If I Were You

1931, 1989 International Polygonics edition
P. G. Wodehouse
If I Were You
Bought newish for $7.95
Slightly worn paperback
C+

In general, I don't care as much for the non-Wooster works of Wodehouse.  The characters tend to be less appealing, and the stories lack Bertie's unique narrative style.  Here, none of the characters held my interest or support.  As the introduction by D. R. Bensen notes, there are two "Deplorable Duos" among the cast, but I didn't find them enjoyably dreadful, and the same goes for Freddie, Slingsby the butler, and Meech the barber.  As for the romantic couple, they seem to confuse him carrying her around the room for wooing.  Also, I know it's just comedy and not a politico-psychological treatise, but I would've liked to have seen how Sid's "socialism" impacted his attitude to his (temporary) elevation to earldom.  Furthermore, the novel reads like a novelisation of a stageplay, with three scenes and a lot of entrances and exits.

I do think that the cover illustration, by Tim Raglin, is perfect, with Sid sizing up a portrait of a medieval ancestor, who in turn looks stunned by this descendant.  And I actually found the parts about barbering interesting.  As for the rest, it's not terrible, but it's definitely not a "lost classic."