Joy in the Morning by P G Wodehouse

Joy in the Morning is another novel from P.G. Wodehouse's wonderful series of books about Bertram Wooster and Jeeves. Bertie is a young gentleman of inherited means and no present occupation. He is a good humoured and well-meant chap, however clearly not the smartest tool in the shed. Bertie seems to have a talent of getting himself into trouble but that is where Jeeves, his loyal, educated and painfully clever butler comes to his rescue. Jeeves is irreplaceable when it comes to saving Bertie from whatever creative, complicated and incredibly funny situations Wodehouse puts his characters through.

Life is dashed good for a nonchalant Bertie Wooster these days - that is, until he is forced to help his Uncle Percy set up a secret meeting with a business partner. Jeeves comes up with a plan where Bertie has to rent a cottage in Steeple Bumpleigh, Uncle Percy's rural home and come there for a visit as a cover-up for the meeting. Upon arrival Bertie realizes that his former fiancee, Florence Craye (a woman with wonderful profile but strong predisposition to marry Bertie and make a man out of him by forcing Spinoza on the poor fellow) is also in Steeple Bumpleigh with her current fiancee 'Stilton'. Bertie still shudders just looking at Florence, wondering how lucky he is to have narrowly escaped marriage, but her smitten fiance is determined Bertie wants to win her back. While in the neighbourhood, Bertie is also made part of a plan to get his uncle to like Boko, a friend of Bertie's who has his mind set on marrying Uncle Percy's daughter Nobby. Seems that everyone wants something from Wooster, and you know straight away that none of the plans will go as expected. Thank God for Jeeves, who will come up with a perfect idea to save the day, get the couples to marry (or not) and overall feed the hungry, help the rich and support his master.

Despite all my love for Wodehouse, I have to admit Jeeves and Wooster books are all alike. If you like them, you enjoy each and every one of them - the delightfully old-fashioned humour, the forever doomed 'brilliant' plans, the way Jeeves always tells Bertie the correct quote (Something about Joy doing something. - Joy Cometh in the morning, Sir?) and the subtle atmosphere of English gentry of the old days. If you don't like Wodehouse's style though, do not get this book in the hope of novelty.

Perhaps Jeeves and Wooster used to be series of sorts in Wodehouse era, like Desperate Housewives are now: you know nothing incredible will happen but you like the heroes enough to watch them getting into the same sort of trouble each and every time.

A quiet and pleasant read of the classic that I believe everyone should give a try.

Thanks a lot to Arrow Books for sending this book to The Bookbag.

If you are a fellow Wodehouse fan, why not check another "Jeeves and Wooster" novel - Thank You, Jeeves.

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You can read more book reviews or buy Joy in the Morning by P G Wodehouse at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy Joy in the Morning by P G Wodehouse at Amazon.com.

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