Customer Reviews

How Right You Are, Jeeves

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Previous: Bertie Wooster Sees it Through (Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit)

Despite a few disappointments, this book is a wonderful read and a worthy successor to the top-notch Bertie Wooster Sees It Through. The tried and true formula is here-romantic entanglements gone awry, stolen objects, a friend in need-as is the wonderful, clever writing. While there are not as many laugh-out-loud moments as in the previous book, there are plenty (we mustn't be greedy, after all). How Right You Are, Jeeves finds us once again at Brinkley Court, that haven of rest-or, in this case, like something out of Edgar Allen Poe. Add to the usual mix a certain Bobbie Wickham, a former dreaded headmaster with a grudge, a kleptomaniac playboy who reads poetry and rescues drowning dachshunds, and the loony-doctor Sir Roderick Glossop incognito as a butler named Swordfish, and you have a tale of true genius.

The primary disappointment is the lack of Jeeves, who is only present for a very small fraction of the book, depriving us of the delightful interaction between the two principals that we have come to treasure so much. However, Bobbie Wickham's exasperating sense of humor and Bertie's new friendship with Sir Roderick make this one a pure gem. And most significantly, the writing is Wodehouse at his best-and that, after all, is what we love about him.

Next: Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves

With this play on lines from Robert Burns, Bertie Wooster, the aristocratic and and dithery protagonist of P. G. Wodehouse's "Jeeves" novels, expresses his dismay at the way matters of love and quiet country life have "ganged" since his arrival at his aunt Dahlia's country estate. Shortly after his arrival, he is surprised to read in the newspaper that Roberta "Bobby" Wickham is engaged to marry him. Bobby, upon her arrival, quickly sets him straight--she is in love with his best friend Reginald "Kipper" Herring, and because she knows her parents find Herring unsuitable, has made them believe she will marry Bertie, whom they dislike even more. She believes that their discovery of the truth will be a relief.

At the same time, Aunt Dahlia persuades Bertie to try to break up the budding romance between Phyllis Mills and the American Willie Cream, also staying at the estate. Phyllis's mother, Aunt Dahlia's friend, does not like "Broadway Willie." Tact is necessary in dealing with this matter since Willie's father is a wealthy man negotiating important business deals with others at Aunt Dahlia's country estate. Jeeves is on vacation, and Aunt Dahlia, needing a butler of her own, hires Sir Roderick Glossop, a well known psychiatrist, to act as butler, his real job being to spy, purportedly, on Willie Cream to uncover unsavory details which can be used to break up his romance with Phyllis. During Bertie's stay, a piece of valuable antique silver, a creamer in the shape of a cow, disappears--perhaps a result of Willie Cream's "kleptomania."

As always, Bertie engages in word play and puns, the coining of new words, and quotations from well known works. He sometimes massacres English words, and he delights in misquoting in foreign languages. As always, he must rely on Jeeves, called back from a fishing vacation, to rescue him from the complications which result from his meddling.

The intricacy of the plot, the overlapping relationships of the characters, the use of irony and gentle satire, and the sparkling dialogue keep the reader engaged, despite the predictable outcome of the plot. First published in 1960, this type of mannered novel is now dated, and many readers will expect more from the novel than "just" entertainment. Wodehouse, however, is as good as it gets in providing clever, light entertainment, with delightful wordplay--while poking fun at the English countryhouse life which has now largely disappeared. Mary Whipple

This is a complete Jeeves and Bertie novel. I wouldn't say it's my favorite, but, then again, who can pick a favorite?!?! If you know and love Wodehouse, buy this book. If you're looking for an entertaining read and classic British humor, buy this book. Cheerio.

Although a prolific writer, PG Wodehouse was most remembered for his characters Betram Wooster (or just Bertie), and his unflappable butler Jeeves (who seems to be a constant fountain of wisdom, and is usually extricating Bertie from the latest mess he's found himself in.

The plot is somewhat complicated to explain. When Jeeves goes on vacation, Bertie is invited to his aunt's country estate. However, he is not the only guest. One guest is pretending to be the butler, while he is actually an eminent psychiatrist who is spying incognito on another guest, Mr. Willie Cream (I'm guessing the innuendo was intentional!). Mr. Cream is paying court to another guest, whom Bertie's aunt does not wish to see married to. I could go on, but I've probably confused you enough. It's easier just to read it, as it's both brilliant and funny. Bertie finds himself being called upon to doing all manner of things, such as being a spy, trying to steal back stolen items, getting involved in a plot to win someone over by pushing them into a lake, etc, etc.

Bertie is a rather clumsy fellow, who claims to have nerves of steel, yet by dint of always helping out a friend often finds himself in impossible (yet very funny for us) situations.

The copy I had was from my local library, written in 1962, I believe, but I doubt much has changed.

The style of Wodehouse is unusual at first, often abbreviating common phrases or expressions, not to mention throwing in occasional spatterings of latin, but you get used to the abbreviations, and sometimes work out the latin. In short, it's a very unique style. Combine that with the ability to write funny, yet very convoluted plots and scenes, dialogue that will have you chuckling right along with it, and two main characters who are memorable and very complimentary, and you end up with a book that is very difficult to put down, and well worth the time to read.

I highly recommend this book.

Bertie Wooster is one of P.G. Wodehouse's greatest comic characters. He is normally balanced by the quick wit, aplomb and shimmering progress of Jeeves, his butler. But even butlers need a vacation. So Bertie bids good-bye to Jeeves for the year . . . and promptly faces all sorts of unexpected problems.

The troubles begin a most distraught telephone call to Bertie from Lady Wickham. She sobs between words as she demands to know if "this awful news is true." The awful news is in this morning's Times. When Bertie opens the Times, he finds an announcement of his engagement to Lady Wickham's daughter, Bobbie, a woman to whom he has tried to become engaged to in the past. Darned if Bertie can figure out what it's all about. Bobbie, although beautiful, is one of those women who want to improve their men, and Bertie isn't up for such improvements. The path to solving the challenge leads him to his aunt Dahlia's country home, Brinkley Court, to help her entertain Homer Cream, an American tycoon who is doing a deal with her husband, Tom, where Bobbie is also staying. Bertie's old headmaster is also in residence, which leaves Bertie quaking. But the lure of Anatole's delightful cooking draws Bertie to Brinkley.

Once there, events become ever wackier. Sir Roderick Glossop, who thinks Bertie is dotty, is posing as the butler to evaluate a fiancé.

As usual, romance, plots to gain funds, weird collections and mistaken identities quickly twist the story into unexpected complications and directions.

The pages are filled with original similes and metaphors that will delight any student of the English language. This story has great fun with the fish theme. Bertie's great friend Reginald Herring has the nickname of "Kipper." At one point, Bertie says coldly that "I have every right to goggle like a dead halibut . . . ." Elsewhere, Bobbie's motives are described as, "She wanted you to see the big fish . . . you must have been surprised to see Kipper . . . ." Cream and cream pitchers are also done well in this story.

But the best schemes of Bertie and Kipper come a cropper, and Jeeves has to be called back to make a miraculous recovery for the causes of love and the old feudal spirit.

Right ho!

Bertie Wooster is one of P.G. Wodehouse's greatest comic characters. He is normally balanced by the quick wit, aplomb and shimmering progress of Jeeves, his butler. But even butlers need a vacation. So Bertie bids good-bye to Jeeves for the year . . . and promptly faces all sorts of unexpected problems.

The troubles begin a most distraught telephone call to Bertie from Lady Wickham. She sobs between words as she demands to know if "this awful news is true." The awful news is in this morning's Times. When Bertie opens the Times, he finds an announcement of his engagement to Lady Wickham's daughter, Bobbie, a woman to whom he has tried to become engaged to in the past. Darned if Bertie can figure out what it's all about. Bobbie, although beautiful, is one of those women who want to improve their men, and Bertie isn't up for such improvements. The path to solving the challenge leads him to his aunt Dahlia's country home, Brinkley Court, to help her entertain Homer Cream, an American tycoon who is doing a deal with her husband, Tom, where Bobbie is also staying. Bertie's old headmaster is also in residence, which leaves Bertie quaking. But the lure of Anatole's delightful cooking draws Bertie to Brinkley.

Once there, events become ever wackier. Sir Roderick Glossop, who thinks Bertie is dotty, is posing as the butler to evaluate a fiancé.

As usual, romance, plots to gain funds, weird collections and mistaken identities quickly twist the story into unexpected complications and directions.

The pages are filled with original similes and metaphors that will delight any student of the English language. This story has great fun with the fish theme. Bertie's great friend Reginald Herring has the nickname of "Kipper." At one point, Bertie says coldly that "I have every right to goggle like a dead halibut . . . ." Elsewhere, Bobbie's motives are described as, "She wanted you to see the big fish . . . you must have been surprised to see Kipper . . . ." Cream and cream pitchers are also done well in this story.

But the best schemes of Bertie and Kipper come a cropper, and Jeeves has to be called back to make a miraculous recovery for the causes of love and the old feudal spirit.

Right ho!

How Right You Are, Jeeves, while not rivaling The Mating Season and Jeeves in the Morning for the distinction of being the best Bertie and Jeeves novel, is nonetheless extraordinarily funny and well-written. Wodehouse wrote this book in his very late seventies (he was seventy-nine by the time it was published), and he had already written ten Bertie and Jeeves novels. Yet there is new material here: Sir Roderick Glossop reveals hitherto-hidden aspects of his character and Bertie's former schoolmaster Aubrey Upjohn appears in person for the first time.

Wodehouse's books, however, are not appropriate subjects for this sort of detailed criticism. Suffice it to say that I roar with laughter every time I re-read How Right You Are, Jeeves. It would be impossible to improve on the plot, the characters or the language. Read and enjoy.

Perhaps I have audited too many Jeeves novels lately or more possibly even Wodehouse began to run out of steam as those novel-length tales went on and on, but I found the Audio Partners tapes of "How Right You Are, Jeeves" not quite up to the standard set by the previous releases. Not only are several of the plot twists the same--this is a given in the Jeeves saga, since the events seem to happen chronologically and there are constant references to past events in other tales--but even Bertie has a case of deja-vu during some of the repetitions. For example, the very female who had induced Bertie to burst a few hot water bottles in an earlier story is back again goading him on to other break-ins to find the very cow creamer that formed the nucleus of an earlier story. And like that. (By the way, the original title of this 1960 novel is "Jeeves in the Offing.")

Perhaps, also, my letdown was partially caused by the surprisingly straightforward reading of none other than Ian Carmichael, who actually played Bertie many decades ago on the telly. Unlike other readers of the Jeeves novels for Audio Partners, Carmichael does not assume the various voices; and a good deal of the fun is thereby diminished.

Now, please, understand that there is still a good deal of fun in this reading. I merely have to point out that the material and the reading suffer by comparison mostly and not altogether from any intrinsic defects. So let us give it 4 out of 5 stars, and still recommend it with only some reservations. There are 4 cassettes with a running time of 4 hours, 49 minutes.

Yet another chapter in the adventures of Jeeves and Wooster. I really enjoyed all the twists and turns of the plot written by Wodehouse. As an added bonus, this one was not one of the plots used in the 1980s britcom so it was a fresh experience. I enjoyed how the cow-creamer worked into the story!

I'm a big Wodehouse fan. In book form, this story is published as "Jeeves in the Offing". It's a 1954 story. If you read much Wodehouse, you know he uses a number of plot devices over and over--someone stealing something to advance/prevent love, setting up a "rescue", etc. In my opinion, all his stories could be categorized as light romantic humor, extremely well-written.

I've been listening to many different narrators of Jeeves and Wooster stories--Ian Carmichael, Jonathan Cecil, Martin Jarvis, Alexander Spencer, and Frederick Davidson. I think my favorite voice for Bertie is Ian Carmichael. I think his Bertie Wooster is spot-on! He actually played Bertie Wooster in 20 episodes of a TV series called "The World of Wooster" in the mid-'60s--a series I'd love to see if it ever makes it to DVD. Unfortunately, he only reads 3 Wodehouse books that I can find--this one, "Right Ho, Jeeves" and "Summer Lightning". (Actually, I'm not sure if "Right Ho, Jeeves" really exists by Ian Carmichael.)

Give "How Right You Are, Jeeves" a listen--and enjoy!