Psmith Journalist, written by PG Wodehouse, is characteristically funny, as it follows the adventures of Psmith in the
city of
New York. Psmith decides to support his childhood friend Mike, whose cricketing endeavours have taken him to New York, by accompanying him. Psmith
finds the city a far cry from the mundane life of London, and relishes in the opportunity for adventure. His debonair nature soon finds himself talking to the acting
editor of a local newspaper called
Cosy Moments. With the usual editor taking a rare break to relieve himself of the tension associated with such a strenuous job, Psmith and the acting-editor, Bill Windsor (or Comrade Windsor, as Psmith calls him) begin the paper's transformation. Psmith, the self-proclaimed voluntary sub-editor of
Cosy Moments, and Bill Windsor change the paper from being trivial and dreary, to one which is meaningful, controversial, and confronting. Although this offends the old-fashioned, long-time supporters of
Cosy Moments, it also attracts a much larger gathering of entirely new readers, which consequently
bring in more profits. However, in Psmith and Windor's eagerness to report the important happenings of New York, they bring to light the unethical and unjust dealings of one particular individual, who owns a row of units in the bottom-end of town. This anonymous owner is able to employ a gang, which attempts to rid
Cosy Moments of these revealing and enlightening articles, through no other means than violence and brute force. Psmith and Windsor suddenly find themselves targets of hostility wherever they travel throughout the city, and are consequently forced to hire fighting-editors themselves. Many a time Psmith finds himself in precarious and possibly fatal situations, yet his suave and quick-thinking manner so often not only enable him to escape, but to take the upper-hand over his adversaries. The dignified and unflappable manner in which Psmith conducts his everyday life is conveyed by Wodehouse in an unfailing hilarious and witty fashion.
Psmith Journalist is thoroughly enjoyable, extremely funny, and a book which is highly recommended to the reader.
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