Another strong entry in the Canon, featuring Wooster at his most gallant. I intend to adopt 'pipertino' as a term of art.

To F.B.O.
Stark winds
And sunset over the moors
Why?
Whither?
Whence>
And the sound of distant drums ( )

Anyone the slightest bit familiar with Wodehouse knows that his brand of humor is simply inimitable. What I am learning as I read more of his works is that it is relentless. From the very first page of this book, Wodehouse had me in stitches. And the first page was just the beginning of the dedication! (You really must read this dedication. It articulates the funny side of dedications in a way you've probably never imagined before — and it was even funnier to me because I've recently finished Shakespeare's sonnets, which were prefaced with the kind of dedication that a fellow would use who was expecting to really "clean up." LOL!)

In this story, Bertie Wooster is again in danger of leading his cousin Lady Florence to the altar... again he is mistaken for a thief, all in the service of an aunt... and again he dares to trifle with Jeeves' good taste when he tries to grow a moustache. That moustache had me rolling. Everyone who saw it (with one important exception) said that it was an offense against God and man, that they had never seen anything so obscene outside of a nightmare, it was horribly frightful, etc. Through it all Bertie preserves his unshaken belief that it really was rather becoming to him, don't you know. Imperturbably hilarious!

Much of Wodehouse's humor lies in Bertie's narration. Cheesewright calls him a nasty name, and Bertie says something like, "Now I'm a rather astute chap, and words of this kind really seemed to me to be the opposite of undying friendship. To ascertain the truth of this assumption, I ventured what might be called a very skillful riposte, in the words: 'Oh, you think that of me, do you?' " I think this kind of humor works because we recognize that happy self-delusion in ourselves at times.

I was laughing aloud throughout this book, and I think it's true what one critic says, that it's impossible to be unhappy when reading Wodehouse. His delightfully clueless characters and brilliant British humor just don't get old. In the end, after several madcap reversals and very near escapes, all is settled satisfactorily and Bertie even shaves his moustache, after sober consideration of the havoc it has wreaked. I am sure Jeeves was unutterably relieved — and so are we the readers, who have been trying this whole time to imagine a moustache that would provoke such strong language as Bertie's did. Highly recommended! ( )

Very good, but reminded me too much of the plot of [Right Ho, Jeeves] which I read before this one. Of course, Wodehouse's imagery and style remain brilliant. My favourite sentence in the 'Feudal Spirit' may be short but you can picture the scene perfectly: 'He waved a concerned cigar.' ( )

http://www.lonelymountain.net/books/a... ( )

I love Wodehouse. This one features Stilton Cheesewright, Florence Cray, Aunt Dahlia, The Trotters, a cosh, a fake pearl necklace and Milady's Boudoir. A classic Jeeves and Wooster tale with all of Wodehouse's wonderful wordplay. Wodehouse must have been a very clever and well read man, to mangle Latin tags and allusions to the classics quite like Wooster does, means the author knowing them all in the first place. ( )