Rating: 4/5 (read 5/5 if you’re a huge Wodehouse fan)
Genre: (English) Humour
Its Actually Wodehouse Who Is Inimitable
I used to read Wodehouse in school/college, read lots of them. And I always used to end up wishing some distant and extremely rich Uncle or Aunt would grow extremely fond of me and leave shit loads of inheritance in my name. Then my life would also be a breeze like most of the characters in a Wodehouse book.
Take Bertie Wooster, for instance, never lifts a finger for any work, doesn’t have to worry about getting a job, shoots off to distant lands for a break (from God knows what) at the drop of a hat….and what not! The list is endless, as is the money in his pockets!
In this book Jeeves solves one problem after the other in a sort of mini TV series. Some of the issues are unbelievably silly, like a bet on the length of a church sermon, for which Wooster actually leaves all his ‘important’ work and rushes off to participate in. I can’t believe people had so much time on hand those days. Bingo, the hopeless romantic actually makes Wooster look useful. The twist towards the end was pretty good though, wasn’t expecting that. But the hero, of course, is Jeeves. Despite the fact that he is always in the background, doing his good deeds in the shadows of his master’s life.
A Wodehouse is one of the few books you can write a review on even before finishing it. They are all pretty much the same. Similar plots, language, humour, characters, etc. The storyline is as simplistic as can be, and if there are any complications, well that’s what Jeeves is there for anyway, trust him to set things right in a jiffy.
I absolutely love the language. The English sure speak funny English. I lived in London for around seven years but was obviously in the wrong neighbourhood. I never heard people say things like: pip-pip, good egg, shindy, chappies or bally old hen! I did hear ‘dash him’ though.
Although I did enjoy the book, in more of a remembrance kind of way, it didn’t give me the jollies as it used to 20 years ago. Guess I’ve grown up. It might also be that I prefer the Empress of Blandings over the inimitable Jeeves somehow.
Check out a very interesting website for more information on PG Wodehouse. Cheerio then!
The Book Platter 