The Glad Eye by Ranger Gull was originally published in 1912 and it is one of the books that I bought in Birsay Books on Orkney when we were there on holiday in June. I must admit that it was the dust jacket which attracted me, also it’s a wee book, sort of pocket sized, but although it is a hardback it was quite difficult to read at times as it is so tightly bound.

It’s subtitled ‘a farcical story’ which is very accurate. It’s the first actual farce that I’ve read and although it’s daft beyond belief it was quite entertaining. The book was based on a French play and the setting is a large villa called The Chateau de Vercottes which is on the edge of the forest of Fontainebleau.

The villa is owned by Monsieur and Madame Polignac and Madame’s father lives with them, he’s the one with the money, and he’s very interested in ghosts and trying to contact the dead. He’s being influenced by a so-called medium who is also living in the house.

Monsieur Polignac and his friend M. Bocard have been taking trips in a hot-air balloon called the Zebra. It’s owned by a famous balloonist, but Lucienne Bocard has her doubts about that, she has been married for a long time and knows her husband well, he has a fondness for young girls and she has grown used to his affairs, she gets her own back on him by buying expensive furs, or whatever else she wants.
The younger wife Suzanne is shocked at the thought of her husband being unfaithful.

The husbands are of course living it up in Paris but when they do get back to the Chateau they end up having to hide from everyone as they discover that the Zebra hasn’t landed yet, and it’s feared lost.

A lot of silly nonsense ensues, but sometimes that’s just what is needed!

This book was made into a film in 1927 and my copy of the book seems to be a tie in for the film. Ranger Gull was also known as Guy Thorne and seems to have written quite a few books under that name too. I think I will give it 3 stars as it’s fairly well written although daft.