Imperfectly Proper

"Imperfectly Proper" by Peter Donovan is a series of funny stories from the early 1900s that takes a funny look at the way people lived then, what they believed, and the strange things that happened in society. The stories follow different people and their funny problems, especially one man who always seems to find himself in silly situations because of his friends and what society expects of him. For example, the book starts with a story about a man named Algie, who is not a very good sailor, trying to have a picnic on a motorboat. Everything that could go wrong does, from the boat not working right to the weather being bad, and it all ends with a very embarrassing and wet trip back to land. Donovan uses light and funny writing to show how silly city life and society can be, as the storyteller thinks about all the strange things that happen and gets into funny situations with his friends.