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Changing Places Kindle Edition

4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 371 ratings

When Philip Swallow and Professor Morris Zapp participate in their universities' Anglo-American exchange scheme, the Fates play a hand, and each academic finds himself enmeshed in the life of his counterpart on the opposite side of the Atlantic. Nobody is immune to the exchange: students, colleagues, even wives are swapped as events spiral out of control. And soon both sundrenched Euphoric State university and rain-kissed university of Rummidge are a hotbed of intrigue, lawlessness and broken vows...

From the Publisher

Vintage Brand: Read Boldly, Think Differently.

Product description

Review

A magnificent comic novel ― Guardian

Not since
Lucky Jim has such a funny book about academic life come my way ― Sunday Times

Three-star rating for a laugh a line ―
Evening Standard

From the Back Cover

When Philip Swallow and Professor Morris Zapp participate in their universities' Anglo-American exchange scheme, the Fates play a hand, and each academic finds himself enmeshed in the life of his counterpart on the opposite side of the Atlantic. Nobody is immune to the exchange: students, colleagues, even wives are swapped as events spiral out of control. And soon both sundrenched Euphoric State university and rain-kissed university of Rummidge are a hotbed of intrigue, lawlessness and broken vows...

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B006MXC8OU
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Vintage Digital (29 Feb. 2012)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2426 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 243 pages
  • Customer reviews:
    4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 371 ratings

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David Lodge
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Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
371 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book humorous and witty, with ironic commentary on human delusions and vanity. They describe it as an enjoyable read with great writing style and depth of knowledge that transcends genres. The book offers a clever comparison of cultures and personalities, providing readers with insights into human nature.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

9 customers mention ‘Humor’9 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the humor in the book. They find it witty and entertaining, with accurate observations and comments on delusions and vanities. The book is described as sharp, witty, and highly entertaining at times side-splittingly funny.

"..." that were popular in the mid-late 1900s, "Changing Places" is sharp, witty and stands the test of time...." Read more

"funny in parts, short ending" Read more

"...The idea of the plot gives lots of scope of comedy...." Read more

"...On the way, there's a nice sprinkling of ironic commentary on the delusions and vanities of academic life, the sixties, and sexual relationships...." Read more

7 customers mention ‘Readability’7 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's readability. They find the story engaging and appreciate the clever construction, comparing cultures and personalities.

"A clever construct; comparison of cultures and personalities; and introduction to Philip Swallow who appears in later novels...." Read more

"...Lodge manages the contrast between their respective roles very adroitly...." Read more

"I really enjoyed this. Living in Birmingham and having been here during the student sit ins this was a trip down memory lane in parts...." Read more

"Another great writer. This one despite being a little all over the place and was a bit difficult to remember who was where and with whom, was good." Read more

4 customers mention ‘Writing style’4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the writing style.

"...It is well written using lots of different writing techniques to continue the story...." Read more

"...He is certainly a Wordsmith of excellence and I love his sense of humour." Read more

"Another great writer. This one despite being a little all over the place and was a bit difficult to remember who was where and with whom, was good." Read more

"...Great writing." Read more

3 customers mention ‘Depth’3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's depth. They say it provides them with an extensive knowledge that transcends genres, while offering deep insights into human nature. The clever construct and comparison of cultures and personalities are also praised.

"A clever construct; comparison of cultures and personalities; and introduction to Philip Swallow who appears in later novels...." Read more

"...On the positive side, this has left him with an extensive knowledge that transcends genres, but it has also rendered him too much of a generalist to..." Read more

"...All that without losing deep insight into human ......" Read more

Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 June 2020
    A clever construct; comparison of cultures and personalities; and introduction to Philip Swallow who appears in later novels.

    On the "academic novels" that were popular in the mid-late 1900s, "Changing Places" is sharp, witty and stands the test of time. Philip Swallow is unexpectedly sent on an academic exchange from his place in the University of Rummidge (notionally not Birmingham!) to Esseph in California, where he changes places with Morris Zapp who is despatched to Rummidge.

    Highly recommended.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 December 2023
    For some reason I have always particularly enjoyed novels sent in schools or universities, and this falls squarely in that group. I first read this book nearly forty years ago. Indeed, I was prompted to pick it up back then after having read its then recently-published sequel, Small World. While they feature many of the same characters, they also both function as stand-alone novels.

    Back then, I recall enjoying the sequel more than the original. I was prompted to reread this one having seen it featured in a series of articles in The Times espousing the benefits and enjoyment to be offered from reading a selection of older books that had not quite achieved ‘Classic’ status. Another book from that series which I expect to look at soon is Graham Greene’s The Honorary Consul. I know from my nerdy list (now extending to almost 5,200 books) that I have read that, too, but it must have been even longer ago than my first turn at Changing Places, and I remember next to nothing about it.

    In writing about university life David Lodge was playing with familiar material, having been a successful and prominent lecturer in English literature, teaching first for the British Council and then at Birmingham University. One of the principal protagonists who change places in the novel is Phillip Swallow, a long-established lecturer in English literature at the University of Rummidge, modelled closely on Birmingham. Swallow has developed an extremely eclectic approach to his literary studies. On the positive side, this has left him with an extensive knowledge that transcends genres, but it has also rendered him too much of a generalist to be widely recognised in academic circles. As a consequence, he has not been promoted within his department, and has little prospect of any such development in the foreseeable future.

    His American counterpart is Morris Zapp, Professor of English Literature at Plotinus University, in the state of Euphoria (modelled on Berkeley in California). Zapp has a glowing reputation as a scholar of Jane Austen, and who has had a very high profile career. Ordinarily he would have no interest in an exchange to an English university other than Oxford (or perhaps that other place out in the fens), but his domestic circumstances push him into it. His latest wife is pressing for a divorce, and Zapp considers that a sojourn abroad might alleviate the tensions between them.

    Consequently Swallow and Zapp exchange roles for six months, with, as the trailer for a sitcom would say, hilarious consequences. Lodge manages the contrast between their respective roles very adroitly. Unlike Zapp, Swallow does not hold a long suit when it comes to self confidence or assertiveness, and is amazed by the wholly alien approach to study and life in general on an American campus. Zapp, meanwhile, is equally shocked by the whole spectre of life in Rummidge, and by perpetually low profile maintained by his new colleagues and the student community.

    There are further sharp contrasts between life on the West Coast of America and a city in the heart of the English Midlands. Nearly fifty years on from when it was written, these may seem rather cliched and predictable. However, they do, still, offer some telling insights into the differences in everyday life between the two locations.

    A few years after the book was published, I would experience a similar exposure to a different world, spending a year at UCLA to do postgraduate work following on from my initial degree in Leeds. With the benefit of that perspective, I recognise the acuteness of many of David Lodge’s observations. I hasten to add that the similarities between my experiences and those of the novel’s protagonists were merely geographical.

    I am glad I re-read this, and am looking forward to tackling Small World shortly.
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 April 2015
    funny in parts, short ending
  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 3 June 2014
    I really enjoyed this. Living in Birmingham and having been here during the student sit ins this was a trip down memory lane in parts. It is well written using lots of different writing techniques to continue the story. I particularly liked the two airplanes travelling in opposite directions across the Atlantic with an account of what is happening in real time on each plane.
    6 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 July 2020
    Transatlantic page turner
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 November 2024
    One of the best books I’ve ever read.
  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 October 2021
    This is a humorous account of two academics who swap roles for 6 months between fictional British and American universities. They end up swapping not just jobs but wives too. Lodge employs several interesting literary devices to tell the two simultaneous stories and there's much insightful but light-hearted social commentary too.
  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 February 2016
    I've read some of this authors later works and enjoyed them so was interested to read this one.
    It was originally published in 1975 and, unfortunately, has not aged very well.
    The idea of the plot gives lots of scope of comedy. Professors can be made to be funny characters and the thought of the comparison of UK/US cultures in the sixties/seventies has some interesting ideas. I also liked the sections in the book where the author changed styles, using letters, headlines and even a play script to tell the story.
    However, I didn't enjoy reading the book as a whole. The main characters were dull and underdeveloped and not enough was made of the culture clash.

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
  • Jeremy Rabkin
    5.0 out of 5 stars Changing Places - a fun read
    Reviewed in the United States on 21 October 2024
    A deserved classic - and my copy was in mint condition and delivered promptly.
  • anónimo
    5.0 out of 5 stars El producto bueno, el libro malo
    Reviewed in Spain on 2 January 2024
    Me lo leí porque me lo pidieron para una asignatura de la carrera pero no me gustó nada. Eso sí, aprendí mucho inglés.
  • Eva C.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Tolles Buch, sowohl für Uni als auch für Privat
    Reviewed in Germany on 14 August 2020
    Ich habe das Buch als Pflichtlektüre für ein Englisch-Seminar in der Uni gekauft. Lässt sich toll lesen, viel Humor und interessante Themen. Auch für den privaten Gebrauch ein Werk, dass ich gerne lesen würde. Ich kann es empfehlen!
  • Andrea
    5.0 out of 5 stars Really funny
    Reviewed in Italy on 12 July 2017
    Really funny, although I suppose that it is funnier for academics that it is for non-academics. Anyway a good read.
  • deno
    5.0 out of 5 stars Gut
    Reviewed in Germany on 18 November 2022

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