The Little Warrior

It's 1920, and Derek Underhill has a problem. He's engaged to the delightful Jill Mariner, but there's one obstacle standing between him and marital bliss: his mother. Lady Underhill is a formidable force, a matriarch who has strong opinions about appropriate matches and zero intention of being ignored. As Derek works up the courage to introduce his fiancée, his friend Freddie Rooke does his best to provide moral support, usually while recovering from the previous night's excesses. Wodehouse, in his early prime, mines comedy from the universal terror of parental disapproval, the absurd theater of upper-class courtship, and the particular anxiety of introducing someone you love to someone who might ruin everything. The humor lands through sharp dialogue, social embarrassment, and the gentle absurdities of people who have far more money than sense. It's a lighter Wodehouse than the later masterpieces, but the characteristic wit is already very much present.