Pure comic relief - a 'class' of its own

At a time when many are re thinking cultural and class understandings, I turned to the escapist snobbery of Wooster's world for brilliantly constructed wit and frolics. Jarvis readings are brilliant.

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Excellent in every way!

Beautiful narration and a wonderful story set in the 1930's.
If you like Jeeves and Wooster then this is a must.

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The Totleigh Towers Horror...

Sir Watkyn Bassett's country seat at Totleigh Towers is probably the last place in the world Bertie Wooster would choose to visit. In his role as magistrate, Sir Watkyn once fined Bertie five pounds for the crime of stealing a policeman's helmet. Unfortunately Sir Watkyn has forgotten the details of the crime, and thinks Bertie is a habitual criminal whom he sent to jail. But when Bertie receives an anguished plea from his old pal Gussie Finknottle, he is horrified to learn that Madeline has broken off her engagement to the aforesaid newt-fancying Gussie. Madeline, regular readers will know, thinks Bertie loves her and is quite likely to decide to marry him unless he can find a way to patch things up between the sundered lovers. Add to this the fact that Aunt Dahlia wants him to steal a silver cow-creamer from Sir Watkyn, and it seems fate has decided that Bertie must enter the lion's den. Fortunately Jeeves will be by his side...

This is one of the best of the Jeeves and Wooster books, filled with all the regulars and a plot that gets ever more convoluted until Jeeves manages to sort everything out for the young master in the end. Madeline is as soupy as ever, still thinking that each time a bunny rabbit sneezes a wee star is born. One can quite understand Bertie's reluctance to enter into the blessed state of matrimony with her. Gussie is as hopeless as ever – not only has he managed to offend Madeline, but he's lost a notebook in which he has carefully jotted down some stinging insults about his host and Roderick Spode, a man whom it's unwise to annoy unless one likes having one's spine tied in a knot. In the interval since we last saw him, Spode has become an aspiring dictator. His followers wear black shorts – unfortunately other dictators had already used black and brown shirts, so his choices were somewhat limited. And to top it all off, Stiffy Byng wants Bertie to steal another policeman's helmet! Dark days, indeed!

The plots are only part of what makes Wodehouse so wonderful though – and he does have a tendency to recycle the main points, like the Gussie-Madeline break-up. It's the humour and general silliness of it all that makes them such a joy to read, combined with the certain knowledge that everything will be all right in the end, thanks to Jeeves. And most of all, it's the wonderful use of language...

“The trouble with you, Spode, is that just because you have succeeded in inducing a handful of half-wits to disfigure the London scene by going about in black shorts, you think you're someone. You hear them shouting "Heil, Spode!" and you imagine it is the Voice of the People. That is where you make your bloomer. What the Voice of the People is saying is: "Look at that frightful ass Spode swanking about in footer bags! Did you ever in your puff see such a perfect perisher?”

I listened to the audiobook this time, narrated by Martin Jarvis. He does a great job, giving each person a distinctive voice well suited to his or her character. His Madeline in particular had me in hoots. It occurred to me that men “doing” Wodehouse women actually works rather better than when women act them, because they're written very much from Bertie's perspective and he's baffled by them on the whole. A woman acting Madeline is never as funny as Bertie's descriptions of her. I usually look out for Jonathan Cecil's narrations of the Jeeves books, but Jarvis was just as good once I got used to his different style.

Altogether, great fun! You either 'get' Wodehouse's humour or you don't, and for those of us who do, there's no greater pleasure than a visit to his world. I hope you're one of the lucky ones too...

“There are moments, Jeeves, when one asks oneself, 'Do trousers matter?'"
"The mood will pass, sir.”

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5 people found this helpful

Rarely

Do I bother to write reviews? I should think not, one has many better things to do on an sunny morning. However, when Martin Jarvis has entertained us so well, keeping the family largely at bay, with such a drole story, I feel duty bound to put ginger to keyboard, risking YouTube distractions and Amazon adverts, to let others know; this is highly recommended.

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1 person found this helpful

Writing and voice work

Hilarious writing and delivery. Martin Jarvis is almost flawless. Probably my favourite Wodehouse book. 10/10.

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pass me the dictionary

considering who it's written by I guess I should have expected it. but there are some complicated words in here. some of the time I'm not understanding the words given. which slightly detracts from the story.. the performance is second to none brilliantly read.. overall very good.

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The best Jeeves and Wooster book

They’re all great fun, but this is the classic, in my opinion. It’s absolutely hilarious, and it’s made even better by Martin Jarvis. I find it difficult to hear anyone else’s Bertie Wooster. I’ll revisit this one plenty of times, I’m sure.

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I love PG Wodehouse

I laugh along with the funny lines he delivers, enjoyed this book as much as any of the others but I discovered these books recently and my first few were read by Jonathan Cecil and no one else comes close to him. Jarvis does a good job but he's not a patch on Cecil.

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3 people found this helpful

brilliant

lots of fun, great narration. a very entertaining story. Nice to be in the company of the likeable Bertie Wooster for 6 hours or so

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A Great Story

Great story and great reading. Plenty of times I would burst into laughter when walking or on public transport. Once again Wodehouse writes it and Jarvis brings it to life, a bit more life as it's alive anyway. Sunlight perfection is a term I completely agree with.

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