I could not get into this story. I thought the narrator was very detached from the whole purpose of the novel, which is supposed to be a satire, or at least a commentary on the British businessman. I don't think there are really any profound statements that occurred and it made me think that Wells was attempting to write literature in the style of his contemporaries and didn't quite measure up.

I thought the romantic relationships were misplaced. They didn't seem to fit into plot well, almost like an afterthought to show the true nature of the narrator. The beginning was long, cumbersome, and didn't add much. Tono-Bungay would have worked well as a short story. It just seemed to keep going on and on and on.

I wasn't impressed. I don't think it was like Dickens at all; these characters aren't particularly memorable, in fact it reminded me of the cumbersome "The Way of All Flesh" by Butler, but far less poetically written.

I don't think it is a particularly great commentary, although the ending is depressing. Tono-Bungay has a hint of science fiction, but it seemed as if Wells was attempting to write something that he had a half-hearted interest in, which is reflected in George, whose emotional reflection is rather narrow. Simply compare this book to all the other British literature of the same time period and ask yourself, does it really measure up? After recently reading the Forsyte Saga, published not long after this, Tono-Bungay is exceedingly dull.