Psmith in the City

Rating:
Summary: A transition book
Review: "Psmith in the City" marks something of a transition piece for Wodehouse. Here, two of his principle "School" characters are taken away from the school environment and put into the real world. Psmith is elevated to the principle character quite clearly - a trend which continues in "Psmith, journalist", and of course is entirely dominant in the concluding "Leave it to Psmith", where Mike is relegated to the background.

There is also an element of the autobiographical in this work, for Wodehouse spent his post school days in much the same position as Mike finds himself - working in a city job for which he had little aptitude and did not like. Dulwich College, Wodehouse's school, also makes a cameo appearance.

The character of Psmith (based on a real person, unusually for Wodehouse) lends himself well to Wodehouse's skill at dialogue. Psmith's unique character traits are generally revealed in his conversation, and Wodehouse makes the most of this - certainly more than he was able to in the earlier school settings for Mike and Psmith. The dialogue does not, perhaps, soar to the heights it achieves in "Leave it to Psmith", but this is a distinctly earlier piece of writing. Indeed, the reader is occasionally brought up with a jolt to just how early in the twentieth century this is, with some of the settings and phrasings.

Overall this is a very enjoyable book, and interesting because of the transition role it plays in shifting from the more serious "School" series to the more frivolous work for which Wodehouse is more remembered. The autobiographical aspect is also of interest, and though the historical reminders may shock a little, they are a reminder of how long Wodehouse was writing.

Rating:
Summary: Funny, but somewhat lacking.
Review: "Psmith in the City" was first published in 1910, which makes it one of his earlier works. This particular printing is from The Collector's Wodehouse series being released by The Overlook Press (in the U.K. it is The Everyman's Wodehouse series from Everyman's Library). The series is very nicely produced, the bindings are excellent, and the paper quality is high.

This particular story centers on Mike Jackson, a Cricket player who is looking forward to going on to the `Varsity at Cambridge. This dream is spoiled when his father loses most of the family's money (no mention of how). Instead Mike goes to work at a Bank where, by chance, Psmith, a friend from cricket, also happens to be starting work on the same day. The bank manager, Mr. John Bickersdyke, is their nemesis in the book. He just happened to ruin Mike's last cricket match by walking across the screen and distracting Mike. This caused him to fall short of his century and lose the match. The situation in this book is very contrived and forced. It is true that many of Wodehouse's situations are contrived, but for me this one seemed much more so. Perhaps it was because there really isn't a plot to this book. Instead there are some humorous situations and interesting characters, but there doesn't really seem to be a story until the final few chapters. There are some very funny parts of this book, but it was far from Wodehouse's best work.

Rating:
Summary: An important part of the Wodehouse canon
Review: "Psmith in the City" marks something of a transition piece for Wodehouse. Here, two of his principle "School" characters are taken away from the school environment and put into the real world. Psmith is elevated to the principle character quite clearly - a trend which continues in "Psmith, journalist", and of course is entirely dominant in the concluding "Leave it to Psmith", where Mike is relegated to the background.

There is also an element of the autobiographical in this work, for Wodehouse spent his post school days in much the same position as Mike finds himself - working in a city job for which he had little aptitude and did not like. Dulwich College, Wodehouse's school, also makes a cameo appearance.

The character of Psmith (based on a real person, unusually for Wodehouse) lends himself well to Wodehouse's skill at dialogue. Psmith's unique character traits are generally revealed in his conversation, and Wodehouse makes the most of this - certainly more than he was able to in the earlier school settings for Mike and Psmith. The dialogue does not, perhaps, soar to the heights it achieves in "Leave it to Psmith", but this is a distinctly earlier piece of writing. Indeed, the reader is occasionally brought up with a jolt to just how early in the twentieth century this is, with some of the settings and phrasings.

Overall this is a very enjoyable book, and interesting because of the transition role it plays in shifting from the more serious "School" series to the more frivolous work for which Wodehouse is more remembered. The autobiographical aspect is also of interest, and though the historical reminders may shock a little, they are a reminder of how long Wodehouse was writing.

Rating:
Summary: A delight
Review: There's little I can say about this book other than if you love lighthearted comedy and 'comedy of errors', read this book. There's not a single book by Wodehouse that I haven't enjoyed to some extent, but the Psmith books are among my top favorites. Psmith's urbane charm and sly wit, combined with the typical miscommunication of a Wodehouse novel are perfect.

Rating:
Summary: A delight
Review: This tale of Psmith and Mike's entry into the banking world is a wonderful send-up of corporate culture (and more), circa 1900. But many of the situations are just as relevant today, and anyone who's tried to navigate the waters of a new job should enjoy (and envy?) Psmith's exploits. There are many passages that are absolutely hysterical ("...Mr. Waller was a widower, and after five minutes' acquaintance with Edward [his son], Mike felt strongly that Mrs. Waller was the lucky one.") This book doesn't quite equal "Leave It To Psmith" in terms of plotting or consistent, side-splitting humor -- but it is a very enjoyable read nevertheless.