Nothing Serious

An agreeable collection of unconnected short stories, mostly tales of amorous misunderstandings on the links recounted by the Oldest Member. Also there for your delectation are stories of Bingo Little and a troublesome nanny, Freddie Widgeon, a borrowed baby and the fearsome Rev. Aubrey Upjohn, Lord Emsworth captvated by a young American lady and selling encyclopaedias, Conky Biddle, love and cricket, and, finally, an expensive lunch with Ukridge.

You know what you are getting with Plum and there is nothing here to surprise you, but the writing is as polished as ever and who reads Wodehouse for surprises?

This collection of ten stories is heavy on the golf theme. Parts of these I skipped over because – being unknowledgeable of golf – it was a little like reading code.

Still, some funny scenes do crop up in these tales, and I do like the way the hardened golfers are shocked and mortified when one of their associates would rather do something else than play golf. It's worse still if the diehard golfers meet someone who doesn’t even play their sport.

The one where a golf addict puts his clubs aside to write poetry about his son is particularly funny. The lines spoken by the child himself made me laugh more than anything else in the collection.

The stories not about golf are hit and miss. The Lord Emsworth tale is funny but could’ve show more been better. Lord Emsworth is my favourite of all Wodehouse characters, so it would’ve been nice to have seen more of the 9th Earl. Bless my soul, it would.

Ukridge is not a character I'm fond of. His rambling on and on irritates me. The Ukridge story included here I liked in parts, though on the whole it didn’t appeal to me.

In short, not a bad collection, but not vintage Wodehouse. show less

Evidently, Wodehouse really found his voice with the Jeeves books. This is not a Jeeves book.

Golfers are fickle
swapping engagements like spit
good thing they're all rich.

Review pending

review pending

Nothing Serious is Wodehouse's famous collection of ten stories in which many old friends reappear in deliciously absurd situations. Two lovers are united by their hatred of cricket. Bingo Little, editor of Wee Tots and husband of romantic novelist Rosie M. Banks, finds new solutions to his financial problems. Lord Emsworth becomes an encyclopedia salesman for a day. Rodney Spelvin, bad poet turned enthusiastic golfer, shows signs of reverting to type. And Ukridge for once emerges triumphant from the struggle with his fearsome Aunt Julia.