The Small Bachelor - P.G. Wodehouse

I wonder if anyone would ever use the phrase “small bachelor” for anyone in real life. But this is a Wodehouse book we are talking about. And as always it depicts life in the rose tinted glass with an attached oxygen mask that really contains laughing gas.

George Finch is the small bachelor in this case. At least I think so, because there were in all three bachelors in this book, but the smallest one of them seemed to be George Finch. One of the other two, is the imposing, intelligent author of self help books, Hamilton Beamish – Jimmy for his near and dear ones – and George’s butler, Mullet. George falls head over heels in love, as usual, at first sight with a girl named Molly Waddington. The girl has a villainous mother, of course, who objects to the marriage and a father who dreams about the west and is generally ignored by everyone. Mullet is in love with an adroit pickpocket, Fanny Welch, who is in the business as much for the fun as for the cash. And then there is a police officer, Barroway, with an especially large adam’s apple who is a budding poet receiving training from none other than Beamish. See how the threads begin tangling? This is not all. Fanny Welch tries to steal a pearl necklace from the wedding of our Finch and Molly. Mr. Waddington is looking for Barroway because the former has sold substantial stock of a company he thought to be worthless to the later, and it eventually turned out to be quite a fortune after all. Mrs. Waddington is out spying on Finch because she thinks him to be what I would call a womanizer, but Wodehouse finds a bunch of other very amusing adjectives conveying the same thing. And while on her espionage mission, she messes with the law and hot on her trail is who else, but Barroway. Oh this is complicated, isn’t it? And believe me, I have left out a bunch plot threads out here for the sake of simplicity of summarizing. Needless to say, ending is happy as always.

This book is loosely based on a play co-written by Wodehouse. How would I have loved to see the play! The book also has a very honest preface to it, which is a delight, to be able to peek into Plum’s simple way of thinking.

Another highly recommended book for Wodehouse lovers!