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jonathanrobert's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
regnarenol's review against another edition
5.0
"Sunlit perfection", Stephen Fry said once (probably) of P.G. Wodehouse's prose, and sunlit perfection it is.
In a time of fretful melancholy, when the whole world seemed to spin out of control, I reached out for humour to salve the wound. Nothing I watched from the endlessness that is youtube and instagram survived my black mood, until one night, in a state of half-asleep genius, I accidentally downloaded a Wodehouse audiobook: this one.
Before I dive straight into gushing praise: this is not my first Wodehouse. I own many omnibuses of Jeeves and Wooster, dog-eared now from being read too often, but this is my very first Wodehouse with this set of characters. Frederick, the Earl of Ickenham, is the trickster god with a kind heart that looms large, using carefully seeded chaos to give everybody their happy endings. But the everybody else - the other characters - are all unique in their own hapless and hilarious ways.
It's PG's comic poetry, his mastery of the English language for perfect ironic effect, that I most love. I've realised now that my attempts at writing satire only but steal a sideways gleam off Wodehouse's glitter. I had never read Wodehouse, or indeed Douglas Adams after him, when I started writing, but clearly I'd read books that themselves were inspired by Adams, and Wodehouse before him. So yes, every page, every paragraph and nearly every sentence had me smiling foolishly, but what I realised while reading this book is that this man PG Wodehouse is a master of plot.
There's genius in the convolutions of farce that he builds up, as Ickenham's machinations seem to get away from him until all seems too tangled to fix. But not totally, because just when the whole plot is about to collapse in a tangle of confusion, with a smart bit of wit and a clever bit of madness, it all clears up quite nicely. The introduction of the character of Saxby midway through is a case in point. When he shows up, it seems like a diversion from the matters at hand. But when through his particular brand of buffoonery he ends up becoming the key that unlocks Ickenham's puzzle, it is a moment of pure gratification.
Now, there's something more. At the risk of clouding sunlit perfection with overanalysis, there's something in the philosophy of Wodehousean characters that I miss around me today. There's no hero's journey here. This isn't a world full of people who're special and beautiful and magical in their own ways. And yet, in their haplessness and ordinariness and in their unprotectedness from PG's satirical fire, they're relatable. They're an antidote to a narcissistic world, a world where we're united not by our specialness, but by our ordinariness. Sigh.
At least PG Wodehouse was prolific. I've read a lot of him, but not all ninety of his novels. On to the next one!
In a time of fretful melancholy, when the whole world seemed to spin out of control, I reached out for humour to salve the wound. Nothing I watched from the endlessness that is youtube and instagram survived my black mood, until one night, in a state of half-asleep genius, I accidentally downloaded a Wodehouse audiobook: this one.
Before I dive straight into gushing praise: this is not my first Wodehouse. I own many omnibuses of Jeeves and Wooster, dog-eared now from being read too often, but this is my very first Wodehouse with this set of characters. Frederick, the Earl of Ickenham, is the trickster god with a kind heart that looms large, using carefully seeded chaos to give everybody their happy endings. But the everybody else - the other characters - are all unique in their own hapless and hilarious ways.
It's PG's comic poetry, his mastery of the English language for perfect ironic effect, that I most love. I've realised now that my attempts at writing satire only but steal a sideways gleam off Wodehouse's glitter. I had never read Wodehouse, or indeed Douglas Adams after him, when I started writing, but clearly I'd read books that themselves were inspired by Adams, and Wodehouse before him. So yes, every page, every paragraph and nearly every sentence had me smiling foolishly, but what I realised while reading this book is that this man PG Wodehouse is a master of plot.
There's genius in the convolutions of farce that he builds up, as Ickenham's machinations seem to get away from him until all seems too tangled to fix. But not totally, because just when the whole plot is about to collapse in a tangle of confusion, with a smart bit of wit and a clever bit of madness, it all clears up quite nicely. The introduction of the character of Saxby midway through is a case in point. When he shows up, it seems like a diversion from the matters at hand. But when through his particular brand of buffoonery he ends up becoming the key that unlocks Ickenham's puzzle, it is a moment of pure gratification.
Now, there's something more. At the risk of clouding sunlit perfection with overanalysis, there's something in the philosophy of Wodehousean characters that I miss around me today. There's no hero's journey here. This isn't a world full of people who're special and beautiful and magical in their own ways. And yet, in their haplessness and ordinariness and in their unprotectedness from PG's satirical fire, they're relatable. They're an antidote to a narcissistic world, a world where we're united not by our specialness, but by our ordinariness. Sigh.
At least PG Wodehouse was prolific. I've read a lot of him, but not all ninety of his novels. On to the next one!
srivalli's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
3.75
3.8 Stars
Uncle Fred is back in London, which means he has to do something to create a mess and fix it in his own way. The book starts with him popping off Sir Raymond Bastable's (Beefy) top hat with a Brazilian nut. Bastable is enraged and pours his opinions into a book published under a pseudonym.
He wants nothing to do with it, as it could damage his political ambitions. But when the book gets a movie deal worth thousands of pounds, Bastable will do anything to claim his rightful ownership as the author of the book. Only, things are too complicated by then, and Uncle Fred is, naturally, in the middle, pulling the strings and changing his plans.
The book has typical Wodehouse humor, where he takes a dig at almost everyone and still makes it fun. The plot is complicated (obv.) but not as such as some of the Jeeves and Bertie books. Also, it's pretty much Uncle Fred doing everything. Pongo is only present in the beginning, which dims the enjoyment a bit. We got to have Pongo dragged into everything by his uncle. Right? ;)
Still, the writing is enjoyable, with loads of humor and contrived scenes. There's a bit of everything, though the Wodehouse romance element was rather lacking in this one. The threads come together at the end (which feels a little rushed), and Uncle Fred is on his way home until he comes up with something else.
Overall, an enjoyable read if you go with the flow and don't worry about the plot. Yep, let it get tangled up. It'll sort out on its own.
Uncle Fred is back in London, which means he has to do something to create a mess and fix it in his own way. The book starts with him popping off Sir Raymond Bastable's (Beefy) top hat with a Brazilian nut. Bastable is enraged and pours his opinions into a book published under a pseudonym.
He wants nothing to do with it, as it could damage his political ambitions. But when the book gets a movie deal worth thousands of pounds, Bastable will do anything to claim his rightful ownership as the author of the book. Only, things are too complicated by then, and Uncle Fred is, naturally, in the middle, pulling the strings and changing his plans.
The book has typical Wodehouse humor, where he takes a dig at almost everyone and still makes it fun. The plot is complicated (obv.) but not as such as some of the Jeeves and Bertie books. Also, it's pretty much Uncle Fred doing everything. Pongo is only present in the beginning, which dims the enjoyment a bit. We got to have Pongo dragged into everything by his uncle. Right? ;)
Still, the writing is enjoyable, with loads of humor and contrived scenes. There's a bit of everything, though the Wodehouse romance element was rather lacking in this one. The threads come together at the end (which feels a little rushed), and Uncle Fred is on his way home until he comes up with something else.
Overall, an enjoyable read if you go with the flow and don't worry about the plot. Yep, let it get tangled up. It'll sort out on its own.
rbharath's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I returned to a P.G. Wodehouse after a gap of many years. I know what to expect in his novels and this did not disappoint!
Uncle Fred (Lord Ickenham) hears about how a guy used a catapult to shoot brazil nuts at others. He decides to have a go himself and he has a clean shot – taking off the hat of Raymond Bastable (Beefy). Lord Ickenham expresses his sympathies with Beefy, without revealing he is the culprit, having a merry laugh. He suggests an episode such as this could find a place in a book, though of course, Beefy is not the writing type. Beefy, quite unexpectedly authors a book ‘Cocktail Time’ under a pseudonym which becomes a hit. Since he has political aspirations, he does not want to claim authorship, and at Lord Ickenham’s suggestion, attempts to shift the authorship to Cosmo Wisdom. But a lot more is to follow with some people trying to make some money out of the situation.
The brilliance of the language, whacky humour and loveable characters are all there. The last sections did not have much to look forward to though.
lory_enterenchanted's review against another edition
Reviews and more on my blog: Entering the Enchanted Castle
More shenanigans with Uncle Fred, this time with a mild satire of the publishing industry.
More shenanigans with Uncle Fred, this time with a mild satire of the publishing industry.
luna_granger's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
oltombom's review against another edition
5.0
This is another ridiculously fun Wodehouse book. It is one of the Uncle Fred series. Uncle Fred is an older man with a young and mischievous personality. Even so, his goal is always to spread sweetness and light (whether people want it or not). [Uncle Fred is essentially the same character as Galahad Threepwood from Wodehouse's Blandings series.] In this installment, Uncle Fred encourages his old friend, Sir Raymond Bastable to loosen up and write a book. Bastable uses a pen name because the resulting book is a little too scandalous for a prospective member of Parliament. Upon discovering the true identity of the author, several parties attempt to blackmail Bastable. Always up for a challenge, Uncle Fred attempts to thwart the blackmailers who include Bastable's perpetually hard-up nephew Cosmo Wisdom and the American crime couple, Gordon “Oily” Carlisle and his wife, Gertie who is ever-willing to "bust someone one" with anything from a vase to a blackjack. Cocktail Time also includes a host of fun side characters such as Bastable's rabbitesque sister Phoebe Wisdom, his butler, Albert Peasemarch (who secretly loves Phoebe), and the avid ornithologist and semi-retired literary agent, Old Howard Saxby. Saxby is one of my favorite Wodehouse side characters. He never listens to what anyone says and constantly throws out baffling non sequiturs. All-in-all, jolly good fun!
schellenbergk's review against another edition
Wodehouse is never bad, but this is neither one or his best nor one of his worst. It falls right in the middle - some amusing bits and some predictable bits. U ncle Fred isn't quite the great comic creation that Bertie Wooster is or Jeeves is. Also, I never realized until this book how much having the Jeeves saga told from Bertie's POV (which it is in all but one book if I recollect) adds to the books' power. The same jokey style loses its punch a bit when it's used by a supposedly omniscient narrator.