Covid-19 Day 74

Jeeves and the Wedding Bells
by Sebastian Faulks (2013)

Bertie Wooster his butler Jeeves return in their first new novel in nearly forty years.

Now, forty years later, Bertie and Jeeves return in a hilarious affair of mix-ups and mishaps. With the approval of the Wodehouse estate, acclaimed novelist Sebastian Faulks brings these two back to life for their legion of fans.

Bertie, nursing a bit of heartbreak over the recent engagement of one Georgina Meadowes to someone not named Wooster, agrees to “help” his old friend Peregrine “Woody” Beeching, whose own romance is foundering. That this means an outing to Dorset, away from an impending visit from Aunt Agatha, is merely an extra benefit.

Almost immediately, things go awry and the simple plan quickly becomes complicated. Jeeves ends up impersonating one Lord Etringham, while Bertie pretends to be Jeeves’ manservant.

It’s good to be back to a first person narrative. Faulks gets the tone and comedy right. Even when things are getting a bit complicated and starting to stray, the writing keeps things ticking along to a surprising ending.