Much Obliged, Jeeves [Hardcover]

P.G. Wodehouse (Author), The Overlook Press (Author)

Book Description

Series: Collector's Wodehouse | Publication Date: April 12, 2004

Spring brings four more antic novels by P. G. Wodehouse. In Quick Service a complicated chain of events is set into motion after Mrs. Chavender takes a bite of breakfast ham, and readers are reminded that disaster can be averted if you Ring for Jeeves. Bertie Wooster avoids Madeleine Bassett in Much Obliged, Jeeves, at Blandings Castle, in Uncle Fred in the pringtime, Uncle Fred is asked to foil a plot to steal a prize pig.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“The very definition of British humor... in suave hardcover volumes, the dust jackets as natty as the prose.” (Entertainment Weekly)

About the Author

P. G. Wodehouse (1881–1975) was born in Surrey, educated in London, and spent much of his life in Southampton, Long Island, becoming an American citizen in 1955. In a literary career spanning more than seventy years, he published more than ninety books, twenty film scripts, and collaborated on more than thirty plays and musical comedies.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Overlook Hardcover (April 12, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1585675261
• ISBN-13: 978-1585675265
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #758,349 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Fun in the Master's Inimitable Style, July 14, 2006

By 

James Skrydlak "mostlymozart" (Pella, Iowa) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Much Obliged, Jeeves (Hardcover)

P.G. Wodehouse was ninety years old when he published this, the second-to-last of the Bertie and Jeeves novels. Despite Wodehouse's advanced age, he managed to fill this book, also published as Jeeves and the Tie That Binds, with the sparkle and fun that characterizes all the Bertie and Jeeves novels.

There is, of course, the usual cast. In addition to Bertie and Jeeves, Aunt Dahlia is present, as is her husband, Thomas Portarlington Travers. In addition, Roderick Spode (who is now Lord Sidcup), Madeline Bassett, Florence Craye, and Bingley, who filled in for Jeeves for a short time, join us from previous novels. A Bertie and Jeeves novel wouldn't be complete, of course, without an old school chum; in this case, it is Harold "Ginger" Winship, who is standing for the seat in the House of Commons for Market Snodsbury. Add in L.P. Runkle, Magnolia Glendennon, and Bertie's marvelous narration, and you have all the ingredients for a great Wodehouse farce, as Bertie preserves his bachelorhood and all else turns out for the best.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great read!, June 1, 2006

By 

Sandra L. Patino (Buda, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Much Obliged, Jeeves (Hardcover)

Much Obliged, Jeeves was the second Wodehouse book I read. While I enjoyed the almost short story styling of The Inimitable Jeeves, I thoroughly enjoyed the cohesiveness of Much Obliged. Much Obliged starts with Bertie being invited to visit his Aunt Dahlia in Market Snodsbury. An old pal of Bertie's by the name of Harold "Ginger" Winship is a candidate for Parliament in the Snodsbury election. By this time, even a relatively new fan of Wodehouse, such as I am, can tell that trouble is brewing on the horizon. Enter Jeeves and the Junior Ganymede club book. The Junior Ganymede is a club of butlers; each member is obliged to write about his employer in the club book. This is done so that anyone seeking employment with a gentleman may look him up in the club book and, thus, know what they're in for. Of course, Bertie has an unusually large section in the club book. However, much to Bertie's surprise, Ginger also has quite a few damning pages in the club book as well. When the club book is stolen by a unethical, as well as repulsive, character by the name of Bingley, Ginger's chance of winning the Snodsbury election becomes uncertain and the hilarity begins. Again, another great book that leaves the reader shouting, "Good show!"

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Light But Entertaining Read, January 2, 2008

By 

J. E. Robinson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Much Obliged, Jeeves (Hardcover)

Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse (1881 to 1975) was a talented and prolific British comic writer of novels, short stories, plays, and musical comedies. He wrote 96 books, too many for most of us even to attempt to read from one author.

The Jeeves and Wooster stories are among his most popular works. They are light reading and are purely fictional comedy - based on life in Britain around or before the WWI era. There are approximately 18 books in the Jeeves series plus some short stories. All the stories are narrated by the "the wealthy, scatterbrained" Bertie Wooster and feature his butler Jeeves as a steadying force.

As pointed out by many others, "the plots are on the surface formulaic," but Wodehouse's genius lies in the ability to create a complicated web of characters and sub-plots that somehow have a happy ending. The plots often involve women, politics, and gambling. In many cases, a relative or a friend will create a situation which is inevitably solved through some unlikely and humorous set of events.

Jeeves, the butler or valet, is the most intelligent character in the stories with a superior education and intellect, far ahead of Bertie and most of the others. He seems to be everywhere anticipating problems and providing solutions. These stories are referred to as the "Jeeves" works. Wodehouse has suggested that Jeeves was not completely fictional but was based on an actual butler called Eugene Robinson, who he employed for the purpose of study. According to the author, he extricated Wodehouse from a real-life predicament.

In general, the books feature a humorous cast of characters with names that remind one of Dickens, such as Tuppy Glossop, Augustus (Gussie) Fink-Nottle, Bingo Little, Rev. Harold P. "Stinker" Pinker, Curate of Totleigh-in-the-Wold who plays rugby football, Freddie Widgeon, Harold Winship, who stands for parliament as the Conservative candidate in Market Snodsbury, Beefy Bingham, Parson in the East End, etc.

This is a quick light read of a few hundred pages. I thought it was very entertaining and had many twists and turns - as Bertie extricates himself from a potentially bad marriage engagement.