Uneasy Money by P. G. Wodehouse Book Review

Uneasy Money is a novel by P. G. Wodehouse and was first published in the United States in 1916. A movie was also made based on this book. The story is about a certain Lord Dawlish. His friends called him bill. Despite his title, four hundred pounds a year was all the income he got. Though he was already engaged with Claire, his marriage kept getting postponed because Claire thought it was impossible to survive with a meagre salary of four hundred pounds a year. Bill, Claire thought, lacked ambition and was too diffident to grab an opportunity when it presents itself. Bill was popular among distinguished men of the town. 

One day in a meeting Claire’s exasperation reached its peak when Bill refused to draw some monetary benefit out of his position. She abruptly ended the meeting and left. Bill was devastated. May be he should give America a try – Bill thought. Then his lawyer friend Jerry summoned him. Nutcombe, a millionaire Bill once helped with his game of golf, had made Bill his beneficiary in his will – Jerry informed him. Nutcombe had surviving family members, the Boyds, residing in America. But he didn’t choose them. He chose Bill.

The hero of the novel Uneasy Money by P. G. Wodehouse is an epitome of integrity. Any man would have celebrated the windfall, but not Bill. The good news only vexed him more. Nutcombe’s will sat heavily on his conscience. He decided, upon reaching America, he would meet Elizabeth Boyd and would split the money with her. Considering how dearly he needed the money for his marriage with Claire, he couldn’t give it all away. But he could surely give Elizabeth half of it. With such a plan he sailed off to America. At the same time Claire received an invitation from her friend to visit America. There her friend introduced her to a millionaire named Pickering, who seemed to be greatly enamoured of lovely Claire. He proposed to Claire. This placed Claire in a difficult situation. On one hand there was handsome, smart but poor Bill with whom she saw no future. On the other there was this aged, boring man Pickering with an automobile business with great prospect.  Meanwhile, Bill reached America where he introduced himself to Elizabeth Boyd as Chalmers. Bill and Elizabeth seemed like a lost soul. They had so much in common – beekeeping and golf – that a great friendship grew naturally.

Uneasy Money by P. G. Wodehouse is a romantic novel. I find the characters in Wodehouse novels very similar – as if they are made from the same mould. Bill, for example, loves golf. Heroes of Wodehouse generally love either golf or cricket. They are also - stereotypically - honest, good-natured, madly in love and very popular among his friends. The appearance of the heroines varied from cute to ravishing. There are some struggles, wits and a reward of true love at the end of those struggles – pretty much the same formula everywhere. Uneasy Money by P. G. Wodehouse has all the usual drama in it. What I mostly liked about it, was the humour that has the unique Wodehouse signature on it. I found myself chuckling most of the time. One thing is for sure - Uneasy Money can give you hell of a good time.

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