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Title: Ruggles of Red Gap by Harry Leon Wilson ISBN: 0-7426-5883-X Publisher: Classic Books Pub. Date: 01 April, 2001 Format: Paperback List Price(USD): $28.00

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Average Customer Rating: 4 (1 review)

Rating: 4
Summary: This comedy of manners is undeservedly obscure!
Comment: It's probably no mistake that you are here reading this review as I can't imagine finding it without knowing something about either the book or the author. I came across the book quite by accident from a lot of old paperbacks from the 1960's. Apparently, the author was quite well-known in his time and even collaborated with Booth Tarkington on some work. This story, published in 1915 might best be described as an American version of a Jeeves and Bertram Wooster novel (P.G. Wodehouse) only with Bertie turning the tables on Jeeves. The premise is that an English manservant is won in a hand of cards by a wealthy family of the American West from the second in line to an English Earldom: The heir needs money and the Americans need polish, or so thinks its matriarch. Of course, nothing goes to plan and we soon find that the butler, his former 'charge' and the Earl himself are all easily won over to the American way of seeing things, much to the consternation and despair of those Americans back home striving to be blue bloods in their own right. The comedy, of course, is in the events which bring about this conversion and finally to the ironic and humorous 'crowning' event. For fear of ruining the plot and the outcome, suffice it to say that parts of this book will doubtless have you laughing aloud as the author throws every possible twist and turn he can into the road that leads to our erstwhile butler becoming a successful entrepreneur and one of Red Gap's ("the fastest growing city in the state if not the entire country") finest, and a true blue American citizen.
This story is especially interesting in light of recent world-wide events, what with the new climate of distrust and fear here in the United States and our recent pre-emptive military invasions of foreign countries, because the point the author makes in his story is a moral one: That it is the traditional American values of egalitarianism, hospitality, unpretentiousness, hardwork, friendship and friendliness which make America great and these are what cause foreigners to strive to adopt American ways and even to wish to become American. Fortunately, this comedy of manners come morality play doesn't become preachy or self-righteous as it exalts America to the world; however, it does have a somewhat disturbing amount of racially charged language which, although perhaps common to the time, is a bit unnerving to the modern, non-bigot reader. Furthermore, about one fifth of the book drags in places where the plot contrivances become a bit much but, having said that, the many delightful passages in the book which have the reader laughing out loud for prolonged periods more than make up for the rough edges and dodgy bits. This book is highly recommended to anyone who enjoys a good, smart farce and even more to those who are fascinated by snap shot literary glimpses into a bygone civilization and culture as certainly turn-of-the-century America is.