Uneasy Money

By P. G. Wodehouse

William FitzWilliam Delamere Chalmers, Lord Dawlish, is hard-up for money. When he is unexpectedly bequeathed a million pounds by an American he once helped at golf, and furthermore learns that the millionaire left his niece and nephew only twenty pounds, he is uneasy. He endeavors to approach them and see if he can fix up something, like giving them half the inheritance. He discovers that it can be difficult to give money away.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Release date: Aug 24, 2015
• ISBN: 9781681463599

P. G. Wodehouse

Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse (1881-1975) was an English author. Though he was named after his godfather, the author was not a fan of his name and more commonly went by P.G Wodehouse. Known for his comedic work, Wodehouse created reoccurring characters that became a beloved staple of his literature. Though most of his work was set in London, Wodehouse also spent a fair amount of time in the United States. Much of his work was converted into an “American” version, and he wrote a series of Broadway musicals that helped lead to the development of the American musical. P.G Wodehouse’s eclectic and prolific canon of work both in Europe and America developed him to be one of the most widely read humorists of the 20th century.

Reviews for Uneasy Money

[catherinestead · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Genial but broke Lord Dawlish inherits a vast sum from a near-stranger whom he helped with his golf technique, and sets off to restore at least part of the fortune to the person he considers its rightful possessor - the niece of the deceased. A definite Happy Book. Less laugh-out-loud than some of Wodehouse's work, but the book is by no means lacking in humour. There are some wonderful comments and descriptions. The plot is a strong farce, with people appearing and disappearing from view, hearing things they shouldn't from behind pillars, and being in the wrong room at the wrong time. It's well paced, and has a good cast of amusing characters.

[vivl_6 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It was interesting to come back to this after many, many years. I have always listed this amongst my absolute favourite Wodehouse novels, and in some ways I can see why. So why the downgrade to 3.5 stars? It just didn't click for me this time.Genre writing that in some ways transcends genres has always appealed to me, and I classify this as a comic novel with some deviations from the norm: it's not jam packed with snappy one liners/laughs all the way and, unusually for Wodehouse if you go by his golden era Jeeves & Wooster output, there are smatterings of honest, closely-observed human emotion and heartbreak. By golly, there's even a death or two, albeit one is that of a monkey and the other that of an eccentric American millionaire whom we never actually meet. In other words, this early-ish Wodehouse (originally published in 1917) strays from his usual "musical comedy" type set-up.There's something about dropping bits of real emotional pain into a generally humorous plot, the stark juxtaposition of comedy and tragedy, that has always triggered my emotions strongly. Generally I find myself more moved by such moments than by the entirety of a "serious" novel. I'm reminded of Garrison Keillor's writing, which often leaves me in tears that are mostly of laughter but can also be of sorrow. Despite my tendency to like that sort of thing, I found myself feeling slightly uninspired. Perhaps I've grown up and am less idealistic/more cynical, or perhaps I expected too much of this book and it couldn't quite bear the weight of those expectations. Perhaps reading this at the same time as Helen Garner's gruelling Monkey Grip put me in the wrong frame of mind. I don't know. I'm going to try a few of my other favourite Wodehouse's next, The Adventures of Sally, Jill the Reckless and Sam the Sudden and see whether there really has been a seismic shift in my tastes over the years or whether this is just a slight aberration.

[philsyphe · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Apart from a few rambling narrative passages, this is an entertaining novel, featuring some top-class humour.One of the characters is a monkey and quite a lot of fun revolves around him!

[catym_14 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Genial but broke Lord Dawlish inherits a vast sum from a near-stranger whom he helped with his golf technique, and sets off to restore at least part of the fortune to the person he considers its rightful possessor - the niece of the deceased. A definite Happy Book. Less laugh-out-loud than some of Wodehouse's work, but the book is by no means lacking in humour. There are some wonderful comments and descriptions. The plot is a strong farce, with people appearing and disappearing from view, hearing things they shouldn't from behind pillars, and being in the wrong room at the wrong time. It's well paced, and has a good cast of amusing characters.

[raizel_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Our hero, Lord Dawlish, is told that he has inherited a lot of money from an eccentric American millionaire whom he helped with his golf game. When his offer to share the money with the man's niece is rebuffed, he travels to Long Island to try and convince her in person. Meanwhile, Lord Dawlish's fiance, an actress who aspires to wealth and status, also arrives in New York. She is beautiful but bossy and we quickly realize that he deserves better; she will appear with a different name in other Wodehouse stories. There are complications, but everything works out for almost everyone.