The story is about Humphry, but he is not introduced for quite some time. The Bramble family travels around England, on "vacation." Each member of the family has their own problems that they must learn to deal with, and in many ways Humphry steps in later on to help resolve some of those issues. But Humphry is only a servant, a man who is not worth anything in the eyes of the upper class. So how can he impact decisions made by the Bramble family? His presence, his work ethic, and his attitude on life are the ways that Humphry makes a name for himself, and everyone takes notice. In the end, it all pays off for Humphry in a surprise that many readers would never see coming.
So why did I not like a story that had twists and turns (a feature I typically enjoy)? The first reason is the fact that this is considered an "epistolary novel." That means that the story is a series of letters. But to complicate matters, the letters come from 5 different members of the Bramble family. So readers get snapshots of these events from multiple perspectives, and at times I do not feel like the letters flow smoothly. Furthermore, some of the characters like to ramble about topics that do not relate to the story. And at other times they spend so much time describing the scenery that I got lost in the reading.
There is action at various times, and the plot (what little there is) is interesting. The storyline grabbed my attention from start to finish. But with the sudden breaks and long rambles and description sections, I tended to lose focus. I could not stay excited and interested in the story as a whole, and therefore I did not really enjoy Humphry Clinker. I would not say that the book should never be read because there were many good features to this novel. But if asked if I would recommend Humphry Clinker to someone else, I would have to say no.
Matt
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