The Small Bachelor

The Small Bachelor is another hilarious classic from that master of literary comedy, Pelham Grenville Wodehouse. In this tale, a young artist, George Finch, has fallen in love. There's just one problem: the stepmother of his beloved does not look upon him with a friendly eye. And when that stepmother is the redoubtable Mrs. Waddington, before whom both husband and stepdaughter quail, it's time to bring in a real expert.

Enter J. Hamilton Beamish, George's friend and the author of the Beamish Booklets, which will educate, edify, and instruct every reader on every subject that great man has deigned to favor with his attention. Though Beamish is firm on the topic of "the Marriage Sane" and loudly decries love at first sight, he agrees to show more help George. Little does he know that his cool ideals are about to be shaken to their core by a chance encounter with a young woman, who just happens to be George's old flame. Beamish is not the first man whose intellect was overtaken by his passion, but he won't be the last.

This is Wodehouse; that means there are bluff millionaires, harassed policemen, stolen necklaces, a peaceful country home, and an inscrutable butler, all cavorting their way through a train of ludicrous events that culminate in the happiness of not one, not two, but three starstruck couples.

I love that Wodehouse writes forewords. They're like appetizers; they whet the appetite for the main course. (Of course, not all forewords are so entertaining as his.) In this foreword, Wodehouse talks about his fondness for this particular book, mostly because it was easy to write. Apparently writing can be a difficult slog (who knew?), and authors appreciate the works that flow, as it were, effortlessly from the pen (and are actually worth reading, on later scrutiny).

There aren't a lot of things you can count on in this world — but Wodehouse is one of them. I know when I pick up one of his books that I'm in for some chuckles in a lighthearted world where everything comes right in the end. Love it. show less

Good old Wodehouse. This was a fun one, with lots of great wordplay, and hilarious characters. I lost track of how many times I stopped to read sections out loud to my husband. Wodehouse's talent for elaborate exaggeration is one of the things I love most about his writing. Instead of simply stating that George Finch's future mother-in-law was giving him dirty looks at the dinner table, Wodehouse put it this way:

It was the kind of look which Sisera might have surprised in the eye of Jael the wife of Heber, had he chanced to catch it immediately before she began operations with the spike.

The book is loaded with gems. I think it was originally a musical, and it was fun to imagine the characters bursting into song at different parts. show more
Not quite as funny as Jeeves and Wooster or Lord Emsworth, but Wodehouse fans won't be sorry they picked it up. show less

4.5 stars! A great stand-alone novel by P.G. Wodehouse from 1927 that was based on a musical written previously by Wodehouse and Guy Bolton. It takes place in New York City during Prohibition, and it’s bursting with great, quirky characters.

There’s George Finch - who inherited a fortune and used it to become (according to his best friend) the worst artist in New York. George is also a shy but determined romantic.

J. Hamilton Beamish - an avid pamphlet writer on every topic under the sun from “The English Pure” on proper grammar to his diatribe against love at first sight in “The Marriage Sane”.

Sigsbee H. Waddington - a man who pines for “The West” despite never having been there, and who holds less than zero influence in show more his family that he is the nominal head of.

There are a host of other delightful side characters such as Garroway, the policeman and aspiring poet; Mullett, a former convict and current valet; Fanny Welch, an expert pickpocket; and Madame Eulalie, a savvy palm reader. show less

Different setting but formulaic as usual. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. Here it does, making it quite a pleasurable read.

I ‘ve always wanted to read PG Wodehouse books and what a great book to start with!! Awfully Hilarious, too much of confusion and chaos, humorous dialogues and what not!! ‘Say listen’ enjoyed every bit of it.

Very funny! One of Wodehouse's better stand-alone books.

July 2018 reread: no change to my opinion above.

Enjoyable romantic comedy set in New York. Written at the height of the prohibition, which is reflected in the big police raid on the "Purple Chicken".