An early (1920s) and solid collection of Wooster & Jeeves from PG Wodehouse, the master of British light farce.
The short stories herein include "JeeveAn early (1920s) and solid collection of Wooster & Jeeves from PG Wodehouse, the master of British light farce.
The short stories herein include "Jeeves in the Springtime", "Aunt Agatha Takes the Count", "Scoring Off Jeeves", "Sir Roderick Comes to Lunch", "Jeeves and the Chump Cyril", "Comrade Bingo", "The Great Sermon Handicap", "The Purity of the Turf", "The Metropolitan Touch", "The Delayed Exit of Claude and Eustace", and "Bingo and the Little Woman".
Most are about love and most involve Bertie Wooster's old school chum Bingo Little, a man in love with every woman under the sun it would seem....more
Too short for Wodehouse to work his usual plot shenanigans. The love triangle felt like it was missing a side. Everything resolved itself too easily. Too short for Wodehouse to work his usual plot shenanigans. The love triangle felt like it was missing a side. Everything resolved itself too easily. However, the narration was still pretty darn good. Maybe not Wodehouse's best, but he still gets in a clever bit of wit here and there. ...more
A true joy! Joy in the Morning is one of my favorite Wodehouse books. It's got all you'd want from this prolific author of humor and comedy: ridiculouA true joy! Joy in the Morning is one of my favorite Wodehouse books. It's got all you'd want from this prolific author of humor and comedy: ridiculous characters, a knotty plot, chortlable dialogue, and knife-sharpening narrative!...more
In this early work that lacks the wit of Wodehouse's later material, a woman grows tired of her jealous boyfriend, only to find out that she finds it In this early work that lacks the wit of Wodehouse's later material, a woman grows tired of her jealous boyfriend, only to find out that she finds it much worse when he shows no jealousy whatsoever. The usual Wodehouse plot, albeit in miniature for this short story, is set in place, though fairly basic and not nearly as complicated as the stuff he would concoct in later decades. Also, his wordplay is just plain wordy. This feels like practice for the whetting of his rapier wit, which he would brandish with hilarious flourishes one day. ...more
I didn't think I'd read this, so I started reading it. Then I got halfway through and realized I'd mostly likely read this. Probably it got slipped inI didn't think I'd read this, so I started reading it. Then I got halfway through and realized I'd mostly likely read this. Probably it got slipped into an anthology like a Canadian coin slips into the till. The story passed through my mind with the same import as that coin passing through your hands. You barely notice it and for all practical purposes, it's just as good as the other coins that end up jingling about in your pocket. If more closely examined and placed up against others, perhaps the value doesn't quite match up. But it's fine and hardly worth remarking upon....more
Once I got into it, I soon realized I'd read this before. Not specifically this book, but the stories within it. You see, It's deja vu all over again!
Once I got into it, I soon realized I'd read this before. Not specifically this book, but the stories within it. You see, Jeeves & the Song of Songs is also "Jeeves & the Song of Songs," which is to say it is the title of a book and the title of a story. It is also the first story in this collection, kicking off a bevy of solid stories in the Jeeves & Wooster line. Let's take a look at them!
"Jeeves & the Song of Songs" - Bertie Wooster is embroiled in an old chum's romance. Too much of the same song proves its undoing, perhaps for the best. This little number is a classic and was included in the Hugh Laurie/Stephen Fry tv version of Jeeves & Wooster.
"Indian Summer of an Uncle" - One of Bertie's uncles is about to make an ass of himself, matrimonially speaking, and Bertie's tasked with putting an end to it. This is one time where Wodehouse treads a bit rough on class distinction. It's not one of his best. Let's move on!
"Jeeves and the Kid Clementina" - Bertie has a thing for Bobbie Wickham and tries to do a good deed for her at a girls' prep school. Doing good deeds for others never does Bertie any good. Things fall apart like a papier-mâché umbrella in the rain. This is classic-form Wodehouse and a story that sets the parameters used in a number of his full-length books.
"The Inferiority Complex of Old Sippy" - An old pal has no backbone, so Bertie hatches up a scheme to get him his just desserts. Bertie ought to know by now that it's best to let Jeeves come up with the schemes, but alas, all goes amiss and Jeeves must tidy it up in the end. I think this might be the only story in this collection which I hadn't read before. It's not bad!
"Jeeves and the Impending Doom" - One of Bertie's awful aunts covertly tries to hook him up with a job he doesn't want. A friend of Bertie's is trying to keep a job with Bertie's aunt that he doesn't like but needs to keep, and Bertie must help him keep it by keeping safe the unpleasant blighter who the aunt is trying to secure Bertie's job with. Make sense? No? Welcome to the world of Wodehouse!
"Jeeves and the Yuletide Spirit" - Jeeves is looking forward to a trip to Monte Carlo. Bertie is thinking about marriage to that Wickham gal. Jeeves realizes how unsuitable the match would be well before Bertie figures it out, and goes to great lengths to make his master see the light. Jeeves inevitably saves the day in all these stories, but seldom does he long for any recompense for his extraneous efforts, aside perhaps for Bertie to dress more conservatively. It's nice to see a little personal desire out of the man.
All in all, Jeeves & the Song of Songs cobbles together a very solid set of shorts. I'm a big Jeeves & Wooster fan, so I didn't mind the reread and was happy to find at least one new tale herein. Short and sweet, this would make a good primer for the newcomer!...more
Here's the basics. Biff stands to gain an large inheritance if he can only keep himself from getting pinched by theClassic Wodehouse. Classic comedy.
Here's the basics. Biff stands to gain an large inheritance if he can only keep himself from getting pinched by the local constabulary. Problem is, Biff likes to drink and when he drinks he gets up to shenanigans, inevitably getting himself pinched. That's where his buddy Jerry, the long-suffering editor of a gossip rag, comes in. He's tasked with keeping Biff's nose clean. Why? Because Jerry wants to marry Biff's sister and she really wants Biff to inherit that money. See what I mean? Classic Wodehouse.
While not hilarious all the way through, Wodehouse spreads a bucketful of laughs liberally throughout Frozen Assets. The opening scene is a prime example of the author's trying-the-main-character's-patience gags. Wodehouse can even squeeze the last ounce of humor out of such an insignificant character as the bad guy's solicitor.
The unintentionally funny thing about this one is that it was written in the 1960s and a contemporary detail or two is dropped, such as Khrushchev's name being spoken in vain, and yet the setting and characters' affectations are clearly late Victorian England. Mannerisms are dated. Butlers and chauffeurs abound. That's not to say these things couldn't have existed in Khrushchev's time, but the times had changed by the 1950s-60s, Wodehouse had not. And that's just as well. He had more Jeeves & Wooster to write before he died and that odd couple needed to remain staunchly of their time.
Good book. Not great. I prefer the J&W, Blandings Castle, or even Ukridge stuff over these stand-alone novels. ...more
One of P.G. Wodehouse's earliest short stories and not an overly exciting or hilarious one.
Apparently Providence and the Butler was rediscovered, postOne of P.G. Wodehouse's earliest short stories and not an overly exciting or hilarious one.
Apparently Providence and the Butler was rediscovered, posthumously perhaps, in a magazine, I believe. Yes, my information on this story is sketchy, but by opinion of it is clear. It is not one of Wodehouse's best. Rather straightforward, it tells of a lord who's lost his way and a butler who remembers which way the family's backbone once twisted. The lord goes off, the butler gets uppity and makes a speech, and everything ends sort of happily ever after. Very few twists and turns. Almost no hilarity. This is a story anyone could've written.
All the same, I'm glad I read it. Why wouldn't I want to? I mean, I've read everything else of Wodehouse's I could get my hands on, so of course I'd want to read an early, unearthed work. If for no other reason, it provided a nice glimpse into the first stages of his writing career, before he'd honed his plots, characters and humor. This story is a framework, like looking at a building that's just steel girders, and some people find that interesting....more
There's deja vu and there are actual repeats. I started reading Jeeves Takes Charge and Other Stories and it felt very familiar. That happens almost eThere's deja vu and there are actual repeats. I started reading Jeeves Takes Charge and Other Stories and it felt very familiar. That happens almost every time I read a Wodehouse, so I didn't think much of it. But by the second or third stories I realized I actually had read most, if not all, of what this collection has to offer.
And what does this collection have to offer? Well, for starters it includes one of my favorite Wodehouse lines: "She fitted into my biggest armchair as if it had been built around her by someone who knew they were wearing armchairs tight about the hips that season." There are plenty such gems. Here are the contents in summary with my two cents:
"Jeeves Takes Charge" was first published magazines in the United States in 1916 and in the UK in 1923. Odd that. After all, Wodehouse was English. Its first book publication was in 1925 in Carry on, Jeeves, a good solid starter in the Jeeves/Wooster line. Anywhoodle, this particular story is the one that introduces us to the amazing Jeeves, who swoops in, revives Wooster with one of his restorative pick-me-ups and is immediately hired as Wooster's gentleman's personal gentleman. It's a great mini version of nearly all the best stories that were to come involving this dynamic duo.
"Without the Option" is the story of how Wooster and a friend get done for misdemeanors, and Wooster feels bad enough for the position he's put his friend in that he goes to great lengths and personal embarrassment to right the situation...sort of. This is an excellent example of Wodehouse's oft used masquerade plots in which a character poses as someone else with the innocent intention of doing some good. Little good ever comes of it for the character. However, it usually comes with plenty of laughs for us readers.
"The Artistic Career of Corky" is one of Wodehouse's New York-based stories in which Wooster's struggling artist friend is in love with a chorus girl and at odds with his uncle. Never a fan of the NY stories and having read and seen a tv version this one numerous times, I skipped it this time.
"The Aunt and the Sluggard" is similar to the above story, in which an artistic friend (poet this time) named Rocky, who wishes nothing more than to live a lazy life, is forced into an unpleasant labor (unpleasant to him) and Wooster takes the burden upon himself. Everything seems shipshape until.... Another NY based story I really didn't enjoy as much as Wodehouse's England-based stories.
"Jeeves and the Unbidden Guest" is about a blighted manchild being dropped into Wooster's life. It contains some excellent descriptives, especially at the start, which showcases the reason Wodehouse is much better read than seen. You don't want to miss out on Wooster's narration. This story makes me want to enter rooms with the greeting, "Hel-lo, allo-allo-allo-ALLO! What?"
"Jeeves and the Hard Boiled Egg" tells of the predicament one of Wooster's NY chums finds himself in and the clever scheme Jeeves cooks up to settle the matter. Knowing this one all too well, I skipped through it, but I can recommend it well enough. Short as it is, it packs some good punches, especially the jabs at Americans.
Once I figured out these were stories taken from another source I was ready to give it up. However, this was an audiobook (very well narrated by Alexander Spencer) and I was doing a longish drive, so why not speed down memory lane once more with some good old friends?
Oh my goodness, what in the dickens is going on now? Impostors, you say? At Blandings Castle, you say? Well, you don't say!
Lord Ickenham, aka Uncle FrOh my goodness, what in the dickens is going on now? Impostors, you say? At Blandings Castle, you say? Well, you don't say!
Lord Ickenham, aka Uncle Fred is at it again. The OCC (original cool cucumber) has cooked up another improbable scheme to make all well again in a world in which he loves her, she loves him, Father A doesn't approve, Father B doesn't approve, Young Gadabout A needs a bit of the ready cash, and so does Young Gadabout B. Who better to tie these things all together than Uncle Fred?
Wodehouse juggles plots with dizzying skill. I did a rough count and Uncle Fred in the Springtime contains approximately a bucketload of characters. Every character's got an agenda and they all compete with and against one another simultaneously. Sometimes the plot lines are silly, sometimes skillful, and sometimes they leave you wondering, "What? Who? Where?" in the most delightful way. It's like a murder mystery in which no one gets murdered...not too seriously at any rate. ...more
Aw, this makes me sad. Much Obliged, Jeeves is one of Wodehouse's last books in the Jeeves & Wooster series, just when it's starting to show some lifeAw, this makes me sad. Much Obliged, Jeeves is one of Wodehouse's last books in the Jeeves & Wooster series, just when it's starting to show some life after so many books by rote.
The usual plot and characters are all in order. Finicky friends and daffy family members all seemingly conspire to thrust Bertie Wooster neck-deep into the soup, then jam him between a rock and a hard place. Hovering about the periphery is the all-knowing, gentleman's gentleman extraordinaire Jeeves, ready to extract his master and set all to rights.
Where this book differs from other Wodehouses is in the little details. Bertie's narration makes it plain that Much Obliged, Jeeves comes later in the Wodehouse oeuvre by referencing past exploits, and I'm not just talking about that scripture prize he won in school or the article he wrote for Milady's Boudoir on "What the well-dressed man is wearing." I'm not even talking about the big reveal that Jeeves actually has a first name. The real difference is in how Jeeves interacts with Wooster. It's not a vast shift to the left, but there is a slight subversion in his tone, a sort of sauciness to his lip service, a kind of sass to his soliloquy. Yes indeed, Jeeves expresses himself here with more than just a raised brow and I found it shocking. SHOCKING, I SAY!
Seriously though, it was nice to see an old familiar character being appropriately stretched a bit. After all the patience-straining nonsense Jeeves endures, it seems quite natural for such a clearly superior mind to grow a tad surly after such trying times. I only wish Wodehouse had started this process and expanded upon it years, nay, decades prior.
In summary, Much Obliged, Jeeves is a solid book in the series, but if you're a newcomer, I'd suggest starting somewhere earlier. Perhaps, Right Ho, Jeeves or The Code of the Woosters would be more suitable. These books don't need to be read sequentially, and you'd be fine if you read this one first, but I think the Wodehouse newb would be better severed with a more elementary introduction. Wouldn't want to muddle the grey matter, now would we?...more
A case of pink spots on Bertie's chest (maybe it's a touch of malaria, who's to say?) sends him to the country on doctor's orders to rest and relax. RA case of pink spots on Bertie's chest (maybe it's a touch of malaria, who's to say?) sends him to the country on doctor's orders to rest and relax. Rest and relax? If you've ever read a Wodehouse, you know that's not bloody likely.
Troublesome aunts, daffy explorers, strong-willed dames along with their ardent suitors, crusty landlords, and charming cats all conspire against poor old Bertie Wooster. His butler Jeeves seems to be his only ally in this perpetually-yet-vaguely 1920s, god-help-us world.
Wodehouse did it again! Well into his Jeeves & Wooster series, the insanely prolific writer of the early-to-mid 20th century churned out another quality book replete with a finely paced plot, delightfully nutty characters and enough laughs to fill The Laugh Factory with wall-to-wall guffaws.
At this point, I'm predisposed to enjoy anything by Wodehouse, so perhaps The Cat-Nappers has received a gratuitous star in the ratings from me. If you're already a fan, this will crank your chucklebox. If you're new to Wodehouse, I might suggest -NAY!- I would suggest starting with something else. Go ahead, ask me. I'm full of suggestions!
READER'S NOTE:The Cat-Nappers is alternately titled Aunts Aren't Gentlemen....more
Better than I expected! I don't why I didn't expect much. I think the cover had something to do with it. My version had a picture of a little girl in Better than I expected! I don't why I didn't expect much. I think the cover had something to do with it. My version had a picture of a little girl in a sailor suit. I haven't had much luck with Wodehouse books that feature children...unless it depicts Bertie Wooster booting one of the snot monsters in the pants as an aside. As it happens, the "girl" in The Girl on the Boat refers to a young woman. So I dodged that bullet.
On the whole, this is packed with some fun characters and witty lines. You can see Wodehouse shedding his romantic tendencies for his daffier side. The characters are more colorful and absurd than previous efforts. His descriptions are ramping up the hyperbole and razor sharp satire. However, the story runs a little long and the plot is loose...well, looser than Wodehouse is known for. Also, two of the mains are not particularly likable. It's not that all characters have to be nice or "good" or whatever, but you need to have a reason to pull for them. There's no reason here. They're just sh!tbags.
I believe this book pre-dates Wodehouse's Jeeves and Wooster books, other than a single short story lumped in with a collection. I find that interesting because there is a very distinct Jeeves and Wooster feel to this one. The phrasing, the embryonic plot, those colorful characters, so much of what went into this book is the basis for what would come later in the novels he would become famous for. ...more
An early Wodehouse that reads a lot like a later one. The comedy is not as developed as in would be in his Jeeves and Wooster books, but the kidnappinAn early Wodehouse that reads a lot like a later one. The comedy is not as developed as in would be in his Jeeves and Wooster books, but the kidnapping plot's close. The character's need a little work too. They're a bit flat. Although, I really enjoyed W's portrayal of the American kidnappers. The main character doesn't have the charm of Bertie Wooster, but he's a likable chap and serviceable for this particular story. Good stuff! I haven't been a fan of W's early work (too heavy on the drippy romance), but this one is the stuff to give the troops! ...more
Perfectly fine, just not Wodehouse's best. The Girl in Blue lacks a lot of laughs and feels like one of his early works, like the ones published betwePerfectly fine, just not Wodehouse's best. The Girl in Blue lacks a lot of laughs and feels like one of his early works, like the ones published between about 1915-1930. And yet, this was one of the last books he ever read. Its plot doesn't have the edge to its plot. Deus Ex Machina waltzes in and tidies things up for a number of characters. Luck, instead of sweat and elbow grease, win the day. I reread Wodehouse's best books every few years. I don't see myself going back to this one....more
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