Clapton library host one of Wodehouse reading groups. Here, they share their thoughts on Joy in the Morning.
Lydia: We agreed that we found Bertie was more well-rounded as a character in this book. He is also more able to solve his own problems without too much help from Jeeves. He successfully avoids marriage to Florence and avoids being sent to prison as a consequence of stealing Stilton Cheesewright’s police uniform in order to attend the fancy dress ball. Names of places such as Steeple Bumpleigh and East Wibley add to the satirical nature of the book. The colourful character of Uncle Percy gives dramatic tension to the story and there are amusing incidents such as his meeting with the American business man J. Chichester Clam in the potting shed, a most unlikely place for striking a huge financial deal. The young boy Edwin adds some amusing incidents such as burning down the cottage by accident and putting a porcupine in Bertie’s bed. The story is rather drawn out in parts and it is not until the end of the book that Bertie is finally spared marriage to Florence. The book ends on a high note as Bertie’s world is again set right as the birds sing again and the sun shines down on him. It is an entertaining and amusing book and is easily readable.
Cordula: I enjoyed that the plot wasn’t told in hindsight as much, but was more directly experienced. What I enjoyed most were the endless twists and turns of the plot points, big and small ones alike, that I couldn’t foresee. At one point during the middle of the book I was in danger of getting a trifle bored, because I had a Right Ho, Jeeves deja-vu experience; I felt we’d witnessed Bertie make that silly assumption here and finagle this love-merry-go-round there and put his foot in it everywhere, before. But then Joy in the Morning gathered its speed and surprised me on pretty much every page, pulling my expectations about, which was such good fun. I’ve since started reading Wodehouse’s Berlin Broadcasts, on the Wodehouse Society website, and am fast becoming a PGW convert.
