Bachelors Anonymous
| Industry | Publishing |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | New York City , United States |
| Products | Books |
Bachelors Anonymous is a novel authored by P. G. Wodehouse, initially released in the United Kingdom on 15 October 1973, coinciding with Wodehouse's 92nd birthday, through Barrie & Jenkins, London. The United States edition was published later on 28 August 1974 by Simon & Schuster, Inc., New York.
The narrative centers around Ivor Llewellyn, a film industry tycoon with five divorces to his name, and his attorney Ephraim Trout. Trout introduces Llewellyn to a support organization called Bachelors Anonymous, designed to help its members resist hasty marriage proposals.
Ivor Llewellyn is a recurring character who has appeared in previous works such as The Luck of the Bodkins (1935), Frozen Assets (1964), and Pearls, Girls and Monty Bodkin (1972). The lawyer Jerry Nichols is drawn from Uneasy Money (1916).
Bachelors Anonymous stands as Wodehouse's penultimate completed novel, succeeded only by Aunts Aren't Gentlemen.
Plot
Ephraim Trout, representing the law firm Trout, Wapshott and Edelstein, serves as legal counsel for Hollywood studio chief Ivor Llewellyn and has overseen his five divorces. Prior to Llewellyn's business trip to London, Trout cautions him against further rash marriage proposals and suggests he seek guidance from London's Nichols, Erridge and Trubshaw firm, which offers similar support. Motivated by encouragement from fellow Bachelors Anonymous members, Trout accompanies Llewellyn to London.
Upon arrival in London, Llewellyn encounters Vera Dalrymple, the leading actress in the Regal Theatre's stage production Cousin Angela, penned by Joseph "Joe" Pickering. Joe is employed at the solicitor’s office Shoesmith, Shoesmith, Shoesmith, and Shoesmith. During an interview with Sally Fitch for a women's magazine, Joe and Sally establish a strong rapport.
Following the premature closure of Cousin Angela due to Vera's overpowering presence, Joe is informed by Jerry Nichols about a well-paid opportunity working for Llewellyn. Joe develops feelings for Sally and arranges a lunch date with her at Barribault's Hotel. Meanwhile, Sally inherits £25,000 from Letitia Carberry under the condition that she refrains from smoking for two years while residing in a Park Lane apartment monitored by detective Daphne Dolby. Daphne is engaged to Sir Jaklyn Warner for his title; Jaklyn happens to be Sally's former fiancé.
Recognizing Joe as the individual who disrupted an engagement dinner with Vera, Llewellyn hires him. Concerned about Joe’s relationship with Sally, Trout intervenes by drugging Joe to thwart a planned dinner meeting. Disheartened, Sally agrees to Jaklyn’s proposal without knowledge of his impending marriage to Daphne. Daphne compels Jaklyn to wed her to maintain their agreement.
Sally seeks shelter with her former nanny Jane Priestley but is refused. Trout injures his hand while handling a dog belonging to nurse Amelia Bingham and soon falls in love with her, thus ending his bachelorhood. Llewellyn is taken aback when Trout accepts an invitation from Vera on his behalf; Joe advises Llewellyn to pretend he is hospitalized to avoid Vera’s advances.
Trout confesses to having drugged Joe and facilitates reconciliation between Joe and Sally. To avert a breach of promise lawsuit from Jaklyn, Trout arranges a financial settlement. Daphne discovers Sally smoking; meanwhile, Joe loses his job after Llewellyn impulsively proposes marriage to Amelia during his hospital stay.
In the end, Llewellyn learns of Trout’s engagement to Amelia and commissions Joe’s play for a $250,000 film adaptation. With Trout’s approval, he intends to join Bachelors Anonymous upon returning to California.
Publication history
The initial UK edition's dust jacket displayed an artwork by Osbert Lancaster depicting Amelia Bingham tending to Ephraim Trout's injured hand, while the reverse side presented a portrait of Wodehouse captured by Tom Blau of Camera Press. These same images were utilized for the dust jacket of the US edition as well.
In the American version, the dedication reads "Peter Schwed, as always," referring to Wodehouse's editor at Simon & Schuster. Schwed also received dedications in the US editions of Bertie Wooster Sees It Through, Author! Author!, and The Purloined Paperweight.
Reception
Biographer Richard Usborne characterized the book as "a gentle, autumnal story, adhering to a formula but featuring a plot considerably less complex than what Wodehouse during his prolific summer period might have deemed suitable for his paying audience."
External links
- The Russian Wodehouse Society's page, including a character list