Shades of Jane Austen, with regards to the social set and a certain wryness of wit, but set some 100 years later and with a much lighter tone. This is not the first time I have attempted Wodehouse, but it is the first time I have been all-in on the experience.
The Code of the Woosters, by P.G. Wodehouse. 286 pages, originally published 1939.

This is an almost entirely entertaining jape. Multiple intertwined subplots, narrow escapes, tweaking of high-handed egos, all delivered with a wry yet light-hearted tone that makes light mockery of the upper classes of the British Empire in the 1930’s. I might be tempted to argue that it goes on perhaps a little too long. The subject matter is neither sufficiently meaty nor fulfilling to really sustain a narrative of such length. And while the multitude of plats, subplots, character arcs, an long-running gags do go some ways toward supporting such a long-winded tome, they do by the end of the book become a bit tired, a bit long in the tooth, a bit samey.
I attempted some bit of Jeeves and Wooster some years ago. I have no recollection of the title or the subject matter, except to say that it was a slender volume and that it did not grip me. In this instance, I was well hooked pretty early on, and it sustained my interest for strongly for about 200 pages. There was, of course, some score or more of pages of set-up. And as I’ve already said, some scores of pages that seemingly went on rehashing the same gags from a slightly different perspective. But even in those pages that might otherwise be destined for the editor’s waste bin there were sparks of brilliance, turns of phrase that simply evoked joy.
This was, on the whole, a greatly entertaining book, sprinkled throughout with chucklesome passages, surprising turns of phrase, and witty character assassinations. If you are susceptible to the British idea of wit, you could do much worse than Wodehouse, Wooster, and Jeeves. If you are not entertained by the likes of Monty Python, Douglas Adams, Jane Austen, Terry Pratchett…. Well, give this a pass. And accept my condolences.