Piccadilly Jim by P.G. Wodehouse
This sparkling story of transatlantic manners follows the fortunes of playboy Jimmy Crocker in England and America. When Jimmy falls for a girl in London and vows to reform himself as a result, the quest for love leads him to his Aunt Nesta's house in New York, where his escapades involve impersonating himself and attempting to kidnap Nesta's odious son Ogden - with the boy demanding a cut of the ransom money. A full flush of minor characters - pretentious poets, butlers, boxers, put-upon husbands and Wall Street businessmen - make the comedy crackle as only Wodehouse knew how.