The History of Mr. Polly

Trapped in a dreary shop and a joyless marriage, the dyspeptic, daydreaming Mr. Polly finally rebels, burns his old life to the ground, and sets off to find contentment on the open road and at a riverside inn. Wells’s warm, exuberant comedy celebrates the small man’s revolt against respectability and the courage to start again. Written in rich, playful prose full of Mr. Polly’s glorious mangled vocabulary, it is one of Wells’s most beloved and humane novels. Funny, rebellious, and quietly wise, The History of Mr. Polly is a joyful tribute to escape, second chances, and the stubborn human longing for a happier life.