I just finished the book and would like clarification. Perhaps I just missed it but in chapter 31 Dream Topping (pg 372 USA paperback) is the following line... "It's the sort of thing," piped up James, "that Mycroft might know". How does James know Mycroft?

Interesting....I sat here thinking 'James, who's James?', so I went and looked it up ...and it's 'David' in my (UK paperback) version. I realise that doesn't answer the question but I wonder why his name was changed. Still the competition winner, yeah?

Guess it could just have been co-incidence that David/James know Mycroft from somewhere, like his finding Thursday's keys....the entroposcope was forming swirly patterns don't forget.



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Some days I see the point

I thought at the time that that might be it, but the earlier coincidences were so much cleverer, yeah? It is odd that the man’s name was changed. Was it just the first name? Was his last name still Plummer?

David Graham and his daughter Molly.

Actually this may be a real person....anybody?



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Some days I see the point

In our version it was James and Catia Plummer and the were in Swindon for their honymoon.

I googled "David and Molly Graham" and by coincidence the only page I found was [www.jasperfforde.com]. It speaks of a contest that was held to be part of the next Thursday Next novel with proceeds to go to Usk House Day Hospice. I guess that explains the plot change.



Post Edited (03-22-04 12:50)

That's right, those roles in the story were won by different (Outland) people on either side of the pond... I've met our reality's version of the
'David Graham' involved, at the reading & book-signing that Jasper did in Brighton last summer.


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Logic is like Fire, a good servant but a bad master.

And as to James/David knew Mycroft, isn't Mycroft famous?

That was my impression.

Yes, I am sure that he is famous but using only the first name implies intimacy. When asked about relativity I would not answer "It's the sort of thing that Albert might know" :-)

You might, if the person to whom you were speaking were Albert's nephew, and shared the Einstein name.

Just out of Interest, what question did 'James' ask Thursday?

IIRC, he asks Thursday who the father of Pickwick's egg is.

And who is the father?



=)

Yes.... Uh, no.... Actually......I don't know.... Um, hang on.... What was the question again?

As I've got the book handy, I'll quote Thursday's answer.

Exerpt from pages 373-374 of the US hardback edition of Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde. Used without permission, but hopefully Jasper won't be inclined to sue me.

"Who is the father of Pickwick's egg?"
I get asked some odd questions sometimes. But he was driving me across town, so I thought I would show him some slack.
"I think it was one of the feral dodos down at the park," I explained. "I caught Pickwick doing a sort of coy come-hither dodo thing a month back, with a large male near the bandstand. Pickwick's amour plocked noisily outside the house for a week, but I didn't know anything had actually happened. Does that answer your question?"
"I guess."