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sarabearian's review against another edition
The sublime comedy duo of the upper-class twit Wooster and the ever resourceful valet, Jeeves. Wodehouse was so beloved in Britain that he was awarded a knighthood by the Crown. This and any of the other books in the series are worth reading.
-Bethany R.-
-Bethany R.-
vellumwithvigor's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The hijinks are reminiscent of Amelia Bedelia. The use of the English language is absolutely delectable. A fun read.
alicetheowl's review against another edition
4.0
The Jeeves and Wooster stories are known as the epitome of British humor. So of course I had to see myself. I found a lot of influences on modern British comedy, but, overall, they're a specific kind of humor, dependent on the antiquated class system and people with more money than sense.
My Man Jeeves is a collection of eight stories, three of which don't include Jeeves or Bertie Wooster. There's not a lot of variety in the story structures. Each feature a young man who's trying to get away with something. Then Bertie Wooster (or Reggie, in the three exceptions) helps. Something happens to complicate the situation and/or expose the young man's dishonesty. Then, through luck (in Reggie's case) or Jeeves' anticipating the complication, all works out for the better. The people involved, the deceptions, and the reasons for them all change, but otherwise, the stories are interchangeable.
Most of the humor lies in our perspective characters' lack of intelligence. Bertie is aware Jeeves is smarter than he is, but he insists on trying to use his limited capacity, often to disastrous effect. Jeeves often outsmarts Bertie, himself, which Bertie often doesn't notice. Jeeves is definitely the one in charge, and he's smart enough to give Wooster the illusion of choice. The complications often come about because Jeeves has to work within the framework Bertie set for him, as a direct contradiction just isn't done.
Aside from the repetitive nature of the stories, there's another major flaw. Female characters are either young, in which case they're capricious and/or greedy and/or conniving, or they're old, in which case they're domineering and unpleasant. I never got the impression that was an aspect of the satire, that they were really whole people beneath Bertie's or Reggie's impressions. Most of the characterizations are shallow, but some of the male characters get painted in a sympathetic light, while the female get no such consideration.
These are light, funny stories, and probably best read spaced apart to reduce the repetitiveness. If you'd like to read a major influence on modern British comedy, I'd recommend these stories. You may find some amusement value in the antiquated slang, if nothing else.
I read this on audio, narrated by David Thorn. The narration was good, with the exception of a few verbal flourishes. He rolled his r's, often extravagantly. It was to illustrate how well the perspective characters thought of themselves, but it often served to distract, and occasionally irritate.
My Man Jeeves is a collection of eight stories, three of which don't include Jeeves or Bertie Wooster. There's not a lot of variety in the story structures. Each feature a young man who's trying to get away with something. Then Bertie Wooster (or Reggie, in the three exceptions) helps. Something happens to complicate the situation and/or expose the young man's dishonesty. Then, through luck (in Reggie's case) or Jeeves' anticipating the complication, all works out for the better. The people involved, the deceptions, and the reasons for them all change, but otherwise, the stories are interchangeable.
Most of the humor lies in our perspective characters' lack of intelligence. Bertie is aware Jeeves is smarter than he is, but he insists on trying to use his limited capacity, often to disastrous effect. Jeeves often outsmarts Bertie, himself, which Bertie often doesn't notice. Jeeves is definitely the one in charge, and he's smart enough to give Wooster the illusion of choice. The complications often come about because Jeeves has to work within the framework Bertie set for him, as a direct contradiction just isn't done.
Aside from the repetitive nature of the stories, there's another major flaw. Female characters are either young, in which case they're capricious and/or greedy and/or conniving, or they're old, in which case they're domineering and unpleasant. I never got the impression that was an aspect of the satire, that they were really whole people beneath Bertie's or Reggie's impressions. Most of the characterizations are shallow, but some of the male characters get painted in a sympathetic light, while the female get no such consideration.
These are light, funny stories, and probably best read spaced apart to reduce the repetitiveness. If you'd like to read a major influence on modern British comedy, I'd recommend these stories. You may find some amusement value in the antiquated slang, if nothing else.
I read this on audio, narrated by David Thorn. The narration was good, with the exception of a few verbal flourishes. He rolled his r's, often extravagantly. It was to illustrate how well the perspective characters thought of themselves, but it often served to distract, and occasionally irritate.
declanmoffit's review against another edition
1.0
Really struggled. A book of short stories. It start well enough but the novelty quickly wore off. I didn’t quite make it to the end listening at 1.5 times speed.
cheerfulotter'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
3.5
This was a very fun read; the little short stories were endearing and I loved reading the story that started the stereotype of a butler named Jeeves!
rfrasier's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
alannabarras's review against another edition
4.0
I remember watching the Wooster and Jeeves TV show as a kid (Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, look it up if you haven't seen it), but I didn't realize it stemmed from a book series until a friend recommended this to me. It is EXCELLENT. I giggled my way through the entire book while weeding the front yard (audiobook). The way the author phrases things you can see immediately how it would have influenced authors such as Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett. This first book isn't as polished as I suspect the rest of the series will be, so if you're not sure if you'll like it start in the middle somewhere and come back to this one specifically. Perfect if you like to read a short story before bed.
darrellmccauley's review against another edition
4.0
“What I mean is, if you're absolutely off your rocker, but don't find it convenient to be scooped into the luny-bin, you simply explain that, when you said you were a teapot, it was just your Artistic Temperament, and they apologize and go away. So I stood by to hear just how the A.T. had affected Clarence, the Cat's Friend, ready for anything.”
― P.G. Wodehouse, My Man Jeeves
― P.G. Wodehouse, My Man Jeeves