, laughing out loud at most of the times... Had to finish it as fast I was able to read... It made my weekend better. For my taste it is 5 stars but just to say that this kind of humor is not for everyone's taste

An interesting blend of historical fiction and humour, this memoir is not for the faint-hearted or very easily offended. If you’re not easily offended and have a particular sense of humour, however, you are in for a treat!
While Scoundrels is marketed as being historically accurate and true memoirs of spies Major Cornwall and Major Trevelyan, I'm not sure how much is actually true. I'm more inclined to think that the general gist is correct, but details have been edited and/or exaggerated for the humour-value.
The banter and sniping between the two majors in their letters after each chapter is delightful and brings in a different, often less crass, type of humour. If the reader is willing to let go of some political-correctness while reading this volume, however, the chapters are riotously hilarious.
The end of the first chapter keeps coming to mind even hours later, causing much snickering and random grins from me in the work office! So, all in all, Scoundrels is an ideal read for a casual Sunday afternoon or when waiting in the doctors’ surgery, but you may want to watch out where you read it, as you may find yourself laughing aloud quite vigorously.
Review will also be published in the November edition of Style magazine, Toowoomba.

I know espionage and war are serious subjects but someone forgot to tell the authors! I did laugh frequently while reading this book about their escapades. Great book to escape into. I received a copy from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest opinion.

dark-comedy, British-humor, farce

Hilarious non PC madness ostensibly written by two elderly British spies. Definitely not Fleming or Dahl, and Bletchley Park would have flushed them down the loo while laughing maniacally. I suppose that viagra candidates would be the best audience because they would remember Benny Hill. I expect that all future SCOTUS candidates should be barred from purchasing this book.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Black Door Press via NetGalley.

Fans of Benny Hill and Mike Myers — you'll love this book and its sequels. The memoirs of Major Victor Cornwall (and, as it turns out, Major St. John Trevelyan) are exquisite in their black humor and historical tour of great world events, much of which is based in truth but embellished in the finest tradition of pomposity.

This is the novel that starts the series and introduces us to both of these gentlemen and the infamous gentlemen's club of London. Murder on Mount Everest, panda hunting with a Chinese emperor, Nazi lore and more ... the tales run deep.

Also deep is the running interaction between Cornwall and Trevelyan.. So much is said by what is left unsaid, and this is the real gem of the novel — and puts you in the front row of a fine British comedy.

Unless ... recall my lede. Friends of Austin Powers will get and love it. Those who more prefer Roy Clarke's "The Last of the Summer Wine" or perhaps "Are You Being Served" ... maybe not so much.

But, like the travels of Cornwall and Trevelyan, that's what makes the world go round.

Hits you like a battering ram, 'Scoundrels' is NOT for the feint hearted or the PC brigade. It is like classic Tom Sharpe meets Monty Python, with a dash of Fifty Shades.

Based on the memoirs of two retired majors they recall their initiation into the Scoundrels club. A club which carries out missions others would baulk at and these missions lead the two majors to gate crash Hitler's birthday celebrations, go undercover to catch a spy and like any good boy's own adventure, they have an arch-nemesis.

You will either love this book with some genuinely laugh out loud moments, coupled with parts that leave you a tad off colour, or you will be repulsed and email a complaint to the publishers forthwith. Quite unlike anything I have read in many a year and I think that's a good thing?!

In Scoundrels, two elderly British men attempt to one-up each other at every opportunity while writing their over the top memoir, each reminiscing about his time as a member of an elite gentlemen's club. Via letters and chapters written by one of the main characters, we are treated to increasingly outrageous and often conflicting recollections, beginning with their boyhood spent at a boarding school in the 1930s that would make even Dickens cringe. From there, the two take turns describing their key involvement in panda shooting with the emperor of China to secret missions in World War II, all the while making Statler and Waldorf style cheap digs at both one another and others in the stories. The vulgar humor is blended with Monty Python style interpretations of historical events while also feeling like the most ridiculous James Bond satire possible. I laughed out loud numerous times and read many passages to my book averse husband, who is now delightedly quoting both Scoundrels at length. This book is not for the politically correct or easily shocked.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with the free copy.

Original, irreverent, scatological, silly, outrageous and very funny -- laugh-out-loud funny.
For fans of Monty Python, Mr. Bean and, for those old enough to remember, the Goon Show, this will delight.

It goes on a bit too long and eventually the farce wears a bit thin, but but I'm still wiping tears of laughter from my eyes.

Scoundrels is a bawdy romp through history with many chuckles to be found. Two retired majors correspond with each other writing chapters for a biography of their time together. We start back before the war, as they enter public school, and follow them through their admittance into the Scoundrels club, their war efforts, until the early fifties.

The two Majors essentially engage in excessive bravado and one-upmanship as they recount their tales, invariably putting the other down to make their heroics even more so. It's amusing, if at times a little blunt, and even crude. That's the thing, it's hard not to compare these gents to the sublime Harry Flashman, and they do lack the finesse of that wonderful series of books, but that doesn't stop them from being enjoyable. They deviate far more from history too, but that's because it skews more towards fictional entertainment than historical immersion.

I did find myself wishing the book had ended alongside the Second World War. The school days segue so nicely into the war and it all feels very cohesive, but the final couple of chapters have a slight indulgent whimsy to them; like they were bolted on for fear of not getting the second book. They're not bad chapters as such, just disconnected and forced. It's a shame because it does take some shine off of the whole thing, but not enough to do any real damage.

If you enjoy a good caddish historical romp you'll know it can be a tough genre to find good reads in, but this is worth picking up.

Absurdly humorous, quirkily funny, vulgar and gore, I am out of words to describe this crazy heck of a book! From the initial chapters till the end, the book makes you laugh, makes you cry (with laughter) and there are some scenes that you just wish you had un-read because you just can't seem to stop thinking about it!

The first chapter is just crazy! Cornwall and Trevelyan participate in the Paris to Dakar Rally. Cornwall gets gored in the rear by a fellow participant's rhino and his bum is beyond repair! They are halfway through the desert and Trevelyan's forgotten to take sunscreen or lip balm and is suffering from a severe case of sunburn. His lips are beyond repair! What happens next? *Alert* Brace yourselves for what I am going to say next because you might just want to close your eyes and not read it!

So, the duo are famished and thirsty and what not, and they think their end is here. Then Cornwall opens his eyes and sees that he's in a hospital. His rear has been replaced with that of a weasel. And Trevelyan's lips have been replaced with Cornwall's anus! The story then proceeds to describe how each one of them 'suffered' due to this once-in-a-lifetime transplant!

And how can I not mention Fuffy and Cornwall's love story! Fuffy was Major Cornwall's first love. After having a ding-ding in the bathroom with her mother, Cornwall takes Fuffy on a picnic - he's about to propose to her too. Before he could do that, clouds come out of nowhere and there's a storm. Fuffy gets struck by lightning and the poor thing survives... As an engagement gift, Cornwall gives her a kite and insists that she flies it right away. Remember the storm? Lightning might not strike always twice but in fuffy's case, it did. The poor thing was reduced to ashes, quite literally!

There are many more such hilarious and absurd stories. The story of Klung Hammer had a very unexpected ending...and a very dirty beginning - they walk into the sewer pipes and ... I choose not to complete this sentence! Then there are Cornwall's 'famous' poems which are on par or even better (according to Cornwall) than Byron, Shelly, and Wordsworth.

The book is full of such absurdities and crazy humor. Having said that, the book might not be liked by all. The kind of humor this book portrays is not for everyone's taste. I love to experiment with reading a variety of genres and stories and I must say that I liked this book. It was very different from the usual cozy or thriller stories. And since I have given a gist of what to expect from the book, I leave it to the readers to decide if they would like to read it or skip it. But if you ask me, I would say that you should read it. The story is unique and hilarious, albeit a bit vulgar.

What a fantastic read - I could not put this book down!

Firmly tongue in cheek, exactly what I needed! Light enough for very easy reading - keeping the reader guessing just how far into the gutter the humour will go! (Not a book to give to your great aunt for Xmas!)

More of the same please!

While browsing titles on Netgalley, I came across this intriguing mock memoirs. I thought it might be amusing. The cover was a turnoff, so even though I thought the premise sounded good, I kept putting off reading it. I never imagined a cover could influence me like that! Pardon my use of a hackneyed expression, but you really cannot judge a book by its cover.

Although the prose did not immediately grab my attention, once it did, it held on with an iron grip and I was hooked. Presented as real-life occurrences, the hyperbolic events described in this book were hysterical in their absurdity, while the storytellers, Trevelyan and Cornwall were barely likable braggarts who openly derided one another. And that renowned British sarcasm was on full display, along with a healthy dose of contrived propriety and exaggerated understatement.

I wholeheartedly and enthusiastically recommend this book and I'm looking forward to book 2.

This is British Comedy in the written form. Black Adder in a book so to speak. Majors Cornwall and Trevelyan tell you of their escapades. Quite an enjoyable time following their stories.

I gave this book, Scoundrels, a 4/5 stars. It is a collection of the most outrageous rantings of male ego that borders, and falls off into, the line of eroticism. As I walked into the storyline, I was caught off guard by the subtle humor used. Knowing that humor is dicey with different audiences' needs and expectations, so I continued the journey until I couldn't anymore. But with a smile.

A wonderfully funny book that reminded me a lot of the books by George MacDonald Fraser. I was grinning time and again as each of the Majors tried to portray themselves in the best possible light by recounting outrageous stories while trying to make the other the brunt of the joke.

It was great fun reading the book, though I have to say that the tag historical fiction might be a bit tongue in the cheek. History buffs might be a bit horrified by the accounts in this book :-).

I'm looking forward to the next installment of Majors Cornwall and Trevelyan's memoirs.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this book.

It's fun, it's funny, a great read for fans of the Flashman series. Purported to be the memoirs of two WWII era soldiers and spies, this is a series of outrageous adventures and exaggerations. Lots of fun.

In the vein of Flashman, this book is absolutely hilarious! I don't know how the authors managed to maintain the witticisms in practically every line. Loved it!

A first of two books where two guys write letters back and forth venting their displeasure at the situation they find themselves in. There is a plot to undermine and destroy Gruber for apparent past sins he had committed. He embarks on what he considers to be legitimate assignments only to later find out they were meant to humiliate and possibly get him killed. The story continues in the next book.

This book caught my eye and it was rather a fun read. I liked the set up of the book - the same story being told by quite opposite narrators worked well. There were a few of their stories that weren't quite to my taste, but it was easy to quickly speed read past them.

The utter ballsiness of these two scoundrels is shockingly amusing. This is a no-holds-barred and no-tongues-held account of the shenanigans they find themselves involved in, usually to save their own asses. I really loved this book.

Thoroughly enjoyable and an interesting read. A proper page turner, very well written and easy to read i am looking forward to reading more of them

If you’re easily offended or uptight, this book is not for you. I found myself laughing out loud at times. Outlandish, cheeky, what’s not to love?

Thank goodness for our protectors! Men of mighty deeds and dangerous exploits! Now sharing their stories for all to worship them by!

The majors are two overly self-hyped men who tell their rousing (if not slightly exaggerated) adventurers in their letters to each other. They wish to write a book of their exploits, with each one remembering the other quite a bit different. Not only that, but the villains they encounter! Oh, we are so lucky to have had two such virile men protecting the world! As for how much is exaggerated, who knows? Guess we will have to take the majors at their word.

Ah British humor! It’s crass, it’s in-your-face, and it is hilarious! The insults that fly between the two majors will make you laugh out loud! If you want a book that just makes you laugh and gives you a break from the real world, this is it! Keep in mind, it is utterly politically incorrect and they are quite chauvinistic, but the reader seems to forgive them for that. Probably because they are both bat crap crazy. So there’s that.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an advanced copy to read. All opinions are my own.

Purportedly the memoirs of two 20th Century English spies involving a certain London gentlemen’s club. Veddy British, very non-PC, very absurdist humor. A wildly amusing cup of comedic tea! 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. Opinions are mine. Pub Date 01 Jul 2018. #Scoundrels #NetGalley

I have not laughed this hard while reading a book in a very long time. Thanks for a great afternoon!

Thank you to the authors, the publishers and Netgalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for my candid review.

OVER THE TOP...... the adventures of these two disreputable gentlemen scoundrels truly defies description. It is British humor at its best over the top, baudy, raunchy, infantile and incredibly fascinating all at once. The book opens to a open race across the African desert limited to non-motorized vehicles. Contestants start dying during the pre-party! But what I believe truly evokes the authentic voice of the book is this......one hero is gored through his anus by another contestants rhinoceros in the race. He and his partner/unackanowledged best friend/co-conspirator are left to walk out of the desert on foot.......the other partner experiences horrific sunburn on his lips. The two eventually survive the ordeal, but one is in need of a new anus and the other new lips. The rhinoceros gored anus is donated for the lip replacement while a pine marten donates a new anus to the other. Of course, the tale is told in hilarious detail with many many crude jokes.

This series of books will appeal to those who love spectacular, over-the-top stories which have grown more epic as time passes as well as anyone who loved to watch Benny Hill. Also, those who are in to infantile, middle school smutty humor will find these books hilarious.

The book is written as a dialogue between these two "heroes" writing to each other and relating their hilarious memoirs. And what is a funny story when related by one party, becomes even more hilarious when "corrected' by the other.

The stories are irreverent, overblown, and really a greatly rewritten history of Britain and its heros!

I have been a regular member of NetGalley till Sept 2018. Later on my visits to their site reduced, I think one of those visits I applied for "Scoundrels 1 & 2". I got the approval for both the volumes. I think I checked the first volume and read a few pages. But somehow I forgot about those two books and found them during COVID Lockdown. I wanted some good books which can lighten the mood and stress level during these trying times. And Scoundrels gave me that peace of mind. I am grateful to NetGalley and authors for providing such a wonderful book in exchange for an honest review. And I would like to apologize for the delaying review. Still, books needed it's pending praise and here I am delivering duty which was due for almost a year and a half.

Before we discuss the plot let me tell you my first impression of the book cover. I was going through NetGalley shelves when two funny covers came into the view. They reminded me of my favorite childhood tv show "Laurel and Hardy". The title was equally funny, "Scoundrels". I knew the books will be a fun riot. I applied to them immediately. I think they were the last books I applied within those 12 months. I am glad I have these books with me to enlighten my mood. As I applied books in combo and got approval for both, I am posting a combined review.

"Scoundrels" & "Scoundrels: The Hunt for Hansclapp" are the first two volumes of adventurous, fun-filled & thrilled journey of Major Cornwall and Major Trevelyan. The word scoundrels in not specifically for majors but rather a secretive club dedicated to great Britain. But the name does signify their activities which can not be done through political dialog or war. They do the nasty jobs.

The first volume started in recent times where Major Cornwall pushed Major Trevelyn to work on a combined memoir of their adventures. After much cooing and pushing around Major Trevelyan reluctantly accepted Cornwall's request. And thus started a rollercoaster of comedy. The very first incident they mentioned was "Race to Dakor desert". After that followed, their encounter with the Chinese Emperor. After giving a brief of what is to be expected (if you continue reading the book) both major took sequential narration of their memoir. The first part covers both major's school lives, how they entered the Scoundrel club, how they brought a secret weapon from Nazis, survived as prisoners of war in the Japanese army's captivity. The first part ends with Majors making enmity with Gruber Hansclapp.

Major Cornwall is shown smarter of the two always get stuck in the problem and later on saved by Major Trevelyan. Both of them, or I would say most of the club members, were shown as super-rich and their lifestyle is shown with comic style. The way Majors use a variety of liquor and specially made tobacco for various situation/place/moods bring a smile to your faces.

Now coming to characters & storytelling, I must have mentioned fun quotient more than 7-8 times, and you will find multiple styles of comedy. There is a black comedy, blue comedy, situational comedy, physical comedy, character comedy and whatnot. The selection of words is time appropriate. The first volume was around the second world war, and the second volume covers a decade after the second world war.

Language is not age-appropriate, it is strictly 16+ material.

My advice is not to read the book in public, you may end up laughing out loud and may embarrass yourself.

With this, I will complete the review. Talking about ratings
1) Scoundrel - 4.25/5

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with the free copy.

Two elderly British men attempt to one-up each other at every opportunity while writing theirs over the top memoir, each reminiscing about his time as a member of an elite gentlemen's club. Via letters and chapters are written by one of the main characters.

A very laugh out loud book.

Some of the humour may be a tad crass or juvenile for some, but I found this hillarious. I could easily see this turning into a TV series