Title – Cocktail Time
Author – PG Wodehouse
Type – Fiction / Humour
Reading Prompt – #5 – Time in the title
Lord Ickenham is young at heart. Why else would he pick up a catapult and knock off Barrister Bastable’s hat?
Borrowing from Stephen John Fry, a British comedian of renown himself – You don’t analyse such sunlit perfection. You just bask in its warmth and splendour.
In his trademark style, Wodehouse goes on to describe the aftermath of the incident. A novel Cocktail Time is published, soon incurring the wrath of the Bishop. A Hollywood film is in the offing. But Lord Ickenham has other things to worry about. Like playing matchmaker to an elderly lady Phoebe and a butler Peasemarch, and hiding the letter from Oily and his wife. However, all’s well that ends well.
Humour need not be slapstick and loud-in-your-face. This book is proof of that. Some examples –
It has been well said that an author who expects results from a first novel is in a position similar to that of a man who drops a rose petal down the Grand Canyon of Arizona and listens for the echo. [I will keep this analogy in mind if and when my book is published].
‘Coo!’ said Cosmo again, and was urged by his uncle to make up his mind whether he was a man or a pigeon. [My reaction was simply LOL. That’s it].
The book moves at its own languid pace, but continues to hold the readers’ attention. Finally all the couples are united, and Ickenham can’t wait to plunge into London’s glittering night life with another young fellow up from the country.
