Thank You, Jeeves

I had never read any P G Wodehouse before, but this will not be my last, and it was a very enjoyable light-hearted read, a bit of a relief from grimmer reading matter (though with some of the outdated racial attitudes of the time, albeit not maliciously intended). This was the author's first full length Jeeves novel, published in 1934, though Jeeves himself is absent from large parts of it, having left his master Bertie Wooster's service as he cannot stand the latter's playing on his newly acquired banjolele (a cross between a banjo and a ukelele). The story is very funny, of course, and much of the dialogue hilarious and mannered; I remember seeing the TV adaptation featuring Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry in the 1990s, and Fry was the show more perfect Jeeves with his deadpan dry wit. Good stuff, though perhaps slightly long-winded in places. show less

Bertram Wooster has a problem. His neighbors are complaining about his banjolele playing. The building manager has given him an ultimatum: stop playing the thing or move elsewhere. And, naturally, being the man he is, he won't give up the instrument for anything. Not even when his trusty valet Jeeves proclaims that he will quit if forced to bear the music within the confines of the small country cottage Wooster proposes to move to. Take the cottage Wooster does, moving onto land owned by an old school friend, but when that friend falls in love with the daughter of a rich American man who tries to confine said daughter to his yacht, fearing that she's going to attempt to run off with Wooster, everyone falls into a tangle. Will Wooster be show more able to extricate himself and play successful matchmaker for the two lovebirds? Or will it all descend into chaos?

Originally written in the 1930's, this is a book that shows its age. In terms of the writing itself, you'll find a casual style with a lot of British-isms, many of which I didn't recognize, but in all cases I was able to rely on context clues to understand without much difficulty.

Apart from that, the simple style makes for a quick and easy read. This isn't a book that forces you to read slowly and thoughtfully as it presents depth of emotion or of thought. Instead, it focuses entirely on humor. The cleverness is in its humor. The most important feature of the writing is its comedic timing. And in this way, the book certainly excels.

But unfortunately, the slang terms and the lack of modern technology are not the only things that show this book was written in the early 1900's. And nothing quite kills a good laugh like racial slurs and blackface. There are other points as well, like sexism and some problematic attitudes regarding mental health, but the racism really takes the cake. And sticks around a good long while, banishing all hope that it might at least be over quickly.

It's really a shame, since I picked this up hoping for a good laugh and a lightened mood. It had everything else going for it. The situations created a compelling plot without ever being so serious that I worried for the characters instead of being able to laugh at their predicaments. The narrator was likeable and just the right degree of ridiculous. Several of the jokes were clever and not ones that I'd ever heard before. If only society hadn't possessed so many horrendous attitudes during the time that it was written, it might have really been something.

So should you read it? Maybe if you want to study it, for the sake of cultural relevance, for the sake of learning how to write in a similar comedic style. But if you're looking for a humorous book to enjoy, I'm sure you can find better options. Or at least options without these drawbacks. At the very least, you might try a different one of the stories featuring these characters, as I've heard they're not all quite so bad. I picked this one because of its appearance on the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list, but since reading it I'm forced to wonder if it was chosen over others in the series simply due to its length (word count high enough to count as a "real" book) rather than its comparative quality. Maybe someday I'll pick up another one and find out, but I must admit this book hasn't made me immediately eager to do so. show less

Wodehouse can't really write a bad book, but the casual racism as a fundamental plot point left a sour taste in my mouth. Not that the English aristocracy WASN'T built on casual racism, but still, like cheese or a tennis backhand, Wodehouse's novels improved with time.

That being said, this book is still wacky, hilarious, tightly-plotted, and dripping with bons mots. Like the "My Old Kentucky Home" episode of Mad Men, treat the blackface as the viewers today do . . . with discomfort and concern, rather than laughter (although, to pretend that our generation is necessarily more enlightened when it comes to race/class relations could show a distinct lack of humility).

Bertie's off-and-on engagement reminded me of the goings-on at BYU, show more that's for sure! show less

"I mean, if you're asking a fellow to come out of a room so that you can dismember him with a carving knife, it's absurd to tack a 'sir' on to every sentence. The two things don't do together."

Bertie Wooster has taken up a musical instrument, the banjolele but when his playing sparks complaints from his London neighbours rather than countenance abandoning his art Bertie decides to move to the country where there are fewer people to annoy. When it becomes clear that Bertie will continue to make his music within the confines of a small cottage, his man-servant, Jeeves, offers his resignation rather than accompany him. Undeterred, Bertie pursues his plan anyway.

The cottage is rented from his old school friend, Lord Chuffnell, who resides show more in a stately pile nearby. On hearing that Jeeves has left Bertie's service, Chuffy hires him for himself.

On arrival at Chuffnell Regis Bertie discovers that Chuffy has fallen madly in love with an American heiress, Pauline Stoker, who was once engaged to Bertie until her father put a swift end to their planned nuptials after hearing tales of Bertie’s madcap exploits from Bertie's old nemesis Sir Roderick Glossop. What is more all of these characters are now residing nearby.

Throw into the mix a pair of over-zealous policemen, two young boys who could only be loved by their mothers and you get the usual mixture of farce and misplaced good intentions. Throughout it all Jeeves remains calm and only he can ultimately save the day.

Now I should point out that this book was written in the 1930's and as such does contain numerous racial slurs that today's readers would find distasteful. Also I should point out that I am a great fan of Mr Wodehouse's writings, usually finding myself laughing out loud in public. However, whether or not it was the racial epithets or something else I'm not sure but I do know that I found that particular tale fell a little flat for me. Maybe I have just become immunised to this kind of humour and although it did at times make me smile, in general I found it just a tad predictable.

That said and done if you are looking for a bit of escapism amongst the privileged classes with clever writing and no sex or violence then this is a fun and easy read. show less

The first of the eleven Jeeves and Wooster novels, Thank You, Jeeves bolts out of the gate, instantly funnier than the best of the (very funny) 33 short stories that preceded it. The novel opens with Bertie's horror at being forced to choose between his current flat and his beloved instrument, the banjolele, which his neighbours will not stomach. He makes the only reasonable choice - the banjolele, of course - only to find Jeeves handing in his notice. From there, it's one long descent into madness!

Having been written in the 1930s, there are certain aspects of this book which have not aged well. There is a distressing use of the term "ni**er minstrels" in the first chapter, although only by the least sympathetic characters; Jeeves and his erstwhile employer both employ the enlightned-at-that-time "Negro minstrels" to describe this group which never actually makes an appearance in the book but who's existence provides an impetus for two characters to don blackface. Kind of an interesting historical study of how such things were viewed by the upper crust.

If you’ve ever wondered how Wooster would survive without Jeeves to bail him out of his predicaments, the answer is, not well. This installment gives you the scoop on a “Jeeves-less” existence for Bertie, and neither seems to be happy without the other. Bertie ends up with a new valet, Brinkley, who would win the worst valet ever contest, if there were such a thing. Jeeves still can’t stop himself from advising and rescuing Bertie. It’s all good – if outlandish – fun, and a great read for escapism. In the end, Jeeves finds his purpose in life – to quietly be superior to the fumbling Bertie – and Bertie finds he can finally relax, knowing that Jeeves is there in the background, waiting to save Bertie’s bacon whenever show more necessary. Well done, Sir Wodehouse! show less