Jill the Reckless

The Drones Club

by P.G. Wodehouse

This romantic narrative set on either side of the Atlantic is a true tale of its time. First published in 1920, Jill the Reckless commences in the better circles of London society. Jill Mariner is engaged to Derek Underhill. Both of these young people are well to do and Derek has a title to boot! What better match could be made? Unfortunately matches made in heaven are generally between just two people. This match depended, alas to a certain extent to the will of Lady Underhill, Derek’s mother.

Genres: Fiction, Humor, Classics, Romance, Comedy, Historical Fiction, British Literature

414 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1920

About the author

Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, KBE, was a comic writer who enjoyed enormous popular success during a career of more than seventy years and continues to be widely read over 40 years after his death. Despite the political and social upheavals that occurred during his life, much of which was spent in France and the United States, Wodehouse's main canvas remained that of prewar English upper-class society, reflecting his birth, education, and youthful writing career.

An acknowledged master of English prose, Wodehouse has been admired both by contemporaries such as Hilaire Belloc, Evelyn Waugh and Rudyard Kipling and by more recent writers such as Douglas Adams, Salman Rushdie and Terry Pratchett. Sean O'Casey famously called him "English literature's performing flea", a description that Wodehouse used as the title of a collection of his letters to a friend, Bill Townend.

Best known today for the Jeeves and Blandings Castle novels and short stories, Wodehouse was also a talented playwright and lyricist who was part author and writer of fifteen plays and of 250 lyrics for some thirty musical comedies. He worked with Cole Porter on the musical Anything Goes (1934) and frequently collaborated with Jerome Kern and Guy Bolton. He wrote the lyrics for the hit song Bill in Kern's Show Boat (1927), wrote the lyrics for the Gershwin/Romberg musical Rosalie (1928), and collaborated with Rudolf Friml on a musical version of The Three Musketeers (1928).

Reviews

[Carol, She's so Novel ꧁꧂ · Rating 4 out of 5]

She wanted Wally. She wanted him in the sense that she could not do without him. She felt nothing of the fiery tumult which had come upon her when she first met Derek. She and Wally would come together with a smile and build their life on an enduring foundation of laughter and happiness and good-fellowship. Wally had never shaken and never would shake her senses as Derek had done. If that was love, then she did not love Wally. But her clear vision told her that it was not love. It might be the blazing and crackling of thorns, but it was not the fire. She wanted Wally. She needed him as she needed the air and the sunlight.

Now this was a surprise.

A humorist writing such a good declaration of love - & from the woman's POV, no less!

This book is full of quotable humorous quotes.

"And you're so dashed impulsive, old girl. You know you are! You are always saying things that come into your head."
"You can't say a thing unless it comes into your head."

"Well, looking back, I can see that I must have been a very unpleasant child. I have always thought it greatly to the credit of my parents that they let me grow up."

I liked the romance. In particular, I liked the feisty heroine & the dependable hero. Good supporting characters too.

But best of all were the shots Wodehouse took at the musical/theatre industry. Very astute observations - & some gentle barbs.

Where the book fell down for me was in the period just before the action moved to the States. There was a bit of a lull.

But I have pondered & think the book still deserves 4★

Gentle amusement is better than no amusement at all!

https://wordpress.com/view/carolshess...

[Nandakishore Mridula · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a departure from the usual Wodehouse novel, in the sense that it is not rip-roaring situational comedy, but a poignant tale comprising love, heartbreak, despair and heroism in equal measure. Had it been told by one of those Russian novelists that Plum is fond of lampooning, it would have been a grim tale indeed. But here, the satirical eye of the court jester makes it almost a laugh riot. Verily, the world is indeed a comedy to those who think.

The eponymous heroine, Jill Mariner, is not really "reckless" - she just does not conform to the Victorian norms that postwar England is still living by. She will dash off to supper with a childhood friend of the opposite sex she had just been reunited with, or risk arrest by attacking a hooligan trying to hurt a dumb animal. This lack of sense of propriety lands her in trouble with her fiance Derek Underhill, who is a Member of Parliament and a stuffed shirt of the worst kind. Hopelessly under his mother's thumb who despises Jill, Derek breaks off her engagement; at the same time she loses her fortune because of the unwise speculations of her uncle, Major Chris Selby, who does not mind sailing close to the wind as far as the law is concerned.

Uncle and daughter rush off to America to rebuild their fortunes. Selby is soon in his element, looking out for the gullible to put one over, whereas Jill joins the chorus of a musical show. She meets her childhood sweetheart Wally Mason, who was in part responsible for the breaking up of her engagement; he is still enamoured of her, but she is in two minds. Jill's and Derek's mutual friend Freddie Roorke, a typical vapid young man man in the Bertie Wooster mould, also comes over, and we have a jolly to-do in the typical Wodehouse style. The latter half of the book is a hilarious look at the field of American musicals, described in the way only Plum can; and of course, after sufficient misunderstandings, we do have a happy ending.

Jill is one of the most endearing heroines that Wodehouse has created; also the most bold and empowered. In fact, the novel is surprisingly feminist for its times.

[david · Rating 5 out of 5]

PG! PG! PG!
Throw away your telephones, televisions, lovers, partners, chocolates (except Lindt), latest wardrobes (definitely Crocs), and your jewelry, and cars and bicycles.
In a Wodehouse world you only need your eyes and brain and your already cultivated reading skills.
It is time now to dedicate your free, newly unencumbered hours to PGW’s works.
Get them all, the price is right, and begin reading.
I, the dumbest amongst us, am challenging you to upgrade your life.
‘Jill the Reckless' is a must read, but then again all his books must be read.
This particular book, I finished in two days.
And I read the Mandarin version of it with my Moo Goo Gai Pan, in a white take-away box, a chopstick away from my mouth.
Okay, it wasn’t in any Chinese dialect, but I am dying for the revival of Moo Shoo Anything and other dishes with half the amount of fat. So, how much longer must I and others wait, Confuscious?
I digress. Pardon me.
I do not know how many pages are in this fachacta novel nor do I remember the titles anymore. With these e-readers, these afore necessary characteristics of a book are no longer easily accessible or essential. But that may be just me. I can find the ‘location value’ of the page I am on and I dare not recede to the home page to find the ‘Title,’ for I will never be able to get back to the last page I was on. Technology, like gender change, is not always as easy as it looks (from what I have read from a superfluous non PGW-ite).
The point is I read the damn thing faster than Usain Bolt recently ran his races.
I could not put it down.
I was laughing throughout. I cried several times. No spoilers here but it is a love story and heaven knows I require love stories. We all need them regardless of their outcome. Drama, I say…
This was published probably a hundred years ago, about the same time I started writing this review.
Is Wodehouse the greatest writer of all time? Don’t answer it, I am very tough for a Pekinese sized adult male. I could slide into your wi-fi signal and hit you on the head with a Sunflower. And even though some of you big shots have not read ‘War and Peace’ yet, you have heard of Napoleon? ‘Nough said.
Do yourself a flavor (sic). Pick up this book, whatever it is called (Jill is in its’ title) and however long it is.
Sharing what you love is a true sign of friendship.

[Roman Clodia · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a patchy read for me and my least favourite Wodehouse to date. The beginning in London is similar to the Jeeves and London parts of the Blandings books as we are introduced to Freddie, a member of the Drones Club, and one of those amiable idiots with a good heart who inhabit Wodehouse world.

But the introduction of Derek and Jill strikes a more serious note as we see the way this spirited young lady subdues herself and submits to Derek's coercive control as he withdraws his 'love' and approval until she does what he wants.

For various reasons Jill ends up penniless and friendless in New York. But no need to worry because this young woman who's always grown up with wealth and status picks herself up immediately and gets a job as a chorus girl!

And this is where PGW really lost me: long chapters filled with theatrical gossip, backstage and production problems just didn't come to life.

Amidst all the dullness, there are two sweet romances that play out to their Blandings-alike happy endings. But I'm afraid that wasn't enough for me. I particularly took against Uncle Chris - a bit of a confidence trickster and constantly on the make with no moral sense whatsoever. Jill may make excuses for him but I didn't.

There are a few comic scenes at the start but this doesn't showcase PGW's comic timing and genius as the Blandings books do, and even the style, with longer expositions than usual, didn't feels distinctive as we expect.

I'm so glad I didn't read this earlier as it would have put me off trying more Wodehouse. As it is, I shall file this under 'nice try' knowing there is so much better to come.

[Linda Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jill the Reckless is my favorite novel by P.G. Wodehouse, which is high praise indeed. This book has more depth than the Jeeves books, but the same brilliant word play and satire. Read this book for an inside look at the New York theater scene in the early 1920s and for an uplifting tale of a young woman who wants to make it on her own. (The original title was "The Little Warrior.")

One chapter is narrated by a parrot. It's one of the funniest chapters ever written.

The books in the Collector's Wodehouse editions are beautifully designed, with gorgeous covers and a pleasure to hold. I have about twelve of them now and covet the entire set.

[Abigail Bok · Rating 4 out of 5]

P. G. Wodehouse is known of course for his witty satires of British upper-class life in the first decades of the twentieth century, his impeccable butlers who run rings around their twittish employers; his daft, inarticulate young men who nevertheless possess good instincts; his pompous dowagers and gruff peers; the charming young ladies his inarticulate young men fall for. His novels are typically short and packed with light humor that have led many to compare reading his fiction to drinking Champagne.

But early in his career, while many of these features are present, he also wrote a few novels that have a minor-key subtheme running through them, as well as a lyricism in description of the natural world that he dispensed with in his purely comic efforts. These novels go deeper into their characters and show more understanding of human complexity. Jill the Reckless (published in 1920) is one of them.

Jill is a young heiress engaged to be married to a baronet and up-and-coming MP. She has a devoted childhood friend (one of the daft twit types) who is also a friend to the baronet, and her life seems to be moving toward a happy resolution. But the baronet has his issues: he is a bit of a mama’s boy, and Mama does not approve of a modern, snappy young lady like Jill, leading him to doubt his choice. He worries a lot about his role in politics and the scandal-free life he believes it demands of him. When Jill gets embroiled in a minor scrape, he uses it to back out of the engagement.

Heartbroken and humiliated, Jill goes home to her uncle and guardian, only to discover that he has abused his guardianship and bankrupted her. Although he is an amoral rogue, Jill is fond of him and forgives his behavior, and the two flee to New York City. The rest of the story takes place there and is a fascinating window on the world of Broadway theater in this era. Wodehouse knew that world well: during and after World War I he lived in New York and collaborated on a number of musical comedies there, and despite his focus on British characters, he had an abiding regard for Americans and their relative disregard for class distinctions. His affection for the excitements of theatrical productions and his respect for the actors and actresses who labored in them shines through in this book.

Jill gets a job in the chorus of a musical production being developed and strives to pick up the pieces of her life cheerfully. One way this book is different from the general run of Wodehouse comedies is that we get to see her pain as well as her pluck, and her path to happiness is not a smooth one. Nevertheless, she gets there and the person she gets there with is someone I could certainly love! The hero is the most delightful feature of this book.

Those looking for the easy pleasures of a Jeeves-and-Wooster or a Psmith novel will be taken aback by this longer, more textured novel, but that shouldn’t deter you.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely splendid! Rollicking good fun is always elevated to grand heights with"Plum's" novels because he also deepens his work with such keen insights into human nature. And he's a heck of a wordsmith, too. I almost bailed after the first chapter or so because I just wasn't clicking with Derek Underhill and his mother and only Freddie Rooke's affability (jolly good chap that Last of the Rookes, despite being a bit of a lightweight in the intellect department) and the promise of meeting that "reckless" Jill kept me going. I'm so glad I did!!! Once I met Jill, I knew I the book would be a delight. She's a really winning heroine and the cast of characters expanded appealingly from there. Without giving too much away, I'll just say Wodehouse gets to shine his spotlight on the musical theater stage and it's so much fun because he has so much personal experience in that milieu and he said his novels are rather like musical comedies, so it's a perfect match. And, as a big theater fan myself (both as production member and audience member) I really enjoyed that aspect of the story.

[Scot · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read a lot of Wodehouse, and I think this gem from 1920 is one of his best in the transatlantic-romantic-comedy genre, in which characters move between New York and London and across social classes, and conflicts of economic survival are overshadowed by the struggle of true love to conquer all. One of Wodehouse's greatest assets is his gift for establishing tone, and this is aided by the marvelous range of familiar characters he uses across novels, particularly effective here. These include the plucky, forthright ingenue who must cope with losing her fortune (a harbinger of feminism in some ways); the formidable, icy aristocratic matron; the well-intentioned dunderhead rich nincompoop; the hero who earns his place through merit; the incredibly handsome but self-absorbed foil to the hero; the lovable but unreliable guardian; the chorus girl with the heart of gold. Lots of comedy of errors mishaps and especially fun for those who love the smell of greasepaint and a playful look at life in the New York theatre in the early 20th century.

[Douglas Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, fun, fun. Read again aloud with Nancy in March 2018.

[Nigeyb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting to contrast Jill the Reckless (1920) with the Blandings series. This is more serious in tone yet still unmistakably P.G. Wodehouse. The characters are convincing, except the eternally accommodating, likeable and relentlessly upbeat Jill.

So although Jill the Reckless is less of a mirth fest than many Wodehouse novels and lacks the effortless sparkle of later works it still has plenty of the wonderful Wodehouse charm and this sustains the reading experience. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

4/5



The heroine here, Jill Mariner, is a sweet-natured and wealthy young woman who, at the opening, is engaged to an MP, the baronet Sir Derek Underhill. We follow her through an adventure with a parrot, a policeman and the colourful proletariat; financial disaster; a broken engagement; an awkward stay with some grasping relatives; employment as a chorus girl; and the finding of true love.

Other characters include wealthy, dimwitted clubman Freddie Rooke and ruggedly attractive writer Wally Mason (both childhood friends of Jill's); her financially inept but charming uncle Major Christopher Selby; Sir Derek's domineering mother, Lady Underhill; Jill's unpleasant relatives on Long Island, New York, Elmer, Julia and Tibby Mariner; Drones Club member Algy Martyn; various chorus girls, composers and other theatrical types; and miscellaneous servants.

George Bevan, composer hero of Wodehouse's previous work A Damsel in Distress, receives a passing mention, as does an unspecified member of the Threepwood family. Algy Martyn later appears in Company for Henry.

[Barb in Maryland · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I prefer my Wodehouse in short story doses, it was no chore to read this.

It packed in all the usual delights one expects when reading this author: delightful young women, a slew of not-very bright young men of good family, a scoundrel, an absolute battle-axe of an older woman (in this case, the mother of one of the young men) and so many plot co-incidences that I lost count.
Wodehouse set the bulk of the story in the New York City of the early 1920s, particularly the theater world of musical comedies. The story dragged a bit for me during Jill's early days in NYC, but once her rascally uncle and several of the young people from England showed up the story regained its steam and bubbled right along. By the end we have two happily engaged couples, several disappointed swains, and one happy reader.










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[Namitha Varma · Rating 5 out of 5]

If anyone needs proof that Wodehouse is a feminist, this is the book they should read. This isn't radical, firebrand feminism, but the sensible, practical one. Not only the female characters but the key male characters in this are also feminists. (Please note that I use feminism in its best, most accommodating, practical sense.) Apart from being a topping plot, Jill The Reckless (or The Little Warrior) is humourous (of course), brilliantly written (never doubted that either) and just what you need to get your spirits soaring.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Jill Mariner is dumped by her rich, pompous fiancé and loses all her money on the same day, she decides to cross the ocean to New York with her rapscallion uncle Chris. After a short stay with some relations on Long Island, she ends up on Broadway, in the chorus of a new musical and having an unexpected new romance.

I thought the book was a little overlong and could have been tightened; it feels a little rambling in places, particularly during the Long Island interlude, which connects the London and New York parts of the book but isn't terribly interesting in and of itself. I did like the feisty heroine and her romance, which was rather more heartfelt than usual in a Wodehouse, and Wodehouse's insider's look at 1930s Broadway is funny and engaging.

[Mela · Rating 5 out of 5]

P.G. Wodehouse's story without Bertie and Jeeves can be enjoyable and funny.

No matter that the world like in Wodehouse's books probably never existed - I love that world and the characters. And his satirical eye and pen were priceless.

[4.5 stars]

[Jacob Proffitt · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't stand watching Jill make herself smaller for the idiot she is engaged to. The whole "she loves him with her whole heart" is just depressing and saps all the fun I usually get from a Wodehouse story. I think I'll abandon this early and call it a day. Two stars for the Wodehouse charm, some great characterizations, and a bit of banter.

[Oluchi Buchi-Njere · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wodehouse delivers as usual with this. It was predictable in some ways, what with featuring grim matriarchs and bumbling British gentlemen, but it did also put the spotlight on the world of musical productions, and that was certainly interesting. Loved it!

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really great early Wodehouse! So much fun.

[Renee M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another wonderful Wodehouse.
It took me awhile to get into this, but after a few chapters I came to appreciate what PGW was doing with Jill as a character and that made all the difference. That and he takes us on the road with a theatrical troupe and that was a lot of behind the scenes fun. I’d put this on the shelf with Piccadilly Jim for quirky characters, young people finding their way in the world with plenty of humor, resilience, and romance, of course.

[Leslie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really should have abandoned this audiobook. Not only did I have some issues with the narrator David Ian Davies but there were also some technical problems. The book itself was amusing & I rated that in my review of the Kindle edition.

I listened to this through Hoopla's streaming audio so I don't know if the technical flaws were due to my stream or intrinsic to the recording but I did encounter them in more than one device. The issue was that small snippets of the text would be repeated. An example:
"Here, a composer who had not got an interpolated number in the show ... had not got an interpolated number in the show ... was explaining to another composer ..."

Narrator David Ian Davies was a disappointment. First of all, his narration was too slow (pace sounded normal to me at 1.5x speed, but as often happens with Hoopla, the narration has a tinny echo-y sound when not at 1.0x). In addition to being too slow, Davies paused frequently at odd places in the middle of a sentence. For example:
"And yet, as she leaned ... back in her seat, her heart was dancing ... in time to the dance-music ... of Mrs. Peagrim's hired orchestra."

But worst was the use of a pronounced Irish accent for Derek for no reason. Not only is this character not Irish, but his mother is voiced with an English accent so it isn't even consistent.

[Phil Syphe · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this to be one of P. G. Wodehouse’s patchy novels. The opening chapters suggest that this will be classic Wodehouse, featuring some highly entertaining scenarios, but after the main characters leave England for America and become involved with a theatrical production, the story takes a nosedive.

Many a time I found myself skipping big paragraphs that have little to offer. I didn’t find much if anything humorous about the lengthy theatre scenes. Some of the rehearsal sequences were pure tedium.

Luckily the title character is entertaining – or at least she is when taken away from the theatre and given the opportunity to shine. But while Jill is great, her Uncle Chris bugs me with his long-winded waffling, which I also ended up skimming. I realise the author’s intention is to cause amusement with these extensive stretches of one-man dialogue but for me it only caused boredom.

Mr Wodehouse is usually at his best with short & snappy dialogue exchanges between likeable characters. Thankfully scenes of this nature are apparent and prove successful. Most of these, however, occur in the opening chapters, ultimately growing scarce once Jill lands in America, and rarer still when the confounded theatre pops up, dash it!

Overall, not P. G. Wodehouse’s finest hour.

[Illiterate · Rating 4 out of 5]

In which Wodehouse puts a heroine center stage.

[Tandava Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had never heard of this Wodehouse title before, so I was intrigued when I saw it in Swami Kriyananda's house in Asissi. In it, I found a line I seem to remember hearing Swamiji quote in a talk, though sadly I can't recall the specific context: "No wonder Freddie experienced the sort of abysmal soul-sadness which afflicts one of Tolstoi’s Russian peasants when, after putting in a heavy day’s work strangling his father, beating his wife, and dropping the baby into the city reservoir, he turns to the cupboard, only to find the vodka-bottle empty."

There's a slight theme in the book of playwrights trying to branch out from vapid comedies to more serious works. (Another good line: "It was a poetic drama, and the audience, though loath to do anybody an injustice, was beginning to suspect that it was written in blank verse.") And that may have been a little bit what Wodehouse was trying to do here. He doesn't leave comedy behind, but he does try to dwell more seriously on the romantic trials of our heroine and how she deals with them.

Speaking of our heroine, I think calling Jill "reckless" is a bit unfair. She seemed a bit more recked against than recking, if you take my meaning. Perhaps what he was aiming at was sort of a proto-"Manic Pixie Dream Girl" type, which she might have turned into if she weren't the main character. But anyway, I quite liked her lightness, her energy, and her generosity, plus her awareness in moving through her heartbreak. Wally Mason had some interesting points as a character as well. Most of the others were a little more "stock" types, but enjoyable. The plot seemed kind of meandering and disjointed, though. The book as a whole has some good moments, but overall not top of the line for Wodehouse.

I do have to share a few lines about a parrot, though, because—and this is top of the line Wodehouse—he spends a couple of pages completely unnecessarily going into delightful detail about the parrot doing pretty much nothing:

"For some moments after Nelly had gone he remained hunched on his perch, contemplating the infinite. [...] He closed his eyes and pondered on his favourite problem—Why was he a parrot? This was always good for an hour or so, and it was three o’clock before he had come to his customary decision that he didn’t know. [...] He hopped on to the window-sill. There was a ball of yellow wool there, but he had lunched and could eat nothing."

And so on. Great stuff.

[Thom Swennes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This romantic narrative set on either side of the Atlantic is a true tale of its time. First published in 1920, Jill the Reckless commences in the better circles of London society. Jill Mariner is engaged to Derek Underhill. Both of these young people are well to do and Derek has a title to boot! What better match could be made? Unfortunately matches made in heaven are generally between just two people. This match depended, alas to a certain extent to the will of Lady Underhill, Derek’s mother. Lady Underhill pushes her son to break off the engagement and this “Dear Jill” letter comes almost simultaneously with the news that her Uncle Chris (Major Christopher Selby) has lost all her fortune in the stock market. This regrettable series of events hastens their departure across the Atlantic to New York. The further life, loves and tribulations of our heroine are sure to fascinate the most demanding reader. P.G. Wodehouse has the uncanny ability to create vivid and engaging characters of every social class. He provides the reader with a literary bouquet of similes, metaphors and oxymoron’s and succeeds in portraying the English aristocracy with the intelligence of an inbred Louisiana hillbilly. It is sure to prick the taste buds of most readers and leave them salivating for more.

[S.E. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A romantic comedy, in the same vein as “A Damsel in Distress”, and with Wodehouse’s trademark style of writing - light, succinct, with timely humor and spot-on similies. In fact, I enjoyed his prose as much as the story itself. And like all romantic comedies, you can be assured that everything will turn out fine in the end, but it was a fun, engaging and comfortable read nonetheless. Definitely one of Wodehouse’s less-known novels, but one that is worth reading.

[Maya Gopalakrishnan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Topping. Corky.

Absolutely strongly recommend along with coffee and a snug blanket. Maybe taken three times a day but better still is to finish it off in one go. Miracle cure for the monotony on everyday life.

[Carla Remy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wodehouse, always delightful,sometimes too predictable in cookie-cutter formula. But if you're in the mood...perfect. This one is from 1920.

[Natalya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! I nearly choked I laughed so hard.

[Gretchen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great fun read. I loved the parrot scene and the ending the best!

[Heidi Burkhart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic Wodehouse!

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5★
A fun romp but not as hilarious as some of his books.

2019 reread via LibriVox audiobook: no change in my opinion expressed above.