Ukridge on #WodehouseSeries

By now, I have introduced you to Jeeves and Wooster, Mr. Mulliner, Lord Emsworth with the Empress of Blandings in the Blandings Castle, and the characters from the school stories of Wodehouse. Finally, we meet Ukridge.

Stanley Featherstonehaugh Ukridge is a very special character from Wodehouse. Before we continue- Ukridge is pronouced this way: U like it rhymes with zoo and kridge like rhymes with fridge- Yoo-krij. He is one of the most handsomest characters of Wodehouse with exceptional good looks, and he stands out in the crowd with his yellow machintosh, grey pants, a towering height over six feet, and a clearly loud voice.  

But, what sort of a chap is he?

“Ukridge was the sort of man who asks you to dinner, borrows money from you to pay the bill, and winds up the evening by embroiling you in a fight with a cabman.” - Ukridge

Most of the stories of Ukridge are narrated by Ukridge's friend Corcoran, fondly called Corky. Ukridge is a striking young man often involved plots and schemes to get rich quick. The lengths that he would go to make some money are short of nothing but infinite, except of course to actually work and earn. The hilariously comedic short stories of Ukridge leave you in a fit of laughter as you watch his desperate, comic ways to cash in some capital!

Ukridge is actually Wodehouse's longest-running character although he was only featured in the novel Love Among the Chickens and in ten short-stories in the omnibus Ukridge. I think Ukridge is also one of the most entertaining character ever of Wodehouse, though he is not as famous as Jeeves or Mulliner. 

I love Ukridge for the interesting specimen that he is- a seemingly rude fellow to those who are not familiar with his weirdly informal air, a man whose persona is so gripping and charming that people give out credit- only to never get it back again, a man who is all about thinking on how to make money in all ways except the right ones! He is a riot of a character- who'll storm in to the pages and make you laugh, and leave you giggling at his get-quick-money schemes.

You love him, and you are exasperated by him. He seems too charming to ignore, and too difficult to understand. He is one beauty of a character that Wodehouse has ever created. 

The best part about the Ukridge stories is that they are short, and give you a full spectacle of a comic tale in less than half an hour. It's the kind of reading that you can do after a busy day, and get back your cheer again!

I say, why don't you try one story today? 

Blandings Castle on #WodehouseSeries

After exploring Jeeves, Mr. Mulliner, and Wodehouse's school stories, we're in for some family drama this week as I introduce you to Lord Emsworth and the Empress of Blandings. Do you want your brain to spin in a web of far-fetched relations and a big, royal family? Go for any book in the Blandings Castle series. 

Lord Emsworth is the master of Blandings Castle, and his most treasured being on Earth is the Empress of Blandings- a huge Blackshire sow who is known for winning in most categories of the "Fat Pigs" competition in the local agricultural show. Second to the pig, what Lord Emsworth adores happens to be the Castle (his home), his garden, and his pumpkins. And, absorbed entirely by his love for the pig and his pumpkins, Lord Emsworth lives a laid back, relaxed life oblivious to the highly dramatic events that take place in the castle. 

Who creates the drama? Well, there is no dearth of that- with Lord Emsworth's ten sisters, a brother, a daughter, two sons, the infinite in-laws, their nieces and nephews- all of them waiting to stir trouble and politics in the Blandings Castle as they come and go to visit old Lord Emsworth. 

Apart from the pig, his pumpkins, and the trouble-brewing host of relatives, the Castle is also home for the innumerable staff and servants to live that royal life, some of whom we get to know over several books. Sebastian Beach is the able butler without whom the Castle activities wouldn't last a day. And, as if these people weren't dramatic enough in themselves, the Blandings Castle also regularly hosted several other Lords and Dukes of the other neighbourhoods!

From 1915 till his death in 1977- Wodehouse held on to this all-time-favourite series of Blandings Castle, with his last book, Sunset at Blandings, being incomplete. In that period, Blandings Castle had 11 novels and 9 short shorties written on it by this classic author. 

"Sunshine, calling to all right-thinking men to come out and revel in its heartening warmth, poured in at the windows of the great library of Blandings Castle." - Summer Lightning

I have read Summer Lightning, Heavy Weather, Pigs Have Wings, Service With A Smile, and most of the short stories. I love Lord Emsworth, his dramatic family, and the treasured Empress of Blandings. Emsworth is the kind of old man who can charm you till no end with his stroll in the sunshine and his relaxed persona. If you need humour, or drama, or both- this series is your one-stop destination for all of it!

So, why don't you make some cool lemonade, settle down in a nice spot of warm sunshine, and pick Pigs Have Wings to a couple of hours of unputdownable entertainment?

School Stories on #WodehouseSeries

After taking a look at the series of Jeeves and Mr. Mulliner novels in the past week, we go to Wodehouse's school stories, now. For a long time, I went about reading book after book of Wodehouse's Jeeves, Blandings Castle, and Mr. Mulliner, but didn't even know the existence of his series of school stories until the grand old man I mentioned in the introductory post gave me a copy of A Prefect's Uncle. 

"Sit down, Lorimer," he said.

There are many ways of inviting a person to seat himself. The genial ‘take a pew’ of one’s equal inspires confidence. The raucous ‘sit down in front’ of the frenzied pit, when you stand up to get a better view of the stage, is not so pleasant. But worst of all is the icy ‘sit down’ of the annoyed headmaster. In his mouth the words take to themselves new and sinister meanings. They seem to accuse you of nameless crimes, and to warn you that anything you may say will be used against you as evidence. -  A Prefect's Uncle

Only introduction was needed, and within no time I was too tempted to have not completed A Prefect's Uncle, The Head of Kay's, The Golden Bat, The Pothunters, and The White Feather. These five books were set in four different schools- Beckford, Eckleton, Wrykin, and St. Austin's. And, these were the early books that Wodehouse wrote for school children before he moved on to Jeeves and other series of novels, and they were published later on from 1901-1905.

The school stories give you the perfect picture of an all-boys, English boarding school. If you have read other English novels for children, you might be able to draw a very similar parallel with books like Tom Brown's Schooldays, which has a similar setting around school boys. Also, cricket is a staple in these books. Some of the best bits in the novels involve scenes of the loyalty that the boys show to their House team, triggering fond memories of our own schooldays.

My favourite of the lot is A Prefect's Uncle, partially because I got introduced to it first! The story involves Gethryn, a Head-prefect in Leicester's House of Beckford, and the tale takes you through the lives of Gethryn and his fellow boys as they wade through school life, ragging, house-fights, misunderstandings- all culminating in a cricket matches that seem more like two houses in war!

All these school stories are short novels that hover over or under a 150-page mark. These are an absolute pleasure to read, and would not take more than a couple of hours! Even if the setting is of an English boarding school for boys, I can guarantee that these books will kindle a warm fireplace of our memories that we can sit back, relax, and relish- with an involuntary laughter and a perpetual smile pinned to the face!

Meet Mr. Mulliner on #WodehouseSeries

Last Thursday, we met Jeeves and Bertie Wooster. And today, let me introduce you to another classic character of Wodehouse- Mr. Mulliner. This character is one of the most liveliest creations of Wodehouse, and one of my favourites.

Mr. Mulliner is an old man famous in Angler's Rest, a lively pub, who has a story or an anecdote for every situation you talk about (but the stories are almost never about himself). He is an irrepressible storyteller, who brings anyone to rapt attention as his anecdote unfolds, one after another, amusing everyone who listens, including us readers. A raconteur is what they call him, and that is where I first learnt that word. In the Mulliner series, Wodehouse unleashes a riot of forty short stories as the narration of Mr. Mulliner.

The Mulliner stories ran from 1901 to 1910, and for ten years Mr. Mulliner goes on to narrate absolutely amusing stories at Angler's Rest.  When a man announces that his dog won a prize at a cat show, Mr. Mulliner has a story about his nephew Lancelot to show how what is expected never happens. When an American claims that California is perfect, old Mulliner is quick to dole out an anecdote involving his uncle, William Mulliner, experiencing an earthquake and its effects in California. Visiting his nanny reminds him of a story on another nephew Frederick Mulliner. And, even a picture in the weekly paper does not escape from teasing a memory and anecdote of our dear Mulliner, to narrate an entertain an audience!

Most of these short stories feature in the three main books of the Mulliner Series: Meet Mr. Mulliner, Mulliner Speaking, and Mulliner Nights. I have read Meet Mr. Mulliner, and other short stories of Mulliner that featured in Weekend Wodehouse. If I could guarantee a book that could entertain with the most hilarious characters and stories, it'd be one from the Mulliner series! As you read more of those stories, you become comfortably familiar with the regular visitors of  Angler's Rest, with a unique identity- what they drink. If you want me to break it: Mulliner is Hot Scotch and Lemon! All the forty stories of Mulliner are collated in the omnibus titled The World of Mr. Mulliner. 

I think the best part of these stories is their narrative pattern- with an incident or a situation in the pub that triggers the irrepressible Mr. Mulliner to tell a story that it reminds of, and then the story unfolds! The Mulliner series is one of the short ones of Wodehouse, but undeniably fond to the readers. The improbable stories entertainingly narrated by the raconteur involving an unending list of uncles, aunts, nephews, nieces, and other acquaintances are such a charm! 

Most people know and get introduced to Wodehouse through Jeeves. But, there is much more to Wodehouse than just Jeeves, and Mr. Mulliner tops this list. I'd say try one story, or one chapter in one of the Mulliner series- you'd be left wanting more before you finish reading it!

My Man Jeeves on #WodehouseSeries

What better way to open the #WodehouseSeries than starting with ‘my man’ Jeeves! 

“Good Lord, Jeeves! Is there anything you don’t know?”

“I couldn’t say, sir.”

- The Inimitable Jeeves

Reginald Jeeves, but known for the most part as just Jeeves, is the perfection-personified valet of our favourite Bertram(Bertie) Wooster. Jeeves is probably the most famous character in all of Wodehouse’s creations. From Jeeves offering Bertie, an idle high-class Londoner, the perfect services of a valet to being Wooster’s all-purpose problem solver and undeclared guardian, the Jeeves series weaves a brilliant, classic relationship between these two. In the fondest terms that Jeeves, the perfect butler, would ever be seen to use, their relationship is “pleasant in every respect”.

Bertie Wooster and Jeeves go hand-in-hand in the series of Jeeves stories. It’s funny, it’s charming, and it becomes incredibly close to your heart. When the timid Wooster reluctantly gets engaged to woman after woman because he didn’t want to hurt their feelings, Jeeves always has a grand rescue plan. When Wooster is wallowing in doubt as to what advice he must give a friend, Jeeves always has an answer to sort it out. And, the whole charm of this series is that Wooster is blissfully unaware of Jeeves’ grand plan that saves him, until the end of the stories when he realizes that Jeeves had managed to maneuver him too, though it was only to safety!

So, does Bertie and Jeeves have a perfect relationship? Well, almost perfect. Jeeves was always first to record his disapproval for Bertie’s taste in purple socks and other such fashion choices, which he thought as abominable. But, Jeeves is as Bertie thinks of him: a sort of guide, philosopher, and friend.

           “It beats me sometimes why a man with his genius is satisfied to hang around pressing my clothes and what not.”

        -Carry on, Jeeves

Jeeves and Bertie were usually used as characters in short stories initially by Wodehouse from 1917 to 1930. The first two full length novels in the Jeeves series, which also happen to be in my favourites, are Thank you, Jeeves and Right ho, Jeeves- both in 1934. I absolutely loved Aunts Aren’t Gentlemen, which is the last novel that featured Jeeves. In this, the doctor advises Jeeves to lead a quiet, resting life for a while, so Jeeves and Wooster head to Maiden Eggesford, where Jeeves helps Bertie deal with the unexpected problem that comes in the form of Aunt Dahlia. Well, what we learn, and what Bertie observes:

“Whatever aunts are, aunts aren’t gentlemen.”

Open a Jeeves book, and you are sure to see an orchestrated grandness by Jeeves to save our Bertie from the most trivial of trivial issues that he manages to entangle himself in. Fueled by the classic English sarcasm and impeccable humour, the Jeeves series entertains you with the stories of young Wooster who is led through life by his perfect valet, whose respectful replies sometimes hide the biggest sarcasm! 

Jeeves was a series that Wodehouse continued to write through 60 years! And as you read, you get bits and pieces of these characters revealed to you through the most hilarious stories. The first book that I ever read of Wodehouse was Thank you, Jeeves. And, since then there has been no stopping me from devouring Jeeves novels with the utmost expectations, and they never fail!

If you are someone who has never read Jeeves, then I think you should start with Carry on, Jeeves- a set of ten short stories involving this hit pair, and the first story of which actually gives an insight into how Bertie and Jeeves met! Let me know your favourite Jeeves novel in the comments if you’ve read before! And, if you haven’t, why don’t you pick up Carry on, Jeeves? 

Welcoming the #WodehouseSeries

 

I am sure most of you know Wodehouse, even if you haven't read Wodehouse. But, for those who don't know: Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse was an English author, humorist, the fondest satirist of the foppish upper class in the English society, and one of the greatest comic writers ever. With over seventy books and plays to his name, Wodehouse is one of the most cherished and buoyant contributors in the expanse of humorist literature. 

Have I read all his works? Nope, and I really hope I do. But, when I sat to count how many Wodehouse books I have actually read, the number did make me smile. I had read all 6 books from his school series, 6 from Blandings Castle, 9 of Jeeves, Meet Mr. Mulliner, and Ukridge- making it a good 23 books across all of his popular series! And, out of 23, hardly 8 of them had a review on my blog. So, I decided to do a series of 6 posts, or what we could call #WodehouseSeries, featuring twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays. 

Today's illustration by me is a mix of inspiration from two things- the cover illustration styles of the Penguin editions of the Wodehouse novels by David Hitch, and an original photo of my dad and my grandfather's uncle discussing Wodehouse. The grand old man, my grandfather's uncle, was a big admirer and great fan of Wodehouse. He even had a beautiful collection that had some first edition novels. He never failed to entertain us with a narration of scenes and snippets from across Wodehouse stories! So, when I wanted to create a cover illustration for this series of posts, the first thing I could think of was to make an illustration in the style of Wodehouse book covers for that photograph. 

Each post in the series will carry an illustration by me, as we discuss and dive into the fair share of Wodehouse that I have read. So, if you are a Wodehouse fan- I am sure you will enjoy the ride. And, if you have never read Wodehouse, you'll probably pick one up by the end of this series! These 6 posts will delve into Wodehouse's books and characters in his series with Jeeves, school stories, Blandings Castle, Psmith, Mr. Mulliner, and Ukridge- in that order.

I am very, very excited about this, and I hope we can enjoy Wodehouse together in the next couple of weeks! Stay tuned!

Weekend Wodehouse

Title: Weekend Wodehouse

Author: P. G. Wodehouse

Wodehouse is a brilliant story-teller, making you laugh from the bottom of your heart. Every line has a witty tone. And, it's the kind of humour that sets a high standard of benchmark. I got Weekend Wodehouse as a gift from a friend, a fellow Wodehouse-fan, on my birthday. 

Weekend Wodehouse is a collection of stories and chapters of Wodehouse's other books. For those who love his writing, it's a perfect book to read, and for those who haven't read Wodehouse yet, it's a great book to begin from!

The book has a cross-sectional story collection with many of his familiar characters and stories like disreputtable members of Drones Club stories, Mr Mulliner stories, and stories of Jeeves, Lord Elmsworth of Blandings Castle and Ukridge. So, it offers a fresh variety, and deeper insight into these much-loved characters, serving as a sample of the brilliance of Wodehouse and his characters that you are bound to fall in love with. 

As the preface of the book aptly captures his writing: 

"P.G. Wodehouse established himself as not only a fond satirist of the foppish upper class, but one of the greatest comic voices in all literature."

Simply put, this collection is an ideal introduction to the writer described by Douglas Adams as ‘the greatest comic writer ever’. Weekend Wodehouse was a delight to read for me, more so because I had picked up a Wodehouse book after a long time. It made me remember the atrocious characters and their crisp, sarcastic English humour.

If you haven't read a Wodehouse yet, you better start with this one!

A Prefect's Uncle

Title: A Prefect's Uncle

Author: P G Wodehouse

Main Characters: Gethryn(the Bishop), Marriot, Wilson, Norris, Franie, Pringle, Lorimer, Reece, Monk, Danvers, Mr. Lawrie, the Headmaster, Mr. Wells

'A Prefect's Uncle' is one of the best books that I have ever read! It's a perfect P G Wodehouse book- absolutely hilarious! This is one of the series of school stories that Wodehouse wrote in his young days. 

It starts off with the boys coming back to Beckford College, after the summer holidays. Marriot, a senior, is trusted with the job of taking care of his Aunt's boy Wilson. Gethryn(called by everyone as the Bishop) gets a strange letter telling him that he is supposed to meet some Uncle of his at the station. When Gethryn goes to the station expecting to meet a lunatic of a uncle(who wants to meet him just when the term has started!), to his utmost shock, he finds his Uncle to be a top-hatted small boy younger than himself. Here is how the conversation goes between the boy and Gethryn:

A top-hatted small boy , who had been hovering around the group, addressed winged words at him. "I say, are you looking for somebody?" The Bishop stared at him as a naturalist stares at a novel species of insect."Yes," he said. "Why?" This affair, thought the Bishop, was beginning to assume an uncanny aspect."How the dickens did you know that?" he said."Oh, then you are Gethryn? That's all right. I was told you were going to be here to meet this train. Glad to make your acquaintance. My name's Farnie. I'm your Uncle, you know.""My what?" gurgled the Bishop."Your Uncle. U-n, un; c-l-e, kul. Uncle. Fact, I assure you."

Gethryn is put down by the thought of having his footsteps 'perpetually dogged' by an Uncle four years younger than himself! The feeling becomes worse when he finds out that his Uncle belongs to the same house that he is a prefect in- Leicester's. Therefore, he goes on back with his Uncle. Before he could warn his Uncle not to publicize their relationship, Farnie goes about telling people about them. The Bishop is completely disgusted about the whole scenario, and the only thing that cheers him is the upcoming MCC Cricket Match. 

Meanwhile, Farnie gets into bad friendship with the senior bad boys- Monk and Danvers. He borrows four pounds from Monk on one of the occasions. On the day of the MCC match, Monk demands the return of the four pounds immetiately and blackmails Farnie. So, Farnie steals the money from the Bishop's purse and gives it to Monk. Without daring to meet Gethryn's fury, he leaves a note to Gethryn and runs away. 

Gethryn during the tea break of the match against MCC, comes to fetch his hat, and thus finds the letter. Afraid of the consequence that might take over if Farnie is found missing, he abandons the MCC match to go in search of Farnie. Due to the absence of the Bishop, Leicester's lose the match. Gethryn brings back Farnie, but has to face serious situation back in the house, since he doesn't open up with the reason of his disappearance(for Farnie's sake).

Everyone, especially Norris- the team captain- is furious with Gethryn for loosing them the match. He takes off Gethryn's name in the school's eleven. When things didn't seem to settle at all, Farnie moves away to another school in France. So, now, Gethryn tells all his friends the truth. Everything ends happily.

There is an aside story that also goes on about Pringle and Lorimer, which is completely hilarious. Read the book to enjoy!

'A Prefect's Uncle' is a must-read!

 

 

The Head Of Kay’s

Title: The Head Of Kay’s

Author: P. G. Wodehouse

Main Characters: Fenn, Kennedy, Jimmy Silver, Mr. Kay, Mr. Blackburn, Mr. Dencroft, the Headmaster, Perry and Walton.

Description Of One Of The Main Characters: Fenn was a head of Kay’s. He is an excellent batsman and football player. Jimmy Silver, the head of Blackburn’s, describes Fenn this way:

“Fenn is more good to a side than half a dozen ordinary men. He can do all the bowling and all the batting. All the fielding, too, in the slips.”

Whom I Like And Why: The one I like the most is Fenn. He is super cool as captain of Kay’s and he gives some amount of freedom to  his fags which cost him his position as the Head Of Kay’s. Apart from Fenn, I like Kennedy and Jimmy Silver very much.

Whom I Dislike And Why: I dislike Mr. Kay. He gives no room for any fun to the students of his house. He is the house-master of Kay’s. He prevents Fenn from playing the cricket match between the Kay’s and the Blackburn’s because Fenn addressed him without adding a “sir” in the end!

Setting/Theme Of The Story: The term begins, and Fenn is the Head Of Kay’s, while Jimmy Silver is the Head Of Blackburn’s. Kennedy, from Blackburn’s, Jimmy Silver and Fenn are the best of friends. Everything goes well until one day when the students of Kay’s behave nastily. Fenn comes in to check them and stop the racket, when Mr. Kay, the house-master, comes down himself. He abuses Fenn in front of the fags saying that he was never meant to be a leader. Angry at this, Fenn goes to Mr. Kay and informs that he shouldn’t have scolded in public. But in his anger, he forgets to add a “sir” in the end. So, Mr. Kay doesn’t allow Fenn to play the inter house cricket match. The Kay’s lose the match without their captain and best player. Mr. Kay starts hating Fenn more and more. Mr. Kay assigns Kennedy as the new head of Kay’s and asks Fenn to step down. Kennedy becomes the Head Of Kay’s. But, the friendship between Kennedy and Fenn becomes strained. Fenn starts seeing Kennedy as someone who STOLE his “position”. Jimmy Silver, unable to see his friends turning enemies, tries to unite Fenn and Kennedy. Everything gets all right when Kennedy helps Fenn get out of a nasty trouble. Abominable Mr. Kay gets out of the school and Mr. Dencroft takes op the position. With the support of Fenn, Kennedy becomes the Head Of Dencroft’s. They remain best friends.

Meet Mr.Mulliner

1st US edition 

Title: Meet Mr.Mulliner

Author: P.G.Wodehouse

Main Characters: Mr.Mulliner, James, Wilfred, George, Augustine, Lancelot.

Description of one of the main characters: Mr.Mulliner loves to sit in the Angler’s Rest and tell tall tales about his far-flung family. He takes part in all gossips and starts telling stories.

Whom I like and why: I like Wilfred very much. He always advertises his inventions like Raven Gypsy face-cream and Snow Of The Mountain lotion. He also invents Buck-U-Uppo, a tonic given to elephants to enable them to face tigers with necessary nonchalance.

Whom I dislike and why: I do not dislike anyone. All the characters are funny and charming. The characters do nothing to make me dislike them. The whole book is filled with characters who cannot be disliked.

Setting/theme of the story: Mr.Mulliner sits in Angler’s Rest drinking hot scotch and lemon. When he gossips with others, he starts telling stories of his far-flung family. He talks about his nephew George once, and then another time he talks about his brilliant brother Wilfred who invents lotions and tonics like Mulliner’s Reduc-o and Mulliner’s Ease-o. Another day he talks about another nephew of his called Augustine who drank Wilfred Mulliner’s Buck-O-Uppo, which was meant for elephants. He talks about Lancelot Mulliner (one of his nephews) who was a poet. He talks about his uncle William and his cousin John San Francisco Earthquake Mulliner (J.S.F.E.Mulliner). He talks about one other nephew of his named Federick. He talks about Clarence Mulliner and his photographic techniques. At last he talks about James Mulliner, a detective story writer and about how James Rodman spent some weeks in a hounted house for 5000pounds. He ends saying that he shouldn’t bore others with family gossip.

Part I enjoyed the most: I enjoyed the part when Mulliner kept telling that his cousin’s name was John San Francisco Earthquake but the other repeatedly told him that there was only a fire in San Francisco and not a Earthquake.

“Brother William’s eldest son, my cousin John San Fransisco Earthquake got this name,” said Mr.Mulliner.“There never was a San Fransisco Earthquake,” said the Californian “only a fire”.

Jeeves And The Feudal Spirit

Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Title: Jeeves And The Feudal Spirit
Author: P.G. Wodehouse
Main Characters: Florence, Bertie, Aunt Dahlia, Percy, Uncle Tom, Lord Sidcup, Mr. & Mrs. Trotter, Ma Trotter, Stilton and Jeeves
Description of one of the main characters: Lord Sidcup is very interested in old silver. He collects those like Uncle Tom. He is also an expert in jewellery. He had studied about diamonds and pearls. He is also called Roderick Spode. Uncle Tom shows Aunt Dahlia's pearl necklace to Sidcup to check whether it is original.
Whom I like and why: I like Jeeves very much. He is honest and loyal. He adjusts to awkward situations. He finds a way for Wooster's and Aunt Dahlia's problems. He is really intelligent and quick-witted.
Whom I dislike and why: I dislike Stilton as he is really annoying. He disturbs everyone in the Brinkley court, the residence of Aunt Dahlia and Uncle Tom. He often gets in to fights with Percy, Florence and Bertie.
Setting/Theme of the story: Aunt Dahlia tries to sell her magazine, The Milady's Boudoir, to L. G. Trotter and his family. Florence and Stilton come to the Brinkley court to stay with Aunt Dahlia. Uncle Tom does not like this company and calls Lord Sidcup to stay with him and discuss about jewels. Aunt Dahlia, to get more money, sells her pearl necklace in London. When Uncle Tom informs Aunt Dahlia that he will be asking Spode to look at the pearl necklace, she does not know what to do. If Uncle Tom comes to know that she had sold it, he would be mad with anger. So Aunt Dahlia seeks Jeeves's help. Jeeves asks her to hand over the necklace to Bertie Wooster and just pretend that the necklace is stolen. But the plan doesnt work as Spode arrives a little earlier than expected. Later, the pearl necklace is found with Ma Trotter who is always jealous of it. Uncle Tom gets it back from Ma Trotter and Aunt Dahlia is saved.  Aunt Dahlia somehow makes L. G. Trotter buy the magazine and after much thought he accepts. Everything settles down perfectly.

Big Money

1st US edition (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Title: Big Money 
Author: P.G.Wodehouse
Main Characters: Berry Conway, T.Paterson Frisby, Ann Moon, Kitchie, Biscuit (Lord Biskerton), Mrs. Wisdom, Aunt Vera (Lady Vera)

Description Of One Of The Main Characters: Lord Biskerton, well known to his friends as Biscuit is a very poor man. He owns nothing but a titile – Lord Biskerton. He is very kind. He is the vest friend of Berry Conway.
Whom I Like And Why: I like Berry Conway very much. He is the secretary of T.Paterson Frisby. He lives in the outskirts of the city as he is very poor. He possessed only a duel copper mine. He lives with his old nurse, Mrs. Wisdom.
Whom I Dislike And Why: I dislike Aunt Vera as she always talks ill about Berry Conway. She calls him a liar. She is the aunt of Biscuit – Lord Biskerton.
Setting/Theme Of The Story: Berry Conway works under T.Paterson Frisby as his secretary. He is very poor. T.Paterson’s niece Ann Moon comes to London for a holiday. T.Paterson Frisby needed a guide to show her the places in England/London. He asks Berry if he knows someone who can act as a guide. Kind Berry knows that Biscuit is very poor and gives this chance to Aunt Vera. Frisby was ready to give a lot of money. Aunt Vera accepts. There is some problem, suddenly, between Frisby and his company partner Mr.Hoke. meanwhile Ann Moon falls in love with Berry Conway and they both get engaged. Aunt Vera, who is planning to marry Biskerton to Ann so that Biscuit inherits the money, was shocked by the news. But Biscuit gets engaged to Kitchie, his neighbour. As Berry is very poor, the try to tempt him with money. So, Mr.Frisby’s lawyer signs a cheque of £2000 to be given to Berry Conway on the condition that he breaks his engagement with Ann Moon. Berry Conway, who knows nothing about all this, is in his room. His friend Biscuit, wants to talk to him, but Berry doesn’t reply, so Biscuit thinks  Berry has gone out somewhere and sits on the doorstep waiting for him. At that time, Frisby’s lawyer comes with the cheque and thinks Biscuit is Berry. So, he asks if he wants £2000 on the condition that he leaves Ann Moon. Biscuit, who doesn’t own a single penny accepts it readily. Suddenly Mr.Hoke and his friend comes out from somewhere with a gun. At last Berry tackles both of them and hands them over to the police. Biscuit gives the £2000 cheque to Berry, a kind deed, and apologizes for accepting the cheque without his permission. But now, Berry is rich! He has big money!
Part I Enjoyed The Most: I enjoyed two parts. One was when Mrs. Wisdom, the old nurse of Berry Conway calls up Mr.Frisby’s office to ensure that Berry is wearing his warm wollies! Second, is when Berry lies that he is a secret agent, working for the secret service, to Ann Moon.