A Damsel In Distress by P.G. Wodehouse
I only picked this up because I wanted a free book on my kindle and Wodehouse is much less objectionable than most “classic” novels, which I generally find tedious. I’m glad I did. A DAMSEL IN DISTRESS was even more charming and delightful than my memory of the other Wodehouse books I’ve read.
The setting, as you’d expect, is England in the early twentieth century. Jazz is still scandalous, “lady” is not a sleazy euphemism, and men use “jolly good” without irony. In London, we have a composer named George and a musical star named Billie (who is defensively proud of her naturally blond hair) George makes the chance acquaintance of a young lady named Maud, who is fleeing from her brother. Meanwhile, back at Maud’s home, the castle Belpher, Maud’s aunt Caroline is conspiring to pair Maud up with her cousin Reggie, who is secretly in love with her father’s stenographer Alice. Reggie helps Maud slip off to London so she can see her secret paramour Geoffrey, an American whom she met in Wales. When George comes to Belpher seeking Maud (with whom he’s fallen in love)the family thinks that George is the American that Maud has been pining after. Hilarity ensues.
In case you didn’t know by the synopsis, this is a Jazz age rom/com. The main characters are upper class, and their interactions with the lower class members are curtailed by social mores, which provides much of the conflicts. The scenes are ridiculously contrived. The characters are ridiculously contrived as well, and in their long, introductory monologues, they let you know which person they will inevitably end up with by virtue of their hobbies. And make no mistake–everyone will end up happily married to the partner of their choice. The only unhappy people are the ones who stand in the way of true love, and their punishment is merely embarrassment and maybe some muddied clothes.
I liked that this book was apologetically fluffy and happy. It’s a cheerful book of proper people, with absolutely nothing violent or offensive. For these reasons, I could forgive the artifice of the plot. I could also forgive the dialog, which was obtuse with colloquialisms and lacked sufficient speaker tags.
I recommend this for people who want a happy romantic comedy with no sex or swearing.
