Wodehouse forever!
Right Ho! Celebrating P G Wodehouse & The Whimsical, Witty World of Jeeves
“P G WODEHOUSE IS ENGLISH LITERATURE’S PERFORMING FLEA.” Sean O’Casey
“I’M BITTEN. WHAT A DIVINE ITCH!” Brian Alan Burhoe
The World of Jeeves – A Book Review
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I’ve stumbled upon Plum Wodehouse late in life.
Knew about him, of course. Knew about Jeeves and Bertie. Probably read some of Plum’s short stories in various humourous collections over the years. Yes, I know I have. When I read “Uncle Fred Flits By” in WHAT HO! THE BEST OF P G WODEHOUSE, I said (out loud and with joy): “I know this story. What a riot!”
Why I’ve taken so long, I don’t know. Because Terry Pratchett is gone? Tom Sharpe? Douglas Adams left us in 2001 and the shock wave’s just struck? Can’t find any new classic Britcoms on the telly? (Wake up PBS!)
Wake up, Brian.
I’ve been reading THE WORLD OF JEEVES on and off, one delicious short story at a time. Maybe comedy works best in short form — I don’t know. Just know that this book is smegging great! (Oh, smeg – I’m referencing a different universe, aren’t I – sorry.)
This big fat omnibus, this “trackless desert of print,” gives us all of the short stories collected in CARRY ON, JEEVES and THE INIMITABLE JEEVES and VERY GOOD, JEEVES as well as two more stories, “Jeeves Makes an Omelette” and “Jeeves and the Greasy Bird.” A smorgasbord of sprightly stories. A groaning table of flippant fables.
Could London between the world wars have really been this much fun? Especially if you have all those fearsome Aunts? Although I’ve fallen in luv with Aunt Agatha….
If you’re an aging Boomer like me, and all you’ve known about the elegant London Clubs is what you read in Ian Fleming, let Plum give you a lighter view of that upper crust (and crumbling) society — via the Drones Club.
And let him show you what finely crafted comic stories are really like.
And let Jeeves solve all your problems.
Right Ho!
“Live Free, Mes Amis!” – CIVILIZED BEARS! Visit Us at Our Bears’ Den Now
Celebrating P G Wodehouse & The Whimsical, Witty World of Jeeves
Keywords: An Aging Boomer Discovers P G Wodehouse, Bertie Wooster, best of P G Wodehouse, book review, Brian Alan Burhoe, Britcoms, comic stories, Ian Fleming, Jeeves, performing flea quote, World of Jeeves review
