Once Over Lightly
by David Niven
David Niven’s first novel was Once Over Lightly, or in England titled Round the Rugged Rocks. It’s very obscure and out of print, but since I love him dearly, I managed to find a copy.
As you might expect, it’s more than slightly autobiographical. The protagonist is a young Scot with charm, a penchant for mischief, and a weakness for good-looking dames. After his time in the war, he flits around society parties, gets entranced with a beautiful babe, and heads to America. Through a series of coincidences, he finds himself in Hollywood embarking on an acting career!
Niven is a wonderful writer, and it’s a pleasure to read all of his four books. They all have the same theme, but he writes with such wit, charm, and intelligence, it feels like you’re learning the same lessons for the first time. All that glitters is not gold, egomaniacs are not the center of the universe, and a forgiving woman is the greatest gift on Earth. There are some sad bits to the novel, as the good woman is given burdens to forgive, but mostly it’s funny and full of Hollywood stories. As he wrote his memoirs in his later years, you might recognize some of the same anecdotes!
Be sure to check out Hot Toasty Rag's reviews of David Niven's films here!
Be sure to check out Hot Toasty Rag's reviews of David Niven's memoirs The Moon's a Balloon and Bring on the Empty Horses and his novel Go Slowly, Come Back Quickly!
As you might expect, it’s more than slightly autobiographical. The protagonist is a young Scot with charm, a penchant for mischief, and a weakness for good-looking dames. After his time in the war, he flits around society parties, gets entranced with a beautiful babe, and heads to America. Through a series of coincidences, he finds himself in Hollywood embarking on an acting career!
Niven is a wonderful writer, and it’s a pleasure to read all of his four books. They all have the same theme, but he writes with such wit, charm, and intelligence, it feels like you’re learning the same lessons for the first time. All that glitters is not gold, egomaniacs are not the center of the universe, and a forgiving woman is the greatest gift on Earth. There are some sad bits to the novel, as the good woman is given burdens to forgive, but mostly it’s funny and full of Hollywood stories. As he wrote his memoirs in his later years, you might recognize some of the same anecdotes!
Be sure to check out Hot Toasty Rag's reviews of David Niven's films here!
Be sure to check out Hot Toasty Rag's reviews of David Niven's memoirs The Moon's a Balloon and Bring on the Empty Horses and his novel Go Slowly, Come Back Quickly!