Description

Money truly does make the world go ‘round, as Jill Mortimer finds out the hard way in P.G. Wodehouse’s 1920 novel Jill the Reckless. Jill starts out life as a wealthy girl, no stranger to a life of luxury. Her comfortable existence, however, suddenly falls to pieces when an unfortunate and heated squabble over a pet lands Jill in jail. On the very same day, Jill is shocked to find that instead of a fortune, her bank account has next to nothing. With no remaining right to the lavish existence she has known, poor Jill is abandoned by her snobbish fiancé and forced to move in with relatives in New Jersey. Even they, however, have no sympathy when they discover that she no longer has any money. Jill finds herself cast out into the world, completely on her own. Not one to waste time, Jill sets her sights on New York, determined to make a living as an independent woman. Bright lights and a new chance at love all await brave Jill Mortimer as she seeks her fortune in the Big Apple—and you can follow her journey.

About the Author

Pelham Grenville Wodehouse (1881-1975) was born in Hong Kong to British parents. As a child, he returned to England with his family but spent several lonely years away from home at boarding school. Wodehouse was a passionate writer from early on but was unable to pursue his education at university due to his family's tight budget. Instead, Wodehouse was forced to choose a practical job as a banker, although he did not enjoy a second of it. He left his banking position to write features for British newspapers, and after finding success as a columnist, eventually moved to New York and began writing for American magazines. Wodehouse's talents as a writer brought him into the entertainment industry, where he wrote scripts, screenplays, and lyrics for some of the day's most famous Broadway shows and for early Hollywood films. After beginning to publish his first novels and short stories, Wodehouse settled into a career as an author. His success was followed by difficult times during the Second World War, when, while living in France, Wodehouse was arrested by occupying German forces and imprisoned for a year in a dismal internment camp. After the war, Wodehouse eventually moved back to New York, where he would remain for the rest of his life. Beloved for his entertaining characters and plots, Wodehouse is perhaps best-known as the creator of the Jeeves and Wooster novels, as well as a host of light-hearted and hilarious stories about the comic trials and tribulations of the well-to-do.

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Opening Lines (Experimental)

Freddie Rooke gazed coldly at the breakfast-table. Through a gleaming eye-glass he inspected the revolting object which Barker, his faithful man, had placed on a plate before him.
"Barker!" His voice had a ring of pain.
"Sir?"
"What's this?"
"Poached egg, sir."
Freddie averted his eyes with a ...