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Leave it to Jeeves
Arguably P.G. Wodehouse's most endearing character, Reginald Jeeves is a "gentleman's personal gentleman" (a valet) to the foppish Bertie Wooster. Subtle and clever, Jeeves carefully oversees Wooster's life, often coming up with complicated plans to extricate young Wooster from the latest calamity in his life, be it legal, social, or womanly.This collection contains seven Jeeves works, including the novel RIGHT HO, JEEVES. Includes an active table of content for easy navigation.Extricating Young GussieLeave it to JeevesJeeves and the Unbidden GuestJeeves and the Hard-Boiled EggThe Aunt and the SluggardJeeves Takes ChargeRight Ho, JeevesPelham Grenville Wodehouse (1881-1975) was a prolific British humorist. In a career spanning more than seventy years, Wodehouse became known for his humor aimed at the British upper-classes; he also became a successful screenwriter.This unexpurgated edition contains the complete text, with minor errors and omissions corrected.
265 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2008
About the author
P.G. Wodehouse
1,321 books6,626 followersSir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, KBE, was a comic writer who enjoyed enormous popular success during a career of more than seventy years and continues to be widely read over 40 years after his death. Despite the political and social upheavals that occurred during his life, much of which was spent in France and the United States, Wodehouse's main canvas remained that of prewar English upper-class society, reflecting his birth, education, and youthful writing career.
An acknowledged master of English prose, Wodehouse has been admired both by contemporaries such as Hilaire Belloc, Evelyn Waugh and Rudyard Kipling and by more recent writers such as Douglas Adams, Salman Rushdie and Terry Pratchett. Sean O'Casey famously called him "English literature's performing flea", a description that Wodehouse used as the title of a collection of his letters to a friend, Bill Townend.
Best known today for the Jeeves and Blandings Castle novels and short stories, Wodehouse was also a talented playwright and lyricist who was part author and writer of fifteen plays and of 250 lyrics for some thirty musical comedies. He worked with Cole Porter on the musical Anything Goes (1934) and frequently collaborated with Jerome Kern and Guy Bolton. He wrote the lyrics for the hit song Bill in Kern's Show Boat (1927), wrote the lyrics for the Gershwin/Romberg musical Rosalie (1928), and collaborated with Rudolf Friml on a musical version of The Three Musketeers (1928).
An acknowledged master of English prose, Wodehouse has been admired both by contemporaries such as Hilaire Belloc, Evelyn Waugh and Rudyard Kipling and by more recent writers such as Douglas Adams, Salman Rushdie and Terry Pratchett. Sean O'Casey famously called him "English literature's performing flea", a description that Wodehouse used as the title of a collection of his letters to a friend, Bill Townend.
Best known today for the Jeeves and Blandings Castle novels and short stories, Wodehouse was also a talented playwright and lyricist who was part author and writer of fifteen plays and of 250 lyrics for some thirty musical comedies. He worked with Cole Porter on the musical Anything Goes (1934) and frequently collaborated with Jerome Kern and Guy Bolton. He wrote the lyrics for the hit song Bill in Kern's Show Boat (1927), wrote the lyrics for the Gershwin/Romberg musical Rosalie (1928), and collaborated with Rudolf Friml on a musical version of The Three Musketeers (1928).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
January 1, 2024
What better way to start 2024 than with Jeeves and Bertie! Humorist P.G. Wodehouse’s ultimate creation always brings smiles. This story is one of his earliest in their ongoing attempt to triumph over life’s challenges (as applied to upper-class British twits).
"Jeeves—my man, you know—is really a most extraordinary chap. So capable. Honestly, I shouldn't know what to do without him. On broader lines he's like those chappies who sit peering sadly over the marble battlements at the Pennsylvania Station in the place marked “Inquiries.” You know the Johnnies I mean. You go up to them and say: “When's the next train for Melonsquashville, Tennessee?” and they reply, without stopping to think, “Two-forty-three, track ten, change at San Francisco.” And they're right every time. Well, Jeeves gives you just the same impression of omniscience."
It didn’t take more that a few disregards of Jeeves’ advice for Bertie Wooster to engage in a bit of self-evaluation: "“After this,” I said, “not another step for me without your advice. From now on consider yourself the brains of the establishment.” “Very good, sir. I shall endeavour to give satisfaction.” And he has, by Jove! I'm a bit short on brain myself; the old bean would appear to have been constructed more for ornament than for use, don't you know; but give me five minutes to talk the thing over with Jeeves, and I'm game to advise any one about anything. And that's why, when Bruce Corcoran came to me with his troubles, my first act was to ring the bell and put it up to the lad with the bulging forehead. “Leave it to Jeeves,” I said."
Does the plot really matter? Wodehouse has his pen attuned to the foibles of the upper class.
Ignore any publishing date attached to this edition. Wodehouse’s creation is over 100 years old!
4.98*
I cannot resist one more example of Bertie’s confidence in Jeeves:
"I had betted on Jeeves all along, and I had known that he wouldn't let me down. It beats me sometimes why a man with his genius is satisfied to hang around pressing my clothes and what-not. If I had half Jeeves's brain, I should have a stab at being Prime Minister or something.
“Jeeves,” I said, “that is absolutely ripping! One of your very best efforts.”
“Thank you, sir.”"
"Jeeves—my man, you know—is really a most extraordinary chap. So capable. Honestly, I shouldn't know what to do without him. On broader lines he's like those chappies who sit peering sadly over the marble battlements at the Pennsylvania Station in the place marked “Inquiries.” You know the Johnnies I mean. You go up to them and say: “When's the next train for Melonsquashville, Tennessee?” and they reply, without stopping to think, “Two-forty-three, track ten, change at San Francisco.” And they're right every time. Well, Jeeves gives you just the same impression of omniscience."
It didn’t take more that a few disregards of Jeeves’ advice for Bertie Wooster to engage in a bit of self-evaluation: "“After this,” I said, “not another step for me without your advice. From now on consider yourself the brains of the establishment.” “Very good, sir. I shall endeavour to give satisfaction.” And he has, by Jove! I'm a bit short on brain myself; the old bean would appear to have been constructed more for ornament than for use, don't you know; but give me five minutes to talk the thing over with Jeeves, and I'm game to advise any one about anything. And that's why, when Bruce Corcoran came to me with his troubles, my first act was to ring the bell and put it up to the lad with the bulging forehead. “Leave it to Jeeves,” I said."
Does the plot really matter? Wodehouse has his pen attuned to the foibles of the upper class.
Ignore any publishing date attached to this edition. Wodehouse’s creation is over 100 years old!
4.98*
I cannot resist one more example of Bertie’s confidence in Jeeves:
"I had betted on Jeeves all along, and I had known that he wouldn't let me down. It beats me sometimes why a man with his genius is satisfied to hang around pressing my clothes and what-not. If I had half Jeeves's brain, I should have a stab at being Prime Minister or something.
“Jeeves,” I said, “that is absolutely ripping! One of your very best efforts.”
“Thank you, sir.”"
March 5, 2024
the feminine urge to read jeeves/wooster fic...
October 4, 2016
This felt like reading I Love Lucy, reminded me a lot of Bartleby, the Scrivener. I loved P. G. Wodehouse's writing, and yet Leave it to Jeeves felt mostly like empty humor.
May 28, 2017
Oh, Bertie why do you ever try to achieve anything without Jeeves? This time he tries to help his friends uncle accept the woman he wants to marry. But, the uncle accepts her a bit too much.
April 16, 2021
Starts only too well with Bertie recounting some of Jeeves’ previous exploits. The new story is itself not so spectacular... but this is Wodehouse I’m reviewing, so overall sharply witty stuff.
September 26, 2021
O que seria de Bertie Wooster sem Jeeves?
Ele tem solução para todos os problemas; é tão eficaz que até os amigos de Bertie recorrem a ele em situações difíceis. Nesse caso a eficiência é tão grande que passou, acabou atrapalhando. Mas calma, ele conserta. Leave it to Jeeves.
Histórico de leitura
22/09/2021
"I know it's as bad as being henpecked; but then Jeeves is always right."
"Jeeves smiled paternally. Or, rather, he had a kind of paternal muscular spasm about the mouth, which is the nearest he ever gets to smiling."
"I'm a bit short on brain myself; the old bean would appear to have been constructed more for ornament than for use, don't you know; but give me five minutes to talk the thing over with Jeeves, and I'm game to advise any one about anything."
"Jeeves - my man, you know - is really a most extraordinary chap. So capable. Honestly, I shouldn't know what to do without him."
Ele tem solução para todos os problemas; é tão eficaz que até os amigos de Bertie recorrem a ele em situações difíceis. Nesse caso a eficiência é tão grande que passou, acabou atrapalhando. Mas calma, ele conserta. Leave it to Jeeves.
Histórico de leitura
22/09/2021
"I know it's as bad as being henpecked; but then Jeeves is always right."
"Jeeves smiled paternally. Or, rather, he had a kind of paternal muscular spasm about the mouth, which is the nearest he ever gets to smiling."
"I'm a bit short on brain myself; the old bean would appear to have been constructed more for ornament than for use, don't you know; but give me five minutes to talk the thing over with Jeeves, and I'm game to advise any one about anything."
"Jeeves - my man, you know - is really a most extraordinary chap. So capable. Honestly, I shouldn't know what to do without him."
December 3, 2014
My Kindle edition had a different set of stories in it than is reported here, some with Jeeves and some without. I enjoy PG Wodehouse, but sometimes I wish the main characters (generally well to do, but idle, fellows) would speak more plainly and with fewer roundabout figures of speech. That said, the plots are usually fun and some of the predicaments that the characters find themselves are quite amusing. For those who can look past the occasionally opaque British vocabulary, this book is a fun read that works well in bite-sized reading sessions.
Read
August 15, 2013I didn't technically read this - more listening to the audiobook. I know that' s perhaps cheating but this book really helped me to see the light when I was going through some rough times healthwise; this is a wonderful escape, exquisitely written and deserves to be both 'heard' as a story, as well as read out loud by anyone who wishes to 'get away'.
March 23, 2021
This was a strange read as the story and all characters really annoyed me, however the writing was so good that I would laugh just at the cleverness and smartness of the sentences. I can see why people say Wodehouse's writing was the best of that century, even if the storyline didn't interest me!
April 3, 2024
Even in the earliest of Jeeves stories, the writing is strong and Bertie Wooster's narrative voice is so charming and engaging and lovable.
I've never been able to get into the Psmith stories the same way I adore the Jeeves stories, and it comes down to the characters, because certainly Wodehouse's writing was no less good. But there's something about Bertie and Jeeves that's really special, and some of the major hallmarks are present in this first collection-- the scrapes, the schemes, the sartorial bargains struck in order to keep harmony in the home...
And look, I get it, Bertie. If I had a topper of a man like Jeeves looking after me and I decided to grow an ill-advised mustache, and he didn't like it, I'd let him shave it off as repayment for the kind of help Jeeves delivers on the regular, too.
I've never been able to get into the Psmith stories the same way I adore the Jeeves stories, and it comes down to the characters, because certainly Wodehouse's writing was no less good. But there's something about Bertie and Jeeves that's really special, and some of the major hallmarks are present in this first collection-- the scrapes, the schemes, the sartorial bargains struck in order to keep harmony in the home...
And look, I get it, Bertie. If I had a topper of a man like Jeeves looking after me and I decided to grow an ill-advised mustache, and he didn't like it, I'd let him shave it off as repayment for the kind of help Jeeves delivers on the regular, too.
December 24, 2017
Not my kind of humor. Didnt like the would-be wife marrying the uncle - it reminds me of Golddigger boyfriends/girlfriends and dislike betrayal in general, plus the age difference puts me off a bit. And the humor comes from the diction but its just like with Hitchhikers' Guide - not my kind of humor.
March 4, 2019
My kindle version had a bunch of short stories in it, some with Jeeves and some without.
Either way, this is my third Wodehouse book and I feel that things are getting a little repetitive story-wise. The wit and humour which made me adore Wodehouse's books in the first place are all still there, but I wish the plot isn't always someone trying to scheme someone else!
Either way, this is my third Wodehouse book and I feel that things are getting a little repetitive story-wise. The wit and humour which made me adore Wodehouse's books in the first place are all still there, but I wish the plot isn't always someone trying to scheme someone else!
May 5, 2019
Humorous fictional recollections by a lazy aristocrat. Stories of his hyper intelligent and dry humored English servant named Jeeves getting him & his friends out of sticky situations. Would definitely read more of his works. Read the whole collection in about 3 hours.
- Best stories were “Leave it To Jeeves”, “Jeeves and the Unbiased Guest”, and “The Aunt and the Sluggard”
- Best stories were “Leave it To Jeeves”, “Jeeves and the Unbiased Guest”, and “The Aunt and the Sluggard”
March 18, 2024
Jeeves can solve any problem 🙌🏻
Read as part of the Letters Regarding Jeeves series on Substack, which includes all of the Jeeves literature by P. G. Wodehouse that is currently in public domain — the first 25 short stories, as well as the entirety of the novel ‘Right Ho, Jeeves’ — over the course of one year.
Read as part of the Letters Regarding Jeeves series on Substack, which includes all of the Jeeves literature by P. G. Wodehouse that is currently in public domain — the first 25 short stories, as well as the entirety of the novel ‘Right Ho, Jeeves’ — over the course of one year.
April 5, 2022
Definitely not as good as the previous PJ Wodehouse book I read. I see why the reviews were a bit lower for this edition. A bit workmanlike without a great deal of variety to this one. Just a collection of short stories really.
July 11, 2022
My first Wodehouse book, after enjoying the sitcom Jeeves & Wooster (Hugh Laurie and Steven Fry). The writing is spectacular; the stories are funny at first, but then get a little tiresome. I'll come back to Wodehouse when I need some lighthearted silliness conveyed in exquisite prose.
May 17, 2018
I have long enjoyed Wooster and Jeeves and like these stories, but not as much as some of the other collections. I did, however, still laugh out loud at several parts.
October 18, 2018
Early Wodehouse, Jeeves, Bertie and a gaggle of eccentric characters. Taken in small bites over a period of time it reminds you of delicious sparkling wine
February 7, 2019
Great short stories
I have loved Mr. Wodehouse for years. It a nice package of classic group of short stories. Thanks for the bokk
I have loved Mr. Wodehouse for years. It a nice package of classic group of short stories. Thanks for the bokk
February 27, 2019
I’m a bit short on brain myself.
In New York and avoiding a aunt, Betty and Jeeves continue on. Wrong headed as usual, Bertram helps a friend to no avail in Leave it to Jeeves
In New York and avoiding a aunt, Betty and Jeeves continue on. Wrong headed as usual, Bertram helps a friend to no avail in Leave it to Jeeves
May 25, 2020
A rather witty and fun book by Wodehouse with the bumbling Wooster and his assistant Jeeves. Set in the U.S, loosely follows on from “Extricating Young Gussie”.
January 19, 2021
Hilarious! Such witty writing.
June 9, 2021
Sweet old-fashioned hi jinx stories. Glad I listened to the first book but no interest in finishing the series.
July 21, 2021
So fun!
December 19, 2022
A cuckoo chick would have sealed the deal.
April 19, 2023
I am dutch so I guess you have to be english to really appreciate this.
May 25, 2023
i love jeeves. the book got so boring as soon as there were stories w/o him. formulaic, but it’s a good formula
June 28, 2023
This book was written around 1912, Humour was a bit different then.
January 6, 2024
I've never heard of this series, and even thought it's not literary masterpieces, the characters are hysterical. I'll continue with the short stories every now and then for comic relief.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews