When a Man Marries
Mary Roberts Rinehart
1909
4/5 stars
This turn-of-the-nineteenth century novel, a precursor of Hollywood's screwball comedies of the 1930s, is a laugh-out-loud misadventure that is well-written, engaging and completely entertaining. Telling the plot would spoil it, I think, as so much of the pleasure is derived from wondering just WHAT could possibly happen next?! The best thing to do, is to let Kit (the narrator) tell it in her own words:
It began with Jimmy Wilson and a conspiracy, was helped on by a foot-square piece of yellow paper and a Japanese butler, and it enmeshed and mixed up generally ten respectable members of society and a policeman. Incidentally, it involved a pearl collar and a box of soap, which sounds incongruous, doesn’t it?
Rinehart, known for her popular mysteries, has a wonderful knack for writing conversation and ridiculous situations, both of which made When a Man Marries such fun. It is not perfect, and there are a few bits that could have been smoothed out better or explained more, as well as some dated, now offensive, language. Despite that, I got five stars worth of enjoyment out of it, and am truly sad that I can't honestly give it the full five rating.
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