Critical Reception
Amis's first novel received mixed critical reception. While he was praised by some critics for his "ruthlessly brilliant comedy," he was also taken to task for failing to sufficiently animate any of the other characters besides Charles, making the book merely "an easy-reading, mildly funny series of bed-and-bathroom observations." Nevertheless, in 1974 The Rachel Papers won the Somerset Maugham Award for best novel by a writer under the age of thirty-five.
Read more about this topic: The Rachel Papers (novel)
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