The Girl in Blue

P.G. Wodehouse is famous for his characters and his marvelous mix-ups in English country houses that will remind many readers of the better Shakespearean comedies in which lovers run amok in the Forest of Arden. Writers have always admired his original turns of phrase. In his later years, Mr. Wodehouse often recycled his characters and the stories became impenetrable in some cases to those who had not read the earlier books. But every so often, he took the time to develop new characters and put them into the usual country house run around. That's exactly what occurred in The Girl in Blue, with very fine results. Homer Pyle, an eminent corporation lawyer, is abashed to have to rescue his sister, the wealthy Barney Claybourne, from being prosecuted for shoplifting from Guildenstern's on Madison Avenue in New York. It seems like there's a history in the family, and Homer doesn't know what to do. When Guildenstern's insists Barney be taken out of town, that solution proves to be a relief. Guildenstern's suggests that Barney be kept away from department stores so they agree to take Barney to a country home that takes paying guests in England, one Mellingham Hall, operated by the impoverished Crispin Scrope. Meanwhile in London, Jerry West, Crispin's nephew, finds himself falling in love with a fellow juror. That's a problem because Jerry's already engaged to one of the town's great beauties . . . who happens to be a gold digger. Crispin's brother, Willoughby, becomes the London host for Homer and Barney and shares with them his pride and joy, a Gainsborough miniature that he has just purchased. Homer panics and the fun begins! The story proceeds at a comfortable pace to pose all kinds of awkward situations and dilemmas that lead the characters even more into the soup. It's a delightful plot and the characters are even more wonderful. Enjoy!

THE GIRL IN BLUE has all the elements of classic farce, complete with slamming doors and mixed-up identities, but it never feels preposterous. In many farces, the whole thing would unravel if only one person explained himself or his actions...yet people explain themselves constantly in this book and they still get in terrible scrapes. Very late in Wodehouse's career, but in no way a minor work.

I highly recommend this book. It is very funy and entertaining.One of Wodehouse's best!

Typical Wodehouse hilarity, a delightfully tangled plot, and the simplest and most moving marriage proposal scene I've ever read. I like the Wooster and Jeeves books well enough, but I love this one.