Jill the Reckless
P.G. Wodehouse
Amazon Kindle e-book. First published 1920.
A romantic comedy with Jill, Wally, Derek, Freddie and a few other characters, all of them recognizable from the Wodehouse canon. Jill's uncle, Major Christopher Selby is the only novelty. He is a crook, but amoral, rather than immoral. He is genuinely fond of Jill, and loved by her in turn. That, however does not stop him from gambling away all her money, which he holds in trust. His subsequent crooked machinations to make restoration lead to further complications for Jill and her friends. But through all this, Uncle Chris remains on the side of the angels.
There are in the book descriptions of the mounting of a musical comedy, how the 'book and lyrics' are written, how they are set to music, how the dances are arranged, how hundreds of rehearsals are held, and how the original play undergoes a large number of changes, sometimes transforming its character from something more serious to something less serious. These descriptions are obviously based on Wodehouse's own experiences as a successful writer of musical comedies. In fact many of his books are just such shows in book form, and vice versa. It could be that 'Jill the Reckless' is itself has gone from being a show to becoming a book.
There are in the book descriptions of the mounting of a musical comedy, how the 'book and lyrics' are written, how they are set to music, how the dances are arranged, how hundreds of rehearsals are held, and how the original play undergoes a large number of changes, sometimes transforming its character from something more serious to something less serious. These descriptions are obviously based on Wodehouse's own experiences as a successful writer of musical comedies. In fact many of his books are just such shows in book form, and vice versa. It could be that 'Jill the Reckless' is itself has gone from being a show to becoming a book.
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