The Adventures of Bertie and Jeeves, Volume I

Rating:
Summary: Chuckle till you choke
Review: I've heard just about everyone on both sides of the Atlantic perform Wodehouse at one time or another, including on stage and in film. Most of the audiobooks seem to have been done by Martin Jarvis and Jonathan Cecil, both very talented. But I'm here to tell you that NOBODY does Bertie Wooster as well as Charlton Griffin. You will be rolling on the floor listening to this one. His tone of voice and the voices he gives all the other characters are just as zany and eccentric as the looney world they live in. If you're a lover of Wodehouse, add this to your collection. If you're looking for an introduction to this hilarious series, this is the place to begin. PLEASE let Mr. Griffin do more of these!!!!

Rating:
Summary: A Delightful Diversion
Review: The comical relationship of Bertie and Jeeves, is brought to life with the ever changing voices of Charlton Griffin. His choice of sound effects and music flow naturally, subtly complimenting the setting of the stories. I found myself often chuckling, caught up in Wodehouse's wit. Bertie continually floundering. Jeeves, his cool, collected butler, always coming to the rescue. Griffin moves between characters without hesitation. The effect is magical.... pure listening pleasure.

Rating:
Summary: Wodehouse, Bertie, and Jeeves: Start Here
Review: This recording is the perfect introduction to P.G. Wodehouse and to his most famous characters Bertie Wooster and his butler Jeeves. Listening to Charlton Griffin read the stories will accelerate your appreciation. That's because Griffin already understands all about Bertie, his friends, relatives, and the 1920's London-and-country-house milieu in which they live. This understanding informs the voices, accents, and intonations that Griffin gives the characters. As a result, you almost immediately comprehend that narrator Bertie is a twit--a loveable twit--and that Jeeves is the real gentleman in the stories. It takes a new reader much longer to catch on, which postpones the fun.

Listen to these stories for escapist entertainment and to marvel at Wodehouse's use of the English language, which is among the most inventive since Shakespeare. Evelyn Waugh called Wodehouse "the master" and this recording will tell you why.

Small complaints: A few sound effects seemed superfluous to me, and I would have been glad to have a voice tell me at the end of a side to fast forward and continue from the other side or the next cassette.