The Man Upstairs and Other Stories [Paperback]

P. G. Wodehouse (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 20, 2007

There were three distinct stages in the evolution of Annette Brougham's attitude towards the knocking in the room above. In the beginning it had been merely a vague discomfort. Absorbed in the composition of her waltz, she had heard it almost subconsciously. The second stage set in when it became a physical pain like red-hot pincers wrenching her mind from her music. Finally, with a thrill in indignation, she knew it for what it was-an insult. The unseen brute disliked her playing, and was intimating his views with a boot-heel. Defiantly, with her foot on the loud pedal, she struck-almost slapped-the keys once more. 'Bang!' from the room above. 'Bang! Bang!' Annette rose. Her face was pink, her chin tilted. Her eyes sparkled with the light of battle. She left the room and started to mount the stairs.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

These short, very slight stories from early in Wodehouse's (A Gentleman of Leisure, Audio Reviews, LJ 1/95) career amount to apprentice work, really. Many of the tales deal with sweet, unusual varieties of courtship and show the flair for comic understatement that served the author so well later on in his prolific career. Characters, though, are underdeveloped, and the stories are too short to allow the sort of comically complex situations that the mature Wodehouse was able to exploit so well. A great deal of Wodehouse is available on tape, and unless a library is looking for completeness, this is an easy title to skip.?John Hiett, Iowa City P.L.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

Review

Timelessly funny. . . [Davidson] is wry, British and almost drawling, and one supposes that this is pretty much how Wodehouse himself would sound. --AudioFile --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 388 pages
• Publisher: 1st World Library - Literary Society (February 20, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1421833972
• ISBN-13: 978-1421833972
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wodehouse with his inimitable style does it again !, May 9, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Man Upstairs and Other Stories (Paperback)

Those who consider reading a welcome break from the usual rigmarole of life should read this. Those of us who are die-hard fans of Wodehouse know just how good it feels !!

3.0 out of 5 stars reminded me of O Henry, August 3, 2011

By 

M. Templeton "MJVt" (Ohio) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Man Upstairs and Other Stories (Kindle Edition)

I've read 4 or 5 stories of this collection so far. They remind me of O Henry stories with their quick "surprise" endings. They're kind of fun, but not good for reading all in a row. Definitely not on par with Wodehouse's novels. Even the writing style and language weren't what I'd expect of Wodehouse.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Wodehouse is great; Davidson does well, June 28, 2006

By 

Tigerpaws (Silver Spring, MD USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Man Upstairs and Other Stories (Audio Cassette)

This refers to the audio version. The stories are entertaining. Davidson does a good job. He is a versatile reader and always keeps your interest, although I must admit that he is not my favorite Wodehouse storyteller. To each their own - but the very best Wodehouse readers, in my opinion, are Jonathan Cecil and Martin Jarvis.