A Few Quick Ones [Audiobook][Unabridged] (Audio Cassette)

~ P. G. Wodehouse (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This collection, which first appeared in 1959, is essentially a grab bag: it contains a so-so Bertie and Jeeves story, some Mulliner fishing stories, a few Oldest Member golf stories, and several stories about the Drones. Wodehouse sustained an amazingly high level of comic invention throughout his long writing career, but not everything he wrote reaches his highest level. These works are examples of his middling writing-occasionally chuckle-producing but only rare uproarious moments and nothing particularly memorable. Five minutes after listening to the book, you may not remember anything in it. On the other hand, you will remember Jonathan Cecil's consistently inspired reading. A master of comic voices, Cecil is often more fun to listen to than the material itself. Not an essential addition for many libraries, but one that patrons with good ears for language should appreciate.
R. Kent Rasmussen, Thousand Oaks, CA
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"With its sumptuously bound editions, Overlook has done the master proud."-Los Angeles Times --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Chivers Audio Books; Unabridged edition (August 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0754008487
• ISBN-13: 978-0754008484
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,562,711 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

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7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fine Sampler of Favorite Characters with Unexpected Twists, December 3, 2004

By	Professor Donald Mitchell "Jesus Makes Me a P... (Boston) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)

This review is from: A Few Quick Ones (Hardcover)

In the Wodehouse novels, the plots are merely superstructure upon which to develop hilarious characters, ridiculous situations, side-splitting slapstick and delicious irony about the "upper" classes. In a short story, a Wodehouse plot plays a bigger role.

P.G. Wodehouse obviously had that point in mind when he designed and wrote the stories for A Few Quick Ones. To make the collection a treat, he has given you a sampler of his best characters. Unless you are a devoted Wodehouse reader, you probably don't know about some of these characters. I recommend that you become acquainted because you may discover many Wodehouse classics that you would otherwise have not met.

As a result, the stories will be the most fun for those who already know the stories well. Happy memories from other books and stories will help evoke chuckles where others may only grunt and smile.

But, that wasn't enough. What else could he do? Well, he could vary the way he plotted the stories so that it was less predictable what was coming next. In the process, he indulged himself in creating delicious ironies. At the same time, several of the stories contain as detailed a plot as occurs in any of his novels.

The book's opening story, The Fat of the Land, is an excellent example. Oofy Prosser, the Drone's club millionaire, is determined to win the fat uncles contest . . . and no amount of skullduggery and oiliness is too much for him. Will he succeed?

The Oldest Member stories are a treat for all those who love golf, but many people don't know the stories. Mr. Wodehouse included Scratch Man and Joy Bells for Walter which eloquently show how the divine game and love can go hand-in-hand . . . but not in the ways you expect. There can be danger, too!

The Right Approach develops a theme that Mr. Wodehouse repeats in the book; don't assume that you know what someone else is thinking. Much like Shakespeare's confused lovers, the addled male, Augustus Mulliner, finds himself faced with a horrible contretemps when he attempts to press his suit.

Jeeves Makes an Omelette is the book's only story involving the inimitable Jeeves, and Jeeves swings into action in an unmistakably effective way. The story is made more delightful by one of Aunt Dahlia's daffy schemes.

The inimitable Bingo Little also does his stuff in two stories involving his far from beautiful baby son, Algernon Aubrey Little. In both cases, Bingo's tendency to wager his last cent on a losing nag is the source of the problem. The first is The Word in Season which shows how timing can be everything. The other is Leave It to Algy where Bingo becomes a baby judge.

Big Business is one of the book's best stories. The book's theme relates to whether the male or the female of the species is the stronger and wiser.

A Tithe for Charity is a delicious bit of irony about that famously poor man, Stanley Featherstonehaugh Ukridge, in which he temporarily has some funds.

Oofy, Freddie and the Beef Trust is one of the best developed of the stories and has enough twists and turns to keep you guessing what might come next for days . . . even though you will read the story in minutes.

Unless you don't like to laugh, you should read this book!

By the way, I had to search a bit to find a copy. It was worth the tracking down I had to do.