Rating: 
Summary: Just Pretend the Third Part's Not There
Review: As the title indicates, this volume is three books in one. "The Inimitable Jeeves" is a collection of episodes, chronologically arranged, each episode taking about 1-3 chapters. In "Very Good, Jeeves!" the episodes are shorter, about a chapter each. "Right Ho, Jeeves" is one long story.Each episode follows the dependable formula of Bertie Wooster falling -- or being pushed -- into trouble and climbing out with advice or more direct help from Jeeves. Wooster's troubles are seldom simple; they usually involve many layers of complication and seem hopeless, while the Jeevesian solutions elegantly peel away the difficulties and make things right. Wodehouse's characters (all, not just these two) are wonderfully drawn, and the hilarity is frequent and intense. "Right Ho, Jeeves," however, is different. The solutions are less elegant, Wooster and Jeeves seem a bit mean-spirited and the language and plotting seem forced. I strongly recommend you read the first two books, chapters in the second of which can easily be taken out of order if desired, and ignore the third. "The Inimitable Jeeves" and "Very Good, Jeeves!" are so wonderful and occasioned so many episodes of embarrassing public laughter or suppression of same that I have had to give the book top marks anyway. By the way, as I'm not sure what effect my having seen the PBS "Jeeves and Wooster" productions had on my reading of the books, if you haven't seen these you might want to rent a tape before or during your first exposure to the stories in print. The stories can certainly stand alone, but as the settings are so bygone-days and Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry are so perfect in their roles, the video experience could make the imagery even more effective. Wooster's verbal shuffling and conversational mode are unusual outside England of the '20s and '30s, so a cold reading might be a little difficult to "hear" correctly; an hour with a video could make it all go down more easily. And ease of reception, after all, is necessary for humor to do its best.
Rating:
Summary: Absolute hilarity at its posh hob nob brit best.
Review: Enjoyable from start to finish. Highly recommended for those who enjoy the best of high (or medium) brow Brit humor. A lifestyle to aspire to.........
Rating:
Summary: A bracing tonic for daily existence
Review: I've been reading (and re-reading) Wodehouse for over 15 years now. I can't stay away for long. It seems no matter how often I read a Bertie and Jeeves, or a Blanding's Castle story, it is somehow fresh and pleasing. Scenes, lines, and even single words ("incredulous") keep popping unexpectedly into my mind and making me laugh out loud. If you have read him, read more! If you haven't, then for Heaven's sake start now and start often!!
Rating: 
Summary: Wodehouse is great - this particular package is ok
Review: If you step back and analyse the Jeeves stories you will find the story lines are shallow and often repeat in thinly disguised ways. The characters are two dimensional and heavily stereotypical.
The solution is ... don't step back. Wodehouse is brilliant on a line by line basis. Each word is chosen, each sentence crafted to draw you into the humour of the situation. I have often dropped the book as I rolled off the couch with tears streaming down my face.
If you are a well spoken Englishman, or can read as a wellspoken Englishman and have a dry sense of humour you will love Wodehouse. Some Americans I have tried Wodehouse on have struggled.
This particular book is not on particularly good paper and the collection of stories is fragmented, if you go onto other Wooster books you will find there are stories 'missed out in the middle' of this compilation.
But if you have never read Wodehouse, this is a good starter.
Rating:
Summary: The Classic Jeeves Short Stories
Review: It's enough that this collection has three masterpiece stories: "The Great Sermon Handicap," its pendant "The Purity of the Turf," and "Jeeves and the Impending Doom." Savor them, and, in between, enjoy the loves of Bingo Little and Tuppy Glossop ("Jeeves and the Song of Songs" is perhaps the best) and the irrepressible Roberta "Bobbie" Wickham ("Jeeves and the Yule-tide Spirit"). And the aunts, of course. Wodehouse knew aunts.
Wodehouse himself characterized his stories as "a sort of musical comedy without music." But they were a musical comedy of a time--"The Cocoanuts," perhaps, but not "Brigadoon." As the stories and novels slid out of the Twenties and toward the Fifties, the innocence slipped a bit away. But the stories in this collection are vintage: "Jeeves and the Impending Doom" was published first in 1927, and the collection "Very Good, Jeeves" came out about 1930.
Another way to look at the Jeeves stories is as whodunits or, rather, howhedunits: How will Jeeves save the day THIS time? But if that were why we read them, we'd read them once, and maybe again years later, when memory has faded. No, when it comes to reprise, better to open the volume at random and pick up where the language beckons. Because Wodehouse is a wit and a stylist of the first order. Bertie's characterization of Honoria Glossop--"a ghastly dynamic exhibit who read Nietzsche and had a laugh like waves breaking on a stern and rockbound coast"--makes her more than just another of the horsey set: it conveys the horror that one might have if one (1) is a young man of little brain and good heart and (2) had once been engaged to her.
In all, a treasury, a word-hoard, a gift that keeps on giving . . .
Rating:
Summary: The Classic Jeeves Short Stories
Review: It's enough that this collection has three masterpiece stories: "The Great Sermon Handicap," its pendant "The Purity of the Turf," and "Jeeves and the Impending Doom." Savor them, and, in between, enjoy the loves of Bingo Little and Tuppy Glossop ("Jeeves and the Song of Songs" is perhaps the best) and the irrepressible Roberta "Bobbie" Wickham ("Jeeves and the Yule-tide Spirit"). And the aunts, of course. Wodehouse knew aunts.
Wodehouse himself characterized his stories as "a sort of musical comedy without music." But they were a musical comedy of a time--"The Cocoanuts," perhaps, but not "Brigadoon." As the stories and novels slid out of the Twenties and toward the Fifties, the innocence slipped a bit away. But the stories in this collection are vintage: "Jeeves and the Impending Doom" was published first in 1927, and the collection "Very Good, Jeeves" came out about 1930.
Another way to look at the Jeeves stories is as whodunits or, rather, howhedunits: How will Jeeves save the day THIS time? But if that were why we read them, we'd read them once, and maybe again years later, when memory has faded. No, when it comes to reprise, better to open the volume at random and pick up where the language beckons. Because Wodehouse is a wit and a stylist of the first order. Bertie's characterization of Honoria Glossop--"a ghastly dynamic exhibit who read Nietzsche and had a laugh like waves breaking on a stern and rockbound coast"--makes her more than just another of the horsey set: it conveys the horror that one might have if one (1) is a young man of little brain and good heart and (2) had once been engaged to her.
In all, a treasury, a word-hoard, a gift that keeps on giving . . .
Rating:
Summary: I say! Topping fun, what?
Review: Jeeves helps save Bertie (rich but brainless) Wooster from himself in a host of scrapes and jams. Excellent entertainment and a good insight into life in England in the 20s. Well, pip pip, as Bertie would say
Rating:
Summary: The Inimitable Wodehouse
Review: No one writes humor better than P.G.; if you haven't read Wodehouse, you haven't lived a rich enough life, and you should correct your error immediately!!
Rating:
Summary: Wodehouse, Master of the English Language!
Review: P.G. Wodehouse is one of my favorite writers. "Life with Jeeves" is the first Wodehouse book I ever read. Actually there are three books in this one. It's excellent, I read it about a year ago, and have been a fan of Wodehouse ever since. I highly recommend it!
Rating:
Summary: A Joyous Romp Through the English Language
Review: P.G. Wodehouse is truly a master of the English language. He has a unique ability to have you rolling on the floor with laughter w/ descriptions of even mundane daily activites. His genius lies in his choice of words and ability to make the words flow together. I have never encountered another author that can make me laugh out loud w/ every single page I read. I have read 10 of his novels, 2 books of short stories, and the newly published omnibus, "What Ho!". BTW - this omnibus volume is a great first Wodehouse purchase if you're a bit overwhelmed by the number of his publications; it combines all the best of Wodehouse.
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