Tom Wiggins, Letter Carver & Writer

  I’m torn between saying ‘Hell, I’m not getting anything done’ and ‘Today has started slowly.’  But I did run four miles this morning and driven into Chipping Norton so it's not all that bad.  And and and: I did read another excellent P.G. Wodehouse story called Mulliner’s Buck-U-Uppo and it was just as dazzling as The Spot of Art.  This one’s about a ‘very young and extremely pale’ curate called Augustine, and to add to that description, a rather sickly and meek curate at that.  His superior, the Reverend Stanley Brandon, is a tempestuous former boxer and a big personality. Augustine happens to be in love with his daughter and the feeling’s mutual.  That’s the set up and the story doesn’t let the reader down.  The Bishop, whom the Reverend has known since school, is due to visit to give his former classmate a dressing down over the excessive embroidery on his cloak.  Stanley Brandon is gearing up for a terrific argument with his superior.  ...

 I've almost finished FUNNY HA HA.  I'm at W for Wodehouse.  I read one of P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves and Wooster books years ago and it didn't make a huge impression on me.  I can't even remember which one it was.  Sometimes comedy classics misfire when it's not quite your humour and I thought it would be the case for this one.  I thought I'd plough through it anyway.  Page 568: The Spot of Art.  It really is a masterpiece.  I was so, so impressed with it.  It's simple, it's exceptionally well-paced.  Some of the best stories just feel right and I eased into this one like I was sliding into a warm bath.  And the dialogue.  My Lord, the dialogue really zings.  I didn't want it to end and I'm a restless reader at the best of times.   Here's an extract to give you an idea of the quality.   A bit of backstory: Wooster has set his sights on Miss Pendlebury, an artist who has just painted his portrait. ...