First presented in 1913, this Wodehouse classic remains new and effervescent - Wodehouse is truly an antidote for the tensions of today.
Two thumbs up for this comedy of errors in which Peter Burns, "a wealthy man of leisure," upon his fiancé's request, pretends to open up his own school and assumes the position of assistant master at a boarding school in hopes to kidnap Ogden (featured in Picadilly Jim) and return him back to his mother.
Ogden, an obnoxious, crude, self-centered 14 year old, is a hateful creature but his divorced parents both love him; and they both feel they are better able to take care of and protect their son. After a number of American thugs attempt to kidnap the 14 year old for the umpteenth time for ransom, the dad secretly sends The Little Nugget off to boarding school in England. Peter Burns picks the story up from here and narrates what ensues in a style that almost reads as a situation comedy in which Watson ditches Sherlock for his own adventure in crime fighting. The story is chock full of British tongue-in-cheek humor which I adore. A great pick for anyone looking for something to read during a short flight.
Ogden, an obnoxious, crude, self-centered 14 year old, is a hateful creature but his divorced parents both love him; and they both feel they are better able to take care of and protect their son. After a number of American thugs attempt to kidnap the 14 year old for the umpteenth time for ransom, the dad secretly sends The Little Nugget off to boarding school in England. Peter Burns picks the story up from here and narrates what ensues in a style that almost reads as a situation comedy in which Watson ditches Sherlock for his own adventure in crime fighting. The story is chock full of British tongue-in-cheek humor which I adore. A great pick for anyone looking for something to read during a short flight.
