Piccadilly Jimby P.G. Wodehouse
My Not-Much-of-a-Blurb:
Young American Jimmy Crocker (a.k.a. "Piccadilly Jim") has been having a little too much of a good time in London, when he happens to meet the girl of his dreams. The only problem? He overhears her talking about how much she hates this man she once knew-- someone named Jimmy Crocker. What's a fellow to do? Assume a new identity and follow her home to New York City, of course!
My Reaction:
I couldn't (easily) find a publisher's blurb for this book-- and when I started trying to write one of my own, I realized what a daunting task it is! This story defies easy, concise introduction. It's a tangled tale of characters pretending to be other characters-- mistaken identity-- kidnapping plots-- young love-- international spies-- high explosives-- and more! Above all else, it's P.G. Wodehouse (albeit early Wodehouse), so there's plenty of lighthearted fun.
Highly recommended for people who know and love Wodehouse. I wouldn't make it my first Wodehouse read, but certainly it's not one to miss entirely, if you enjoy the genre. (Bonus: It's in the public domain, so it's available for free in a variety of places online.)
If I had to offer one complaint, it would be the difficult to read dialect/accent of Miss Trimble. Some of Wodehouse's American accents are so heavy that they take a physical effort to read. (This is probably more of an issue for me, because I'm generally reading aloud when I read Wodehouse.) Also, there were one or two times when things were explained to another character that we, the readers, already knew. I would've been happier if it had been handled differently. But those two minor issues aside, it was a very fun book.
