French Leave (Everyman's Library P G WODEHOUSE)

I suppose the fact that this book has been out of print for some years suggests that it is not one of Wodehouse's best but nevertheless this still makes for a most enjoyable summer read and should be welcomed by all who enjoy a lighthearted romp of a novel. Not groundbreaking but bloomin' good fun.

A new (to me) setoff characters, the plot takes his usual surprising twists, if only real life was like this! I found I could sit back and enjoy his use of English which is, as always a joy. There is gently mocking of status, both the impoverished French aristocrat and foolish over wealthy Americans.

Good story, amusing, typical Wodehouse.

Several of these are early Wodehouse, and it shows. But some gems are there too - a taste of what is to come.

It does not disappoint as a classic piece of Wodehouse. as always, it warms the heart and makes one smile.

I GAVE UP AFTER CHAPTER 3. THE FRENCH NAMES IN THE STORY WERE VERY DISTRACTING AND I IMMEDIATLY TOOK IT OFF MY KINDLE.FRENCH PEOPLE MAY ENJOY IT THO'.

This is one of the (not many) PGW books I haven’t previously read, and it’s great to see so many of his earlier or not so well known works now being republished, some for the first time in a long time. This was first published in 1956.Jo, Kate and Terry, three sisters who live on a chicken farm in Bensonburg, New York come into some money on the sale of their late father’s play to a tv production company. Jo and Terry are determined to squander their share of the money on a once in a lifetime holiday in France, so Kate comes with them to keep an eye on them and make sure they don’t get into trouble. But trouble is waiting, in the form of the Marquis de Maufringneuse, the Comte d’Escrignon, Mrs Winthrop Pegler, Frederick Carpenter, J Russell Clutterbuck, and last but not least Pierre Alexandre Boissonade, Commissaire of Police. Add in the long-suffering M. de La Hourmerie, the hard-done by M. Punez and his brother-in-law M. Floche and you have a great PGW adventure, full of misunderstandings, singular coincidences, long-awaited come-uppances and of course happy endings. Delightful, a real winner.

French Leave must be Wodehouse's answer to French lover-in-the-cupboard vaudeville. Two young American girls leave their chicken farm to take a holiday in France in search of a rich husband. Meanwhile, a penniless marquis happens to be looking for an American heiress to bail him out of his debts. It is all material for spicy misunderstandings and light-hearted comedy, though strictly in good propriety, and it is guaranteed to end well thanks to the marquis's honest and hard-working son, a budding writer. This is all the Wodehouse I have read, so I can't compare with his better-known works, but French Leave is well-written, well-constructed, and a pleasure to read.