Room at the Top by John Braine

Penguin, 1959 (originally published by Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1957)

Why?

A mid-century classic which I'd not read, spotted in a second hand bookshop.

I'm intrigued by anything which explores the social re-order following the War - fiction or non-fiction.

Enjoyment factor

This is a curious one. The protagonist is admirable for wanting to break from his working class roots, but is at the same time overly materially driven and with the tendency to objectify women.

How much of this attitude is to be attributed to the protagonist and how much is "of its time" is difficult to gauge, making for an interesting period piece.

It left me thinking ...

How attitudes to women, particularly in the workplace, have changed immeasurably - which is something to be celebrated.

That ambition is universal (a version of this story could be set in any period), but that the breakdown of the social order following the destruction of war made ambitions more possible to realise.

About the ambiguity of the ending. There's a hint earlier in the story that Joe does go on to realise his dream of becoming rich eventually, but it's not clear whether this happens neatly at the end of the book as anticipated, or whether he still has a journey to go on before reaching his eventual destination. Great book club material.