I came to read Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis through a non-linear set of circumstances.  It all started with a review that I read for Utterly Monkey by Nick Laird.  The review suggested that Monkey was a cross between a Guy Ritchie movie, the TV show The Office, and Lucky Jim.  I knew two of the three references - with the odd reference out  being Lucky Jim.  I hate not being in on references, especially since I not only knew the other two - I loved them.  So I ordered Lucky Jim to see if it meshed with these other great British icons.  Hmm. That was a pretty linear path after all.
Lucky Jim cover

If you decide to go down a similar path, do yourself a favor. Skip the introduction by David Lodge.  I understand the idea that Lodge wanted to set the stage for our appreciation of the book by discussing the context in which the book was written.  That’s all well and good.  However, Lodge proceeds to discuss the book as if you’ve already read it, know all the major plot points, have studied its place in the British canon, and you’ve come back to read it again - only this time with the benefit of his insights.  How about a big *Warning: Spoiler Alert* across the whole introduction?  In fact, if you really want to save yourself some time, just read the intro by Lodge and you’ll be more than adequately equipped to discuss the book at length at those swanky cocktail parties you go to in the Hamptons.  Sumbitch.
Lucky Jim is the story of a guy, Jim, who attended university on the British equivalent of the GI Bill.  He finds himself a junior academic, a position that was reserved exclusively for the social elite before the war.  Jim hates this career path and feels that he is failing miserably at it.  He expects to be exposed as a fraud at any moment and run out of the institution.

There are some clever send ups of the academic life.  There is lady trouble. Alcohol features prominently.  There is a hilarious speech that Jim gives that is reportedly a classic.  I don’t want to give away any more - unlike some bastards I could mention. Although the modifier in the title should give you an indication of how things turn out.  I did find out why Lucky Jim was thrown in with the other references to describe Utterly Monkey.  So I have that going for me.