Customer Reviews

The Gold Bat

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

These are good stories, and they give an idea of how Wodehouse became popular. He was quite young himself when he wrote them, and they give the right sense of importance which young men would still give to school houses, games, popularity, etc.

Flashes of his great humor and invention appear here and there. It is worth reading if you love Wodehouse.

But for others, it may not be the best choice. There are descriptions of the games and such which will lose most of us. There are some decidedly out-dated expressions and attitudes. And the stories are seldom as witty or delightful as more mature work the author produced later.

The collection is probably more like 3.5 stars for fans. Don't give it to those you want snared by Wodehouse, though, or you may lose them forever.

P.S. I think J.K. Rolling probably owes his estate a few royalty checks!

This is another of Wodehouse's early school stories, with a weak, coincidence-driven plot. It's his fourth book; the characterization and plot are a little less weak than in the preceding three, but it's still for Wodehouse completists only. The style is vaguely amusing, but with almost nothing of his later genius.

This isn't the reason Wodehouse is still so popular, but it's an improvement on the earlier school stories. I probably enjoyed the boys' own adventures solving the crime and defeating the baddies as much as Wodehouse's distinctive expression. This isn't saying that the adventures are superb, rather that the expression (with occasional lovely exceptions) isn't yet as his superlative peak. I dare say this was perfectly pitched at the young contemporary audience he wrote it for.