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mugglemom's review against another edition
4.0
Love it but there are many references to other Wodehouse books that I've haven't read so I need to get on with it and go through his entire catalog
mikalanir's review against another edition
Dry British humor and lovely postwar aristocracy vibes, it was really boring and one of the weakest W. novels I’ve read, but still a good time.
mugglemom's review against another edition
4.0
Love it but there are many references to other Wodehouse books that I've haven't read so I need to get on with it and go through his entire catalog
gretacwink's review against another edition
5.0
One is at a loss for words to describe the joy which is reading Wodehouse, and so am I.
tome15's review against another edition
4.0
Wodehouse, P. G. Cocktail Time. 1958, Uncle Fred No. 3. Norton, 2013.
P. G. Wodehouse deals with time in a strange way. We are hardly aware in this third Uncle Fred Ickenham appearance, first published in 1958, that there might have been a world war, postwar poverty in Britain, and an ongoing Cold War. Except for an occasional topical reference, characters talk as if they were still living in the Edwardian era. The comedy comes from our appreciation of an argot that no one—Edwardian or Cold Warrior--ever spoke, unless he or she happened to be a character in a Wodehouse story. For example, a woman who knocks a man unconscious with a blackjack is said to have “biffed him on the napper with a cosh.” The plot is the usual mayhem that results from Uncle Fred’s attempts to spread “sweetness and light” by meddling in other people’s romances. Uncle Fred may be a man of retirement age, but he has a sunny, “boyish outlook on life” that is simply irresistible.
P. G. Wodehouse deals with time in a strange way. We are hardly aware in this third Uncle Fred Ickenham appearance, first published in 1958, that there might have been a world war, postwar poverty in Britain, and an ongoing Cold War. Except for an occasional topical reference, characters talk as if they were still living in the Edwardian era. The comedy comes from our appreciation of an argot that no one—Edwardian or Cold Warrior--ever spoke, unless he or she happened to be a character in a Wodehouse story. For example, a woman who knocks a man unconscious with a blackjack is said to have “biffed him on the napper with a cosh.” The plot is the usual mayhem that results from Uncle Fred’s attempts to spread “sweetness and light” by meddling in other people’s romances. Uncle Fred may be a man of retirement age, but he has a sunny, “boyish outlook on life” that is simply irresistible.
muggsyspaniel's review against another edition
4.0
All the usual P.G. stuff done with the usual aplomb.
smr's review against another edition
4.0
My first PG Wodehouse book! The back of the book, which calls it a "hilarious jab at the publishing industry," drew me in, and while it wasn't as publishing-centric as I'd hoped, it lived up to the hilarious part. I was charmed by the characters, the humor, and the twisting plot. This book, to quote the first page, left me feeling "as bumps-a-daisy as billy-o." I look forward to reading more Wodehouse books!
helenbronj's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5