Money for Nothing
by P.G.Wodehouse
humour
copyright 1928
read in February 2013
rated 8 out of 10: really quite good
English country folk from upstairs and down, described with humour and affection. American con artists shown as cunning but not evil. Confusion, coincidences and -- surprisingly -- some almost cave-man action.
Yes, this is vintage Wodehouse. (Is there any other form of Wodehouse?!)
It struck me as I read the eminently satisfactory conclusion, that the world of Wodehouse is a little more fixed than I would expect in a more modern novel.
Sure, the various problems are all resolved. Yet there is no shifting of the relative positions of the characters. If one is a Lord at the start then one is a Lord at the end. There is no chance that a pauper will turn out to be a Prince who was exchanged as a baby. Case in point...
The hero begins the story as the obvious person who should inherit the estate. The actual heir has no interest in managing the history and the economics of a rich country estate. And at the end of the book -- there is no change.
The hero will continue to manage the estate. The heir will eventually inherit and continue his disinterest. There is not even the hint of the possibility of a change.
And there is not even the slightest hint of any jealousy on the part of the hero. He will continue to manage and protect the estate, on behalf of its owner.
A glowing, rosy world.
A Wodehouse world to be enjoyed.
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