Bachelors Anonymous by P.G. Wodehouse
Bachelors Anonymous
P.G. Wodehouse
ISBN: 0-671-21741-0
1974
A comedy of errors in true Wodehouse form.
Bachelors Anonymous is a self-help group of gentlemen that believes a celibate life is the best life. These saintly marauders are not only there for each other, they will also cheerfully intervene on behalf of any man, saving him from the horrors of marriage whether welcomed or not. In their eyes even one date is cause for alarm because as we all know, dinner leads to marriage. When one such man deemed to be of high risk (he’s been married five times previously) announces he will be moving to London, for which there is no chapter, the Bachelors not only demand he have an emissary, but send along a chaperon as well! It is this well-intentioned, albeit misguided, assistance that fuels the mishaps and confusion of our heroes and heroines, tearing lives apart before ultimately rubber-cementing them back together again.
Though P.G. Wodehouse does tend to recycle his plot lines and wrap his stories up in a nice little bow at the end, on the whole, Bachelors Anonymous is a solid effort that still holds up today.
This is an easy read: short, nicely-written and moves at a good pace. The language is formal and a bit dated, and the book is peppered with fifty-cent words and bone-dry wit, but if you enjoy this sort of métier you will find yourself entertained.
