Very Good, Jeeves!

There is really no one who can wash away the troubles, soothe the careworn brow--how does that go again?
--And careworn brows forget, sir.
Exactly! When my brows need forgetting. No one can soothe and forget like P.G. Wodehouse.

I was idling away the morning, doing my best to make myself scarce, what with visiting family being more than a jot tiring, when I popped into the Strand to see if they could help improve the noggin. Not to say they had fish, but they did have a rather large assortment of the printed and bound word, and tucked under a table was a stack of bargain Wodehouse. "Right-ho," I thought and before another moment passed, I had picked up a copy with the intent to seal the deal.

It's tricky to describe how pleasurable the show more Jeeves and Bertie stories by Wodehouse are. Gentle farces, almost completely lacking in anything resembling modern action or soap opera dynamics, they lull one into an idyllic pastoral setting that calms and relaxes until a snort-worthy moment slides in. Besides the convoluted plots dreamed up to reunite separated lovers, or seek revenge for a practical joke, there are the witty bon mots and references that poor Bertie almost never gets, but result in a distinct upward curve of the naso-labial fold of the discerning reader. Wodehouse is a word-smith, but not one of the overflowing adjectives and adverbs variety; rather he plays with expectations and meaning in a clever and fun way.

For those new to Wodehouse, the central premise is that Jeeves, an intelligent, discerning, "personal gentleman's gentleman," is constantly using the grey matter to pull poor Bertie out of various scrapes. Occasionally the relationship is complicated by Bertie attempting to demonstrate cultural (that vase! that painting!) and problem-solving independence (the bag of flour gag!), but we all know Jeeves will win out.

These eleven stories are no exception to Jeeves' (and Wodehouse's) genius. The usual supporting cast stops by, including Aunts Agatha and Dahlia, Miss Bobbie Wickham, Bingo, and an assortment of characters in various stages of love. Poor Bertie often finds himself in the role of matchmaker. "Jeeves and the Impending Doom" is undoubtedly one of the stars, as Bertie is dispatched to Aunt Agatha's place to make an impression, and is manipulated into helping Bingo manage his wayward ward. A swan proves to be his undoing. Then, Jeeves has his Monte Carlo vacation postponed in "Jeeves and the Yule-Tide Spirit," so that Bertie can attempt practical joke revenge on Tuppy at the same time he presses his suit with Roberta. Luckily for us all, Sir Roderick (he of the overgrown eyebrows) is also in residence. "The Love that Purifies" was one of my favorites, as the plot hedges around a contest of good behavior between two small boys and various efforts to derail them, with Aunt Dahlia's chef Anatole at stake. "Mercenary little brute!" she said. "I never saw such a sickeningly well-behaved kid in my life. It's enough to make one despair of human nature."

Heartily recommended.

Delicious samples:

"You!" said Sir Roderick finally. And in this connection I want to state that it's all rot to say you can't hiss a word that hasn't an 's' in it. The way he pushed out that 'You!' sounded like an angry cobra, and I am betraying no secrets when I say that it did me no good whatsoever.
(--from Jeeves and the Yule-Tide Spirit)

Bingo said..., "By the way, Bertie, would you like a cocktail?"
"I would."
"Well you won't get one. We don't have cocktails anymore. The girl friend said they corrode the stomachic tissues."
I was appalled. I had no idea the evil had spread so far as this.
"No cocktails!"
"No. And you'll be dashed lucky if it isn't a vegetarian dinner."
"Bingo," I cried, deeply moved. "You must act."
(--from Jeeves and the Old School Chum)

"In a matter of this kind, Jeeves, the first thing is to study--what's the word I want?
--I could not say, sir.
"Quite a common word--though long."
--Psychology, sir?
"The exact noun. It is a noun?"
--Yes, sir.
"Spoken like a man!"
(--from The Inferiority Complex of Old Sippy)

Cross posted at http://clsiewert.wordpress.com/2013/06/07/very-good-jeeves-by-p-g-wodehouse-very... show less

Very Good, Jeeves is the best of the Jeeves and Wooster short story collections - and also the last. Published in 1930 (when Wodehouse was about to turn 50), this collection represents something of a turning point. The narrative voice is more assured, the supporting characters many and varied, and the irony falls thicker and faster. They remain rich gems; only one or two are required to fill up. But there is something increasingly formulaic, so that it's not hard to see why the master decided it was time to shift his characters into novels from here on out.

(Rather than purchasing this volume, track down the omnibus The World of Jeeves which collects all the Jeeves and Wooster short stories in one.)

I love the Jeeves stories. Yes, I know that it's really the same story told over and over again in the same book and in different books and the only things that change -- occasionally -- are the character names, but still... it's funny every damn time.

And that is why, when I really need something sharp to make me chortle, I turn to Wodehouse's Jeeves. Those who do not appreciate British humor or who don't have any understanding of the old class system will probably lose patience with these books quite quickly, but for the rest of us, there is no one like Jeeves. And, of course, our ridiculous narrator, Bertie Wooster. The antics of the aforementioned individuals -- though "antic" really only describes one of them -- inform a hundred show more other novels and authors, from Evelyn Waugh to Terry Pratchett to Connie Willis. Anyone who thinks the classics are stuffy should read a good bit of Wodehouse. Recommended. show less

This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress, Blogspot & Librarything by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission

Title: Very Good, Jeeves
Series: Jeeves Omnibus #3.3
Author: P.G. Wodehouse
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Genre: Humor
Pages: 273
Format: Digital Edition

Synopsis:

Another collection of short stories about Bertie Wooster and his fish-fed super-brainy man-servant, Jeeves.

Whether it is potential marital status change for Bertie (who seems to be afraid of said status), or a friend being forced to eat nothing but vegetables because of his wife's friend, or an Aunt show more forcing Bertie to something he doesn't want to (like pay off a waitress who Bertie's Uncle George wants to marry), Bertie is always in a maelstrom of chaos. Thankfully, with Jeeves guiding the good ship Wooster, the apparently inevitable crash upon the rocks never happens and it is smooth sailing, until the next adventure.

My Thoughts:

The only complaint I have about short story collections is that it is wicked hard to synopsize each and every one. So as I've written before, and I'm sure you may have noticed, I simply don't. Of course, I also have to complain about these omnibus editions, yet again. This book was the 3rd book published by Wodehouse and yet it is the 9th book in these collections. It also has no relationship in time to the previous book or two. What phracking idiot curated these anyway? I'd like to make them walk the plank, after I've tied them to the mast and given them a taste of the cat'o'nine tails!

Staying on the nautical theme, this was a boatload of fun. Captain Wodehouse excels in navigating the reader through a funny story that has a beginning, a middle and an end all within 10-40 pages. For the most part, Wodehouse's humor tickles my fancy so even if the particulars of a story doesn't really interest me, the humorous shenanigans do and that keeps me reading. I experienced no doldrums while on this pleasure cruise and what's more, none of the offerings gave me food poisoning or led me to being sick.

Good times!

★★★★☆ show less

Now that I've read three of the Jeeves and Wooster books (technically four, but Carry On, Jeeves is actually a light revision of My Man Jeeves), and I've watched two seasons of the British period comedy, I picture the two main characters like the actors as I read. Jeeves's calmly dignified facial expressions and Wooster's wacky ones and all.

I even speak Jeeves's shorter lines aloud, with his accent.

"Very good, sir."

This was just the break I needed: some vintage chuckle-worthy to laugh-out-loud silliness.

Now, while it isn't strictly necessary, I would suggest reading The Inimitable Jeeves and Carry On, Jeeves before this book. There is a chronology to the characters' doings, and Wooster often references past events from the previous show more novels.

Even as the books in the series are called novels, though, I'd say they're collections of loosely connected short stories. So you don't even need the energy to follow a full-blown narrative through this read.

You only need to be in the mood for some hours of ludicrous capers and whatnot to refresh your brain. I'll be going on to the next in the series at another time when I'm in such a mood.

Note:
• a little slapstick violence
• language kept to a "PG" level
• a super-brief instance or two of racial stereotyping used in jest, though my contemporary American-English-speaking self wasn't completely sure in one instance, and I didn't stop to look it up
• no explicit sexual content show less

(4.5 / 5)

This was definitely one of my favorite collections of the series. Maybe the outlandish situations Bertie Wooster gets himself into should be getting stale, but I'm only enjoying them more as I go. Maybe because I'm starting to get into the overall feel of the stories more? There were several moments that made me laugh out loud or at least smile; I regret that I was listening to the audiobook and couldn't make note of them at the time. Bertie fooling himself into thinking Jeeves doesn't always get his own way, though, is one such moment. I only wish I could have continued to listen to Kevin Theis, but apparently he only narrated 4 of the books. Though I still like Theis more, Jonathan Cecil was good too, excepting for the show more strange speech impediment he gave to Bingo Little. I can say with certainty at this point that I will listen to these audiobooks again someday. show less

Another outstanding Wodehouse collection in which Jeeves suavely saves his hapless gentleman, Bertie Wooster, from such varied horrors as Aunts (always a menace. Even the good sort.), a mischevious red headed vixen, the duplicitious Tuppy, a Mooning Sippy, starvation for the physical betterment of Bingo Little, geese and, of course, the vague, but ever-present threats of marriage (Bertie's own person, as well as the Aunt-inspired halting of an inappropriate marriage of his titled Uncle, George.)