The Adventures of Sally
by P.G. Wodehouse
humour
written in 1922
read in December 2012
rated 7 /10: well worth reading
Before I read this book I expected to write, Another great book by Wodehouse... What else can I say.
I mean, I've read enough Wodehouse to know the style: charming, light, warm.
Yet Sally is different...
The Adventures of Sally is set largely in America rather than England. The characters are mostly American. And not every character is likeable!
There is the boxer who enjoys hitting his opponents. There is the money man who is a fool for his woman. His woman, who is her own woman and a fool.
The first fiance turns out to be a self-centred, self-pitying incompetent. The second fiance -- despite being an Englishman -- is an unpleasant snob.
I am surprised!
Perhaps it's because the book is set in America... a melting pot of races, people and classes. Whereas Bertie Wooster and his friends live in splendid upper-class English isolation.
Perhaps the characters of Sally were based on observation of actual Americans... Wodehouse did live in America for most of his life. And, as a corollary, the Wodehouse England may have been based on youthful memories and rose-tinted imagination...
For whatever reason, this book includes several characters who may be actively disliked. Which is unusual -- in my limited readings of Wodehouse.
Is this really unusual? Or is my Wodehouse experience too limited...
I look forward to reading more books by P.G. Wodehouse. I know that I will enjoy them. And I am interested to see if I will meet more of these definitely dislikeable Americans.
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Problems ? Solved
1 comment:
May 2017: I've just re-read The Adventures of Sally. Noticed -- again -- the surprising fact that some Wodehouse characters can be disliked. Yet would, this time, have scored it a point higher at eight, "really quite good". Largely because of the absolute pleasure of reading *any* book by P.G. Wodehouse :-)
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