Ukridge

Rating:
Summary: Ukridge Romps!
Review: If you haven't met Stanley Featherstonehaugh Ukridge yet, you've missed a treat. I think of Ukridge as a comic character virtually equal to Falstaff.

P.G. Wodehouse based the character on a school friend which adds extra poignancy to the many hilarious tales in this book.

The book has ten chapters, each of which is an entire short story. However, the stories are connected to one another so you have continuing development of characters and plots.

The story is told from the perspective of the long-suffering James Corcoran, an impecunious author who is one of Ukridge's favorite sources of money, clothes, lodgings and all other sorts of accommodations.

Ukridge is a great schemer . . . who doesn't bother to work out all of the details. He's confident that an abundant universe will take care of him. Sometimes he's right and sometimes not.

Most people will be thrilled by Ukridge's career as a boxing manager for Battling Billson, the most mercurial fighter the world has ever know. Three chapters are devoted to that story.

The book opens with a classic Ukridge scheme; he's going to make a mint by training dogs to behave at Ukridge's Dog College.

The second story, Ukridge's Accident Syndicate, shows that even if a scheme works, it may not pay off in the way you expected.

Ukridge tries his hand at being a political surrogate in The Long Arm of Looney Coote, with hilarious consequences.

In First Aid for Dora, Ukridge decides to help Dora recover from having lost her job . . . which she lost because of him. With help like his, one should probably seek out enemies instead! In Ukridge Sees Her Through, Dora gets more "help" from Ukridge.

Ukridge is prone to overstate his position to others. He lives to regret that tendency when it almost leads to unexpected matrimony in No Wedding Bells for Him.

In Ukridge Rounds a Nasty Corner, Ukridge falls in love and has to prove himself worthy of his love's family. Now that's a tough trick!

You can read each of these stories in less than an hour. I suggest spacing them out over time so you can enjoy their flavor longer.




Rating:
Summary: Not the best of Ukridge
Review: No, these 10 stories are definitely not the cream of the Ukridge catalogue. In fact, you would probably not be far off in describing them as the worst (or least good) of the lot. In my opinion the later stories are much better. These were the very first 10 Ukridge short stories ever written, and they are markedly inferior to Plum's later efforts (where, incidentally, the stories are related by Ukridge himself; not by "Corky", who is less funny as a narrator).

The 3 stars are because, well, it's still Plum.

Rating:
Summary: The Big, Broad Flexible Outlook
Review: Stanley Featherstonehaugh Ukridge, that enemy of mankind, stars in ten brilliant short stories, all narrated by his long-suffering friend James Corcoran. Ukridge (pronounced "ook-ridge"), moocher of socks, shirts, and fivers, evader of creditors, bane of rich aunts, is another of Wodehouse's many great comic creations. Perhaps the best of these are about his management of soft-hearted fighter Wilberforce "Battling" Billson, but the stories are uniformly excellent and hilarious; full of unpredictable comic twists and the brilliant language and dialogue that make Wodehouse a full-fledged genius.

On the first page of the first story Ukridge offers Corocoran the rights to his life story for a hundred pounds down (quickly reduced to twenty-five). Corcoran, who foolishly lets the opportunity slip, may have lacked the big, broad, flexible outlook in this one instance, but P.G. certainly didn't.

The well-crafted, nice-looking edition is another winner in Everyman's excellent serires.

Rating:
Summary: The Big, Broad Flexible Outlook
Review: Stanley Featherstonehaugh Ukridge, that enemy of mankind, stars in ten brilliant short stories, all narrated by his long-suffering friend James Corcoran. Ukridge (pronounced "ook-ridge"), moocher of socks, shirts, and fivers, evader of creditors, bane of rich aunts, is another of Wodehouse's many great comic creations. Perhaps the best of these are about his management of soft-hearted fighter Wilberforce "Battling" Billson, but the stories are uniformly excellent and hilarious; full of unpredictable comic twists and the brilliant language and dialogue that make Wodehouse a full-fledged genius.

On the first page of the first story Ukridge offers Corocoran the rights to his life story for a hundred pounds down (quickly reduced to twenty-five). Corcoran, who foolishly lets the opportunity slip, may have lacked the big, broad, flexible outlook in this one instance, but P.G. certainly didn't.

The well-crafted, nice-looking edition is another winner in Everyman's excellent serires.

Rating:
Summary: Pure Gold
Review: Ukridge is P G Wodehouse's greatest creation. Unfairly eclipsed in the public imagination by Jeeves&Wooster, for the simple reason that like Psmith Wodehouse didn't write that much for the character. But what there is, is pure gold and 'Ukridge' is no exception. No one story stands out as they're all mini-masterpieces. Get hold of it as soon as you can, old horse!

Rating:
Summary: Pure Gold
Review: Ukridge is P G Wodehouse's greatest creation. Unfairly eclipsed in the public imagination by Jeeves&Wooster, for the simple reason that like Psmith Wodehouse didn't write that much for the character. But what there is, is pure gold and 'Ukridge' is no exception. No one story stands out as they're all mini-masterpieces. Get hold of it as soon as you can, old horse!