Psmith in the City [Paperback]

P.G. Wodehouse (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 4, 1994

Wodehouse's heroes, Psmith and Mike, are sent by their fathers to work for a bank in London, but the bank's ponderous ritual is no match for Psmith's flippant irresponsibility. Psmith expects the financiers to join in with his light-hearted attitute toward life--at least until Mike and he stop working for them.

Editorial Reviews

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. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From AudioFile

Jonathan Cecil doesn't sound as young Psmith might, but rather like the aging, humorous and sly narrator who seems to lie behind every P.G. Wodehouse novel, no matter at what stage of the master's career it was written. This one was early, and the humor is more refrained than in, for example, the later Jeeves and Bertie masterpieces. Psmith ambles through employment at a bank (as Wodehouse himself did as a young man), helping his friend Mike out of one difficulty after another. Cecil is one of Wodehouse's better readers, handling both women and men with British aplomb. D.W. (c) AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (January 4, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 014003207X
• ISBN-13: 978-0140032079
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 4.9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,065,246 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A transition book, December 22, 2003

By 

Paul Donovan (London, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Psmith in the City (Hardcover)

"Psmith in the City" marks something of a transition piece for Wodehouse. Here, two of his principle "School" characters are taken away from the school environment and put into the real world. Psmith is elevated to the principle character quite clearly - a trend which continues in "Psmith, journalist", and of course is entirely dominant in the concluding "Leave it to Psmith", where Mike is relegated to the background.

There is also an element of the autobiographical in this work, for Wodehouse spent his post school days in much the same position as Mike finds himself - working in a city job for which he had little aptitude and did not like. Dulwich College, Wodehouse's school, also makes a cameo appearance.

The character of Psmith (based on a real person, unusually for Wodehouse) lends himself well to Wodehouse's skill at dialogue. Psmith's unique character traits are generally revealed in his conversation, and Wodehouse makes the most of this - certainly more than he was able to in the earlier school settings for Mike and Psmith. The dialogue does not, perhaps, soar to the heights it achieves in "Leave it to Psmith", but this is a distinctly earlier piece of writing. Indeed, the reader is occasionally brought up with a jolt to just how early in the twentieth century this is, with some of the settings and phrasings.

Overall this is a very enjoyable book, and interesting because of the transition role it plays in shifting from the more serious "School" series to the more frivolous work for which Wodehouse is more remembered. The autobiographical aspect is also of interest, and though the historical reminders may shock a little, they are a reminder of how long Wodehouse was writing.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An early gem from Wodehouse, May 26, 2000

By 

Robert Kennedy "robkennedy" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Psmith in the City (Paperback)

This tale of Psmith and Mike's entry into the banking world is a wonderful send-up of corporate culture (and more), circa 1900. But many of the situations are just as relevant today, and anyone who's tried to navigate the waters of a new job should enjoy (and envy?) Psmith's exploits. There are many passages that are absolutely hysterical ("...Mr. Waller was a widower, and after five minutes' acquaintance with Edward [his son], Mike felt strongly that Mrs. Waller was the lucky one.") This book doesn't quite equal "Leave It To Psmith" in terms of plotting or consistent, side-splitting humor -- but it is a very enjoyable read nevertheless.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious early Wodehouse novel, September 24, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Psmith in the City (Paperback)

Unable to afford Oxford, the young Wodehouse went to work at the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank, and this provided the background for this novel. At one point during his tenure there he opened a new ledger and began filling it with a story about an imaginary celebration over the wonderful event of opening a new ledger. When his superiors became aware of this misuse of Bank's office supplies, they were not at all pleased. In fact they went so far as to tell him that if ever there was a Bank Clerk Of The Year contest, he shouldn't bother to enter it.

And that's the tone of this book, almost from the moment Psmith arrives for work at the bank until he leaves it for the last time. When writing this early novel, Wodehouse was not yet the master of plot structure he would eventually become, so the ending is weak. But the situations and dialog presented throughout are first rate humor. Anyone who can read it and not gurgle with laughter probably just lost their dog, or has been watching Lassie re-runs.