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Summary: a balm and a comfort
Review: It's almost impossible to write funny about humor, and anyone who writes seriously about it is doomed to come off as a fuddy duddy. E.B. White, a funny writer himself, once said that analyzing humor is like dissecting a frog, in that the thing tends to die in the process and the results will be interesting only to the purely scientific mind. -Andrew Ferguson, Divine Comedy : P.G. Wodehouse's perfect pitchTwo things the critics generally agree on are that : (1) P. G. Wodehouse is one of the funniest writers in the English language; and, (2) it's almost impossible to explain why. Among the various authorities cited for the difficulty in analyzing humor are Evelyn Waugh and Sigmund Freud, themselves authors of hilarious fictions. Suffice it to say, and I mean this in the very best sense, the enjoyments of the Jeeves and Wooster stories are much the same as those of the great TV sitcoms. Wodehouse created these two great comic characters, surrounded them in each story with oddballs, plunked them all down in trying situations, and then had the inimitable Jeeves extract Bertie and his upper-class nitwit friends from their difficulties through various stratagems and diversions. Though Andrew Ferguson and others deny that there is any deeper meaning or political content to the stories, it is at least notable that the finest young gentlemen in all of England are hopelessly overmatched by life unless Jeeves steps in to save them. The resulting stories have a certain sameness to them--of course, just try watching ten episodes of Cheers in a row and see if it's still fresh and amusing in hour five--but read in moderation they are immensely enjoyable and their very familiarity becomes quite comforting. GRADE : A+
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Summary: Martin Jarvis- Wodehouse Man of the Year!
Review: Let me first say I loved these stories in their traditional bookbound medium. Now let me say that I loved them even more with the fantastic Martin Jarvis at the mic, steering them as I've never heard any other reader steer a story. Jarvis' magic came from the fact that everything about his performance, from the voices, to the perfectly timed pauses, was just as I had imagined it in my own bean over the course of many readings. It's terribly hard to read a great book and then to subsequently have it torn apart by a horrific reading- not so with this Martin Jarvis, I tell you. If you've never had the pleasure of reading Wodehouse and are going to start your explorations via audio, then start with this collection. Someone bring this man more Wodehouse!
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Summary: Classic Wodehousiana!
Review: Martin Jarvis' reading of Carry On, Jeeves runs circles around Jonathan Cecil's reading of anything (for more on Cecil, see Psmith: Journalist). He simply embodies the characters of Bertie Wooster, Jeeves, Biffy, Corky, and all the cast (albeit with the same typical attempt at an American accent). Carry On, Jeeves contains eight of the ten stories available in the print version (the remaining two stories appear on My Man Jeeves), so completists will want that, but for pure enjoyment, you can't go wrong with this. Even the titles Wodehouse writes are funny, my favorite being "The Rummy Affair of Old Biffy." They simply roll off the tongue. The stories here include "Jeeves Takes Charge" (chronologically the first as it tells the story of Jeeves' entry into Bertie's life). The others, namely "The Artistic Career of Corky," "Clustering Round Young Bingo," "Jeeves and the Unbidden Guest" (about a young cousin of Bertie's who goes wild under his wing), and "Jeeves and the Hard-Boiled Egg" are all classics of the Wodehousian genre and show Jeeves at his problem-solving best. This would easily appeal to the casual Wodehouse fan, and is perfect for long road trips or any other situation where a laugh is needed. Wodehouse exceeds all others in humor and, one assumes, will remain that way for centuries to come.
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Summary: My first Jeeves
Review: P.G. Wodehouse's CARRY ON, JEEVES, is a masterpiece of hilarity! Jeeves is Bertram (Bertie) Wooster's manservant in jolly old England. Jeeves is always there to get poor Bertie out of his farcical jams. This book was first published in 1925, but the comedy plays out just as well today. I especially love the variety of turns of phrases that pop up on every page. (Imagine being described by Bertie as: "As vague and woollen-headed a blighter as ever bit a sandwich."!) Each of the ten short chapters is another adventure, with the last adventure being told from Jeeve's own point of view. I highly recommend this book, and I can't wait to read the others in the series!
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Summary: Jeeves & Bertie #2
Review: Previous: The Inimitable Jeeves While some of the stories in this collection pre-date The Inimitable Jeeves, it was published as a collection two years later, and so I'm calling it the second book in the series. The stories in this set are all stand-alone and unrelated. While many of them are charming, there is one that stands out far and away more noticeably than the others - the ingenious Bertie Changes His Mind. I will not give away the wonderful twist of this story, except to say that Wodehouse pulls it off with flying colors, and it is surprisingly hilarious. If the first couple paragraphs throw you a little, keep reading - you'll catch on, and you will be utterly charmed. Another notable story in this collection is The Rummy Affair of Old Biffy, in which Bertie looks like a genius in comparison. Next: Very Good, Jeeves
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Summary: Great Fun, Light-Hearted Reading
Review: These funny, light stories by P.G. Wodehouse are a must-read for any fans of him or British humor in general. This collection is the first of many featuring Bertie Wooster, a none-too-bright English gent, and his ingenius butler Jeeves, who is constantly thinking of schemes to get Bertie and his friends out of trouble. The Jeeves stories are a great place to start for anyone interested in Wodehouse's funny work. Though the stories are sometimes a bit long and may drag a little, they are still charming, charming tales. Delicious reading.
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Summary: Corking Stuff
Review: These ten short Jeeves and Wooster tales originally appeared in 1925 and three-quarters of a century later provide an excellent entry point to Wodehouse's comic series. The Jeeves and Wooster stories generally follow the same template, the young, wealthy airhead Wooster or one of his upper-crust pals gets in some sticky social situation, and it is up to his genius butler Jeeves to devise an ingenious solution to the quandary. Often the stories involve some manner of deception, misunderstanding, or often, mistaken identity-and sometimes, Jeeves' scheme backfires, resulting in even greater hilarity (although as with every comic tale, all is set right by the end). The stories can fairly be compared to contemporary TV sitcoms, as they to reply on recurring (often over the top) characters, a rarefied setting, a single type of humor, and recurring situations. Simply put, if you like one Wooster story (and don't get sick of them), you're going to like them all. Much of this can be explained by Wodehouse's mastery of the language and constant deft turns of phrase, period slang, and comic timing. Those who deride the shallow subject matter and milieu of the Jeeves and Wooster series need to recall the context in which these stories appeared. Only a few years removed from the horrors of World War I-an event that is never alluded to in the series, despite the loss of an entire generation of British young men-the stories can be viewed as a bandage of sorts, an attempt to transport the reader to a world far removed from the traumatic recovery from the Great War. Not to mention Wodehouse's clear depiction of the upper classes as wastrels and idiots of the highest order when compared to the street savvy of the servants (as exemplified by Jeeves). Of course, one doesn't read Wodehouse for social commentary or as a salve these days, but for his dry wit and keen command of the written word.
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Summary: Bertie and Jeeves in small bites
Review: This book of short stories is great for P.G. Wodehouse fans who only have time for small doses. The stories are obviously not as fully developed as the Jeeves novels, but each one is a satisfying bite. A unique feature of this book is the last short story, written with Jeeves as the narrator, because nearly all the other Jeeves stories and books are written with Bertie as the narrator. This one doesn't flow as nicely as Bertie's narrative style, which we're more used to of course, but it's interesting for dedicated Wodehouse readers.
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Summary: Now I know where they get all those ideas for sit-com plots!
Review: This was a refreshing book to read. Funny and well-written, not only was it an introduction to English vernacular, but it seems Mr. Wodehouse was a huge influence on comedy writers today. Each chapter could have been an episode of any number of sit-coms. But, I don't want to downplay the value of this novel. I can't help but imagine what it was like to look at this as a new genre. But, these "episodes" still aren't as stale as some of those viewable today in primetime. Most are unpredictable, and the situations are unique (somewhat due in part to the time period, but also because they are realistically presented.) All the characters are likeable, even though they each have a teeny bit of deviousness, but that makes them more human. Their funny and they aren't plastic. They aren't completely real, but they aren't completely paper-made either. They're just plain entertaining. The last chapter of this book is the tip-topper of the whole novel. Just like a good show, it brings everything together. You wonder throughout just what Jeeves' angle really is, and in the end you find out. I can't wait to read another installment!
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Summary: Ripping good read, and all that.
Review: What ho! This jolly book contains more tales of Bertie Wooster, a goodish chap, really, but a bit of a chump. When he finds himself in the soup, his man Jeeves, a brainy cove, always sets him right again. The final story is a real corker, told by Jeeves himself! He's really a bit of a rotter, don't you know, but makes for a dashed good read.
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