Review: Much Obliged, Jeeves

Much Obliged, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Poor Bertie - he seems to spend about half his time avoiding getting engaged to the weird Gawd-help-us Madeline Bassett, who formed the very mistaken impression that he loved her when he was attempting to plead the case of his friend Gussie Fink-Nottle. Even though she's now engaged to the brutish Lord Sidcup, aka Roderick Spode, there's always the risk of a rift in that relationship. On the plus-ish side of the ledger, at least as far as avoiding marrying her goes, is Bertie's not entirely deserved reputation as a thief, which is mostly a case of misinterpretation (apart from the silver cow-creamer, which he did in fact steal, though nobody can prove anything).

A good bit of the rest of Bertie's time is spent avoiding getting engaged to Lady Florence Craye, who is also lurking about in this book, oppressing her current fiancé in her usual imperious manner. Said fiancé is (at Florence's insistence) standing for Parliament, and Bertie attempts to help, since he's an old friend and Bertie will always help old friends at any cost; his first attempt at canvassing, though, goes so hilariously badly that he withdraws in confusion.

Brinkley, Bertie's (and seemingly practically everyone else's) former manservant, is also in the vicinity, making dastardly use of the Junior Ganymede club book, which records the peccadilloes of club members' employers. All in all, it makes for a complex and satisfying plot in which Bertie once more struggles entertainingly, before eventually being rescued by the phlegmatic Jeeves.

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