Book Review: Uneasy Money

Uneasy Money was written by P.G Wodehouse and was published in 1916.

The book is about the young Lord Dawlish, called Bill by his friends. He is one of those unfortunates that had a title but no money. This circumstance was the bane of his fiancé Claire's life, she refused to marry him until he made some money. While she was out of town, Bill decides to go to America to seek his fortune. But just before he leaves, he is told that he has been left 1 million dollars from a man he once helped with his golf game. The man he helped was an eccentric person who in leaving his fortune to Bill, only left 20 dollars to his niece and nephew, who keep a bee farm on Long Island. Bill, being a kind-hearted person, feels guilty that he had unwittingly taken their inheritance. He decides to go to Long Island and see if he cannot give them half. As a precaution, Bill goes under another name, which was good thinking because Elizabeth Boyd, the niece, hates the unknown Lord Dawlish as a treasure hunter. When her brother Nutty, not knowing who he really is, invites him to their home, he becomes great friends with Elizabeth and slowly comes the realization that perhaps Claire is not the girl for him. Meanwhile, Claire also comes to America on a whim to visit a good friend of hers, who also happens to be staying not far from the Boyd farm. There she meets a wealthy car company owner, who falls in love with her immediately.

I liked Bill, he was a nice fellow, generous and good hearted, though a little slow witted. Elizabeth was a lovely girl, she was strong both mentally and physically, and unpredictable in her actions. She had a great passion for her bees, and a motherly regard and worry for her weak brother, who was an alcoholic. Claire's friend Sylvia was a nice girl, friendly, gentle, yet firm minded. I actually liked Claire a little, though her love of money made her the bad guy in this story. The book was written very well, it was humorous, but had the right touch of seriousness.

This is one of my favourite of Wodehouse's works. I would recommend this to readers who like reading about normal people, the characters did nothing out of the ordinary, but is just a simple and realistic view of higher class life in the early 1900's. There is just a touch of romance to satisfy a more romantic reader, there is a lot of decision making as to right and wrong, a little adventure, a little thoughtfulness, and a lot of comedy. Overall I give this book a 10/10.