Customer Reviews

Adventures of Sally

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2 star:		(1)
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I've never read P.G. Wodehouse. I've had friends tell me he's interesting, and fun. He is of course British, and so I expected the story to be British...imagine my surprise to find that this first book of his I've read has as its title character an American! Imagine my further (and greater) surprise to find that I share a last name with that main character. Frankly those two things started the book off right for me.

Sally Nicholas lives in Boston, lives in a boarding house, and has a pompous ass of a brother. She also has a boyfriend whom she plans to marry; he's an aspiring playwright. She comes into some money as part of an inheritance, and travels to Europe, where she meets a pair of cousins. One's the ne'er-do-well who gets fired from every job the family arranges for him; the other's a business tycoon who moves money around and disapproves of the black sheep type. She returns, and her brother's got a new career producing her boyfriend's play, now that the first producer's girlfriend has thrown a fit and quit because she feared her status as the star of the production might be impinged on.

The whole thing proceeds from there. The story is full of twists and turns, events unexpected and mostly harmless, if annoying and amusing. The author has a way with characters, and the plot is vaguely reminiscent of Jane Austen, if more modern and less densely written. I really enjoyed this book, and I imagine I'll enjoy future things of Wodehouse's that I read.

Wodehouse has written a very interesting book with the Adventures of Sally. In this case, the interest is created by Sally herself, as her story unfolds, even though she is surrounded by most every mundane stock character available during that time period. Yet still, Sally shines as an entirely human beacon of life, light and hope, in a world that seems doomed to be run with comedic austerity. Quite a unique perspective.

You can almost feel the Great Depression looming ominously beyond the horizon, as the Sally's tale begins with dreamy plans for financial gains and burdens of familial financial loss. Almost immediately, Sally is whisked away to a less widely known vacation spot in Roville, France, where she meets love interests Mr. Two and Mr. Three (already engaged to Mr. One). Sally's sparked interest in Mr. Two, lets call him Ginger, begins the basic premise for the plot. The rest of the book involves rejection from Mr. One in favor of Miss Two, and offering scorn to Mr. Three in reponse to his offers of love, predictably because he was immediately and always disliked. This is all sandwiched between the financial adventures of Sally's brother Fillmore as he competes for financial independance by taking up multiple ludicrous failing schemes.

Now, while unpredictable, the plot offers little in intrigue directly itself, but it does offer us something that few plots do: a feeling of reality. The repeated financial failures of friends and family members do happen, and seeing it portrayed here does a lot for the emotional involvment in the story. A nagging depression is the offshoot of this approach; always knowing that things are not going well, cannot go well, and will not go well does that to you.

During these traumatic events, we see Sally, as she is portrayed as a real flesh and blood human being. Still trapped in the mannerisms of the day, the etiquette that covers up much of her true feelings, but also alone and dismal. One scene stands out to me more than anything. Sally receiving that 'Dear Jane' letter from Mr. One, knowing what it must contain, sitting on the floor in the bathroom and burning it. But not just burning it, but throwing a lit match at it and letting it burn on top of it, and repeating that process until it was nothing more than a dirty spot on the floor. Very memorable.

While the basic plot, as I've outlined it seems simple, it is actually more complicated. There are reasons why each of the three love interests are considered and of interest, at least for a short time, and this is an example of the plot's creativity. Also, spicing up the plot, is the basic itinerary, which includes London, NYC, Chicago, Detroit, and the already mentioned Roville, France and these diverse locations add much to the flavor. Combine that with including three main characters of British descent, and you have a recipe for intrigue.

Other story elements of interest include thetrical productions, boxers, and dance instructors (think Tina Turners 'Private Dancer' and you get the picture better). These so fit the persona of urban America at the time, and if you like any of these bits of Americana, this book would be considered a must read. As with most of the "classics" there are bits of historical flavor which make them real gems.

Overall, a very good book from a very good author who has a very unique style of writing you are sure to find refreshing.

Recommended.

Wodehouse at his comic, yet startlingly thoughtful best. Although it doesn't have the familiarity of a Jeeves-Wooster dynamic, this book hums with dramatic tension & comedy of the 1940s romantic comedy genre. A treasure, a gem - a must-have for any Wodehouse devotee.

This is early Wodehouse, written in the first part of the twenties. His writing, as a stylist, is marvelous even at this point. But, you can tell that he hasn't quite gotten his footing yet. The marvelous turns of phrase are infrequent. They are the pip and they are wonderful howlers when they come. However, not quite up to form. The plot is a bit plodding and overly-dramatic. Our male antagontists difficulties are poignantly "real life." Not the witty fun you expect in a Wodehouse novel. (For instance, Sir Roderick Spode) Finally, our male hero absolutely lacks charm. While we delight in Bertie Wooster's dim-wittedness, here Wodehouse doesn't convince us as to why the protagonist ought to win Sally over. OK, Sally may found him appealing. But, we don't.

P.G. Wodehouse is a delight to read and if you like to feel as though you are there in the time of the story (1910-1920 I believe), then P.G. is your man. His writing is witty, wonderfully descriptive of both places and characters. Sally is a high-principled young American girl living a shabby life until she inherits a rather large sum of money. She wants everyone to be happy, and so her troubles begin. It is thoroughly enjoyable to read as Sally tries to stay true to herself while helping everyone around her.

Not my favorite Wodehouse but still very good. No fan of P.G. the Great will be disappointed in this one. For those who have yet to discover the most prolific and delightful writer in the English language, "P.G. Wodehouse: Five Complete Novels" is a better place to start.

This was my first book by P.G. Wodehouse. The moment I finished, I was back on Amazon to find other books written by this author.

Quick wit and rapid-fire dialogue, reminded me of old movies with Cary Grant, Spencer Tracey & Katherine Hepburn.. to mention a few. A great read.

It was the author's name that interested me in reading this book. I have found it to be very simplistic and its lack of sophistication probably more appropriate for a young adult.

Sally is the neatest gal ever! I'm in the middle of the book, but so far Sally has been an absolute pippin. This is one of the ultimate feel-good books; Wodehouse at the top of his form.

I may change my mind about it after I read more, but I doubt it...

Arch

I Have read several of his books and am a great fan of his. But this one or some reason was not as humorous as the others. However I did thoroughly enjoy the book.