The Four Million

Rating:
Summary: Tales of Old New York: Wodehouse-- with a Twist
Review: This anthology contains 21 tales set in New York City at the dawn of the twentieth century, plus the bonus of 4 tales set in the exotic tropics of a fictitious banana republic. O. Henry focuses his curious literary microscope on the diverse lives of various residents of this famous metropolis. Some of his protagonists can claim idle-rich status, but more represent the middle class and many the poverty-stricken milieus. Indulgent readers will discover the flavor of a century past, rub shoulders with men on the other side of the law, and commiserate with thwarted lovers--all the while expecting the trademark
O. Henry ending with a Twist.

But the author's
style reminds us of Wodehouse's moonstruck romantic pairs and even predate TV's innocuous "Love, American Style" episodes, in which we do not take their amorous escapades seriously. Then, to throw us off guard, he spikes the anthology with a few pathetic and even tragic stories. One wonders if he was gently trying to raise the social consciousness of the literate public.
Various ethnic cgroups with their inherent city-acquired bigotry become the target of his witty pen, especially the Irish but also Italians. After all, his beloved olde New York was a true melting pot from the Ellis Island kitchen.

Narrated in first as well as third person, these stories incorporate
flagrant slang and one actually boasts a canine narrator! They
challenge contemporary readers with antiquated vocabulary

intermingled with literary, Biblical and artsy reference. O. Henry will repeatedly send one to a dictionary or encyclopedia with his liberal sprinkling of foreign words. Like the British before him, O Henry contemplates the danger of the temptations of a tropical Paradise. Will Yankees "Go native?" as so many English did before them? Of course,the real cocoanut conundrum is to choose your five favorites!