Mike and Psmith [Paperback]

P. G. Wodehouse (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2004

In Evelyn Waugh's book _Decline and Fall_ his hero, applying for a post as a schoolmaster, is told by the agent, "We class schools in four grades -- leading school, first-rate school, good school, and school." Sedleigh in Mike and Psmith would, I suppose, come into the last-named class, though not quite as low in it as Mr. Waugh's Llanabba. It is one of those small English schools with aspirations one day to be able to put the word "public" before their name and to have their headmaster qualified to attend the annual Headmaster's Conference. All it needs is a few more Adairs to get things going. And there is this to be noted, that even at a "school" one gets an excellent education. Its only drawback is that it does not play the leading schools or the first-rate schools or even the good schools at cricket. But to Mike, fresh from Wrykyn (a "first-rate school") and Psmith, coming from Eton (a "leading school") Sedleigh naturally seemed something of a comedown. . . .

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Released as a single volume in 1909, the first two of this trio follow the misadventures of young cricket ace Mike Jackson and his chum at school. Published a little later in Wodehouse's career (1928), Money for Nothing serves up a Romeo and Juliet-like tale of the romance between the offspring of two feuding buffoons. Typical Wodehouse British farces.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 236 pages
• Publisher: Wildside Press (March 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0809589648
• ISBN-13: 978-0809589647
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,315,152 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Grounded Wodehouse, November 14, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Mike and Psmith (Paperback)

If you pick up Mike and Psmith and expect it to be like the wacky comedies that Wodehouse composed in the 20s and 30s, you might be slighted disappointed. This is early Wodehouse, a Wodehouse concerned with school masters, ragging (an expression for creating mischief) and especially cricket. It is also a more grounded Wodehouse, a novel where the comedy is more subtle, a novel where the characters are not quite so flighty. This is also Wodehouse at his least complex. This is not the novel that shows his mastery of the convulted plot, where every word spoken and deed done entagles our heros and heroines in further trouble.

This said, I need to quickly confirm that Mike and Psmith is a wonderful novel. It still has a freshness and innocence about it that is highly appealing. In this day and age, of rampant murders and unclear elections, Mike and Psmith is as sunny and cheerful a book as you are likely to find. And just to show you that I read Mike and Psmith with my eyes wide open, I have to state that my early comments are not intended as criticism but as a compliment. The subtlety is the very reason why this novel is so great! It is his art in creating a scene or a character and putting in the interesting setting of Sedleigh that Wodehouse shows why so many refer to him as the Master.

Mike and Psmith is not the funniest book Wodehouse wrote, but it does have many incredible scenes, especially Mr. Downing's search for the paint splashed shoe. I agree with the other reviewers that this is the high point of the book. I think readers will find a lot to enjoy in this novel. It is an escape to a world not that far removed for our own but placed in a time that we will never see again. This novel truly scores a century!

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very enjoyable, April 21, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Mike and Psmith (Paperback)

I have to confess that I am a Wodehouse addict. I read the predecessor to this book (Mike at Wrykyn) when I was fifteen and had always wanted to read Mike and Psmith. Re. this book, Wodehouse had me in stitches most of the time - the portions relating to Mr. Downing are hilarious. Cricket is also a focus of this novel. If you are like me and miss the game, this will bring those school time memories flooding back.

For those who haven't read a Psmith novel before, I highly recommend them. It is said that Wodehouse created the Jeeves and Wooster characters as 2 spin-offs from Psmith and you can certainly see the connections! On the whole, another Wodehouse classic.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very humorous, October 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Mike and Psmith (Paperback)

I first read this book when I was 13, and it was the third Wodehouse book I had read. Some people say Wodehouse is boring; never! Wodehouse's English is so nicely crafted, it gives his stories a vivid character. Particularly Psmith's charactre is notable, and his mannerism and ingenuity make one laugh. There are some scenes in the book that are really hilarious(to me, at least) such as where Psmith and Mike talk to the headmaster about the study and the scene with the shoes. This is a humorous romp through boarding school, and a worthwhile book to put your nose into.