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A review by saroz162
The Adventures of Sally by P.G. Wodehouse
4.0
I was surprised how much I enjoyed this one. It's the first Wodehouse I've read since The Pothunters to really include no deliberate comedy, at least outside of a few turns of phrase; it might more accurately be termed a kind of romance, or perhaps just a "novel of young people."
The book follows young Sally, who - having come into a certain amount of money - gets buffeted from one young man in her life to another, guided by her allegiances (real or assumed) to her brother, her fiance, a kindly older acquaintance, an arrogant young man on the prowl, and her daffy new best friend, "Ginger"—whom she comes to regard with the most affection, of course. It's never heavy enough to be a melodrama, but there are sequences with melodramatic aspirations, as well as romantic ones.
Wodehouse's grasp of language keeps it light, but what probably keeps it from turning too emotional is his circumspection. Several major, dramatic events happen entirely outside of the view of the reader, almost exactly as in a stage comedy, and one significant shift takes place over a short epistolary interlude. It's almost as if Wodehouse is admitting that his strength is in scenes where two people banter with each other, and he really can't be bothered with very much else.
Still, it's enjoyable to see Wodehouse take on a female protagonist and treat her completely respectfully, with only one or two groan-worthy sexist cliches that might be put down to her generous nature. Sally is as close to a real person as Wodehouse ever wrote, and it's interesting to see Wodehousian characters in a context outside of farce. Here, they may banter and preen and talk in slang, but there's none of the neat and tidy assurance of a closed sphere (such as a gentleman's club, a boys' school, or a country estate) that everything will come out all right. It does, of course - but only because in a Wodehouse world, it would be too harsh for anything else to happen. They still experience heartache, loss, and even ruined dreams along the way.
The book follows young Sally, who - having come into a certain amount of money - gets buffeted from one young man in her life to another, guided by her allegiances (real or assumed) to her brother, her fiance, a kindly older acquaintance, an arrogant young man on the prowl, and her daffy new best friend, "Ginger"—whom she comes to regard with the most affection, of course. It's never heavy enough to be a melodrama, but there are sequences with melodramatic aspirations, as well as romantic ones.
Wodehouse's grasp of language keeps it light, but what probably keeps it from turning too emotional is his circumspection. Several major, dramatic events happen entirely outside of the view of the reader, almost exactly as in a stage comedy, and one significant shift takes place over a short epistolary interlude. It's almost as if Wodehouse is admitting that his strength is in scenes where two people banter with each other, and he really can't be bothered with very much else.
Still, it's enjoyable to see Wodehouse take on a female protagonist and treat her completely respectfully, with only one or two groan-worthy sexist cliches that might be put down to her generous nature. Sally is as close to a real person as Wodehouse ever wrote, and it's interesting to see Wodehousian characters in a context outside of farce. Here, they may banter and preen and talk in slang, but there's none of the neat and tidy assurance of a closed sphere (such as a gentleman's club, a boys' school, or a country estate) that everything will come out all right. It does, of course - but only because in a Wodehouse world, it would be too harsh for anything else to happen. They still experience heartache, loss, and even ruined dreams along the way.