Review: Jill the Reckless

Jill the Reckless by P.G. Wodehouse
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Not as well known as many of the author's other books, this is part of a cluster of loosely related stories (with some overlap in characters or locations) set at least partially in New York around 1920, the year it was published. Wodehouse himself spent a good deal of time in New York around this period, writing for musical comedy, and a satirical insider's look at the musical comedy business forms a background to this piece.

The main story, though, focuses on the title character. Most of Wodehouse's books have male main characters, who tend to fall into a stereotype: either wealthy or, at least, while currently not wealthy, from a privileged background; not very bright; and not at all useful. There is a character like that in this book - Freddie Rooke, Jill's childhood friend, who is indirectly and partially responsible for some of Jill's troubles - but it's very much Jill's story, and it's more or less a romance, though not quite as we know it. The two love interests, between whom Jill must decide, are not particularly developed; but all of the characters are to some degree taken from stock, as is usually the case with Wodehouse (and also in the musical comedies that made him much of his early money).

Nevertheless, this has a bit more emotional depth and range than most of his better-known work, and the stakes are often higher than avoiding social embarrassment (though one of Wodehouse's inimitable qualities is to make avoiding social embarrassment seem like important stakes). It's not the kind of farcical nonsense that I usually think of when I think of his books. That's not to say it isn't funny; it's just not so over-the-top ridiculous. There are a couple of references in it to people trying to write something more serious and worthy than the typical musical comedy, and it failing to go over, whereupon either the author or the show must return to the well-loved formula, and that could stand as a metaphor for what Wodehouse himself was doing here in what is not generally regarded as one of his great books.

I thought it was pretty good, though, if you took it as what it is rather than expecting it to be what Wodehouse is better known for. The big problem I had with it - and this is a problem I've had with better books than this, like Dracula, for example - is that coincidental meetings and fortunate timing play such a major role in moving the plot along.

The plot isn't as packed with incident as the usual Wodehouse plot, either, but I still enjoyed it. It makes me think about tracking down a few more of his works from this period and giving them a read.

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