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Blandings - the logo of www.blandings.org.uk, the Companion to the works of P G Wodehouse

If I Were You

A novel

Anthony, Earl of Droitwich, is engaged to the beautiful and rich Violet. When his old Nanny reveals long hidden secrets, Tony finds his position drastically altered and the forthcoming marriage in doubt. But all clouds have a silver lining and this one's name is Polly Brown. It's left to Tony's brother, Freddie, to sort out the mess and engineer a happy ending for (almost) all.

Publishing Information

UK:1931 Herbert Jenkins
1991 Penguin (used here)
US:1931 Doubleday, Doran
Canada:1931 McClelland & Stewart

Also published in The American Magazine from April to July 1931 (monthly).

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This book is based on a play which may not have been published. The stage origin is evident from the two 'sets' and three 'act' structure, and a relatively small cast of characters. It was then turned into a second play Who's Who which had a very short run in London. The book isn't one of the popular ones either and one must ask why. One possibility is that the plot depends heavily on Tony's character and he's just too good to be true. Another possibility is the absence of sub-plots which add so much to the other novels. A third is the structure, with characters popping in and out of the scenes and dialogue designed solely to move people about; one can almost read the stage directions at times. The writing is up to PG's usual standard, of course, and with 'nature vs nurture' as an underlying theme.