Money for Nothing

Oh, wonder! Oh, joy! An exuberant romp through the English countryside, accompanied by highly intelligent dogs, inebriated young Cambridge boxing blues who confront burglars with quotations from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, and still other young men who argue with their Better Self and Stone Age Ancestor about the best way to win the girl.

Double-crossing criminals become double-crossees, romance is in the air, and splendidly moustachioed sergeant-majors are duped by the owners of health resorts designed to slim down gouty old gentlemen suffering from a surfeit of port and stilton. And as if all that were not enough, the vicar is inflicting musical torture on the village and the chemist’s shop is the biggest hotbed of gossip in show more three counties.

Throw some of the sharpest and funniest turns of phrase to be found anywhere in the English language, and you have what can only be described as an absolute corker of a book. In fact, I deeply resent the fact that I have to give it back to the library. show less

This is one of Wodehouse's books that I don't like very much. It has some great side characters and scenes. My favorite side character is Sergeant-Major Flannery who is a very fun stereotypical sergeant character. I listen to the version narrated by Jonathan Cecil and he does a great voice for the Flannery. There is also a fun old Butler named Sturgis, who mispronounces the word rabbit as robert. Lastly, there is dog, Emily. We get to hear the translation of what her barks mean, and Wodehouse is always good at writing animals.

But I really dislike the lead female character, who has no likable qualities, and the main male character isn't that great either. But Wodehouse's writing is always enjoyable, so I still listen to it occasionally.

John is in love with Pat. Unfortunately a certain coolness has arisen between the families after an unfortunate incident involving John's uncle Leslie, Pat's father, and an oak tree. John's cousin Hugo is hoping that inviting a rich American father and daughter to the family home might help persuade Uncle Leslie to disgorge money from Hugo's trust fund to be invested in a nightclub. As the Americans are not what they seem complications ensue for all concerned.

Not really one of the master's best, but still head and shoulders above what lesser mortals might produce.

This isn’t one of Mr Wodehouse’s finest works, but there are enough laughs to make “Money for Nothing” a worthwhile read.

Not a favorite---too much time with too many unsavory characters, who try to steal the inherited valuables in an English country house. Apparently these valuables cannot be legally sold, since they belong to the estate and not the individual who inherited them. Everything works out well for the young people who are savory. Two of them show up at Blandings Castle in other books.

A laugh a minute! A wonderful escape from the weird world of the moment. Such wonderful play of language. Thank you PG for the lift!

Forget for a moment about Barth, Sterne and Pynchon, and this would be the funniest thing since Jerome K. Jerome (some 25 years older, in my case).