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Friends in Need: Ship's Company, Part 2.

Friends in Need: Ship's Company, Part 2.

British Literature, Humour, Short Stories

What happens when a man decides to escape his life entirely? W. W. Jacobs serves up a deliciously comic answer in this tale of fabricated tragedy and spectacular backfire. Joseph Gibbs, weary of his marriage and responsibilities, stages his own drowning and watches from across the river as his friends mourn and raise money for his widow. But the farce spirals when he attempts to slip back into his old life, only to discover his wife has started seeing another man. The comedy hinges on that perfect reversal: his escape becomes her liberation. Jacobs populates the story with vivid working-class London characters, their banter crackling with early twentieth-century wit. This is British farce at its finest: sharp enough to wound, warm enough to linger, and ending with a twist that lands like a punchline earned. Perfect for fans of P.G. Wodehouse or Saki, or anyone who appreciates comedy with teeth.

Project Gutenberg

A comedic short story written in the early 20th century. The book explores themes of friendship, deception, and the ofte...

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Friends in Need: Ship's Company, Part 2.

Project Gutenberg · 16 pages

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