Something Fishy
by P. G. Wodehouse
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Description
While staying in suburban Valley Fields with Lord Uffenham, Keggs, Uffenham's former butler, decides to try to cash in on the "Tontine Stakes," which has a millon-dollar award in the wings, based on what Keggs knows from a conversation that he overheard during his earlier butler days.Tags
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Member Reviews
Originally published in the mid-50s as "The Butler Did It." Not the VERY best of Wodehouse, but a typically contrived romp that is fun for the sheer joy of the plot twists and language. It begins in New York on the eve before the 1929 Crash, and a clot of millionaires forming a tontine for their sons. Not a "last man living" sort of a tontine, but a more suitably Wodehousian "last idle male offspring to get married" sort. The usual array of bumbling viscounts, star-eyed lads, offensive heirs, showgirls, boxers and one brainbox of a butler (not Jeeves, this go round, but one Mr. Augustus Keggs) are on hand.
The thoroughly obnoxious art dealer Mortimer Bayliss is an added bonus.
This edition is a downsized hardback that is a part of the show more Collector's Wodehouse, reissues that are all freshly typeset and collected as one massive set. show less
The thoroughly obnoxious art dealer Mortimer Bayliss is an added bonus.
This edition is a downsized hardback that is a part of the show more Collector's Wodehouse, reissues that are all freshly typeset and collected as one massive set. show less
‘Something Fishy’ is a fun read with some excellent one-liners like only Wodehouse can concoct.
The plot’s not particularly gripping, but the characters make it an entertaining read. Lord Uffenham is my favourite. He’s an absent-minded old man with a good heart. He gets the funniest lines. The author is notably good at this type of character.
Overall, then, a dashed good read.
The plot’s not particularly gripping, but the characters make it an entertaining read. Lord Uffenham is my favourite. He’s an absent-minded old man with a good heart. He gets the funniest lines. The author is notably good at this type of character.
Overall, then, a dashed good read.
4.5*
Originally published under the title "Something Fishy", this stand-alone shows Wodehouse at his best. Hilarious!
Read in the omnibus "P.G. Wodehouse: 5 Complete Novels"
Originally published under the title "Something Fishy", this stand-alone shows Wodehouse at his best. Hilarious!
Read in the omnibus "P.G. Wodehouse: 5 Complete Novels"
Originally published under the title "Something Fishy", this stand-alone shows Wodehouse at his best. Hilarious!
Read in the omnibus "P.G. Wodehouse: 5 Complete Novels"
Read in the omnibus "P.G. Wodehouse: 5 Complete Novels"
Enjoyable romp featuring impoverished aristocrats and rich Americans.
Story of a tontine
Thought I had read a short story along similar lines
Big Ship
4 August 2018
Thought I had read a short story along similar lines
Big Ship
4 August 2018
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1950s
340 works; 22 members
Books Read in 2025
4,091 works; 97 members
Author Information
656+ Works 110,716 Members
P. G. Wodehouse was born in Guildford, United Kingdom on October 15, 1881. After completing school, he spent two years as a banker at the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank in London and then took a job as a sports reporter and columnist for the Globe newspaper. His first novel, The Pothunters, was published in 1902. He wrote over 100 novels and short show more story collections during his lifetime including A Perfect Uncle, Love Among the Chickens, The Swoop, P. Smith in the City, Meet Mr. Milliner, Doctor Sally, Quick Service, The Old Reliable, Uneasy Money, A Damsel in Distress, Jill the Reckless, The Adventures of Sally, A Pelican at Blandings, The Girl in Blue, and Aunts Aren't Gentlemen. His most famous characters, Bertie Wooster and his manservant, Jeeves, appeared in books such as Much Obliged, Jeeves. He also wrote lyrics for musical comedies and worked as screenwriter in Hollywood in the 1930s. In 1939, he bought a villa in Le Touquet on the coast of France. He remained there when World War II started in 1939. The following year, the Germans appropriated the villa, confiscated property, and arrested him. He was detained in various German camps for almost one year before being released in 1941. He went to Berlin and spoke of his experience in five radio talks to be broadcast to America and England. The talks themselves were completely innocuous, but he was charged with treason in England. He was cleared, but settled permanently in the United States. He became a citizen in 1955. He was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1975. He died from a heart attack after a long illness on February 14, 1975 at the age of 93. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Something Fishy
- Original title
- Something Fishy
- Alternate titles
- The Butler Did It
- Original publication date
- 1957
- People/Characters
- J.J. Bunyan; Mortimer Bayliss; Augustus Keggs; Jane Benedick; George, Viscount Uffenham; Roscoe Bunyan (show all 9); Stanhope Twine; Bill Hollister; Percy Pilbeam
- First words
- The dinner given by J.J. Bunyan at his New York residence on the night of September the tenth, 1929, was attended by eleven guests, most of them fat and all, except Mortimer Bayliss, millionaires.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)He slept, the good man taking his rest after a busy day.
- Disambiguation notice
- UK title 'Something Fishy', US title 'The Butler Did It'
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 292
- Popularity
- 110,176
- Reviews
- 6
- Rating
- (4.07)
- Languages
- 6 — Dutch, English, Hungarian, Italian, Norwegian (Bokmål), Swedish
- Media
- Paper
- ISBNs
- 9
- ASINs
- 6
