Love Among the Chickens [Hardcover]

P. G. Wodehouse (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2003

Long before there was Jeeves, P.G. Wodehouse wrote hilarious comic novels about upper-class British characters, including Ukridge, who never quite comes to grip with reality. Ukridge contacts his old friend, Jeremy Garnet (who has been trying to avoid him), with a smashing idea--to start a chicken farm. Just borrow some chickens, have them lay eggs, raise the chicks, and off you go. Things are going fine until Garnet sees a lovely young lady who is reading one of his novels. He is immediately smitten, and the complications begin. A terrific book from a master of British comedy. Newly designed and typeset in a modern 6-by-9-inch format by Waking Lion Press.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Anglo-American wit, short-story writer, dramatist and lyricist, educated at Dulwich College and chiefly noted as the creator of the efficient butler, Jeeves. He wrote more than 90 books and more than 20 film scripts and collaborated on more than 30 plays and musical comedies. His major works include Psmith in the City (1910), Very Good Jeeves (1930), The Butler Did It (1957), Bachelors Anonymous (1974), O, Kay (1926) and Rosalie (1928). --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From AudioFile

A word to the wise: Please listen to this book at home, while walking or lazing about on the patio or veranda. Do not listen while operating motorized equipment because you'll laugh too hard and could cause an accident. This is the book that launched a career, and it delivers on its promise. Narrator Jonathan Cecil channels the author's wit and soul in a tour de force of comic interpretation. Cecil is bursting with characters large and small, male and female, pompous and clueless, and he reads with an all-encompassing energy that is both infectious and satisfying. His elastic British accent travels in many directions and is a joy to hear. R.I.G. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 175 pages
• Publisher: North Books (January 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582872503
• ISBN-13: 978-1582872506
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,746,723 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Romantic Fun!, October 18, 2004

By 

Donald Mitchell "Jesus Loves You!" (Thanks for Providing My Reviews over 110,000 Helpful Votes Globally) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Love Among the Chickens (Paperback)

Long before there were Jeeves and Gally, P.G. Wodehouse was writing excellent comic novels about the foibles of the English upper classes. A number of these novels were built around the humorous character of Ukridge, a sort of beautiful dreamer who wanders about above the fray of dealing with reality. I recently read a fine companion book about Mr. Wodehouse's novels and realized that I had missed some fine early examples. Love Among the Chickens beckoned to me and I'm glad it did.

It can be expensive to know Ukridge. He'll invite you out to dinner, discover he has no funds, borrow the funds from you and never pay you back. Needless to say, friends try to avoid him.

Jeremy Garnet, the striving novelist, has successfully avoided his old school chum for some time when bad luck causes Ukridge to find Garnet's address. Soon, Ukridge is found barreling through the door along with the new Mrs. Ukridge to invite Garnet to the shore to co found an entrepreneurial enterprise, a chicken farm. In Ukridge's eyes, this is a made-to-order money machine. You borrow some chickens, raise some of your own, return the original chickens and your bounty expands from there. Naturally, neither Ukridge nor Garnet have the slightest knowledge or experience about raising chickens to lay eggs.

On the way to the shore, Garnet sees a lovely young woman who's reading one of his novels. He's immediately smitten, and the complications begin. Without a Jeeves to help him, things go downhill rather rapidly . . . interspaced with modest rallies.

You will enjoy some of the most humorous views of a new chicken farm that you can imagine with this book. What makes it even more delightful is that the book's dedication to Bill Townsend in 1920 (to the second edition) makes it clear that the book has nonfiction roots in the real-life adventures of Bill's friend on his Devonshire chicken farm.

Like most Wodehouse novels, little time is wasted in building humor and romantic possibilities. Enjoy!

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An early example of the author's style, December 17, 2003

By 

Paul Donovan (London, UK) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Love Among the Chickens (Hardcover)

The original version of "Love among the chickens" was substantially revised by Wodehouse at the start of the 1920s, and it is the revised volume that has finally emerged from its long period out of print. The central character of Ukridge (remarkably, married by this stage) offers Wodehouse the ideal combination of farce and dialogue that has served him so well in the past. As ever, the plot is incidental to the overall enjoyment of the book.

The fact that Wodehouse revised the work after his comic style had emerged (moving away from the schoolboy tales of his early years) does come through on occasions. Every once in a while a piece of dialogue or a phrase will jar slightly - noticeable only because of the generally smooth text surrounding it. It does not damage the enjoyment of the book, but it does remind the reader of how accomplished Wodehouse became in the post war era by highlighting the evolution of his style.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Early Wodehouse Is Silly Fun, January 11, 2007

By 

Chris Ward (Costa Rica) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Love Among the Chickens (Paperback)

Not his very best, but still very amusing. Title says all about the plot: boy meets girl among chickens, boy loses girl among chickens, boy wins girl among chickens. A quick read, under-plotted by Wodehouse's later standards.

NOTE: This, and all Wodehouse's early stuff (20 or 30 years' worth!), is available in its entirety online! For free!