A Little Gem
Before Bertie and Jeeves, before Blandings Castle, before Mr. Mulliner or the Oldest Member, P. G. Wodehouse wrote somewhat sentimental fiction, like every other author who was making his or her living and his or her name in the magazines of the day. That he evolved the then-current literary fashion into something higher, better, funnier and more memorable is a tribute to his gifts as a writer. That, on the way to that evolution he wrote books like The Little Nugget is a bit of luck for all of us. This is simply a delightful book because Wodehouse is simply a delightful writer. Even in 1913 his turns of phrase and way of introducing characters, the sardonic asides and quick comebacks, all the verbal finesse that make what we might call Classic Wodehouse classic were already there. The description of the portrait of Ogden Ford, Mr. Abney’s habit of “popping up” to London and his verbal manner as he breaks the news to those who will shoulder his work while he’s gone, our hero’s brilliant solution to the problem of how to abstract the Little Nugget from his school and the equally brilliant—and classically Wodehousian—way that that solution goes awry, even the description of a wall that fails to provide adequate cover for our hero, are all part of the bountiful pleasure this particular slab of art gives. True, there is one sentimental scene that goes on far too long and is so out of step with the overall tone that it seems pilfered from someone else’s novel. And the final denouement, the necessary news releasing our hero from his honorable obligations so he can pursue the girl he should have been with all long, is a joke that goes on too long as well. But, as Bertie Wooster might say, those are two smallish flies in otherwise grade A ointment. Over and above the story line—or rather, behind and underneath it—is the pleasure of hearing Wodehouse’s masterfully written prose masterfully read by Frederick Davidson.