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A review by kynan
Right Ho, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse
4.0
TL;DR: A Jeeves and Wooster story of the usual formula but a very enjoyable, novel-length extended version telling only a single story, with a bit of breathing room for the story to really hit its stride!
TL: This is the first non-collection Jeeves and Wooster book that I've read and, despite the fact that it hews pretty close to the standard Jeeves and Wooster plot-line, it works quite well - better even than the majority of the collection books I think.
The collections are good to dip into, but I don't think they should be read cover-to-cover as the aforementioned "standard plot-line" can get a little wearing. [b:Right Ho, Jeeves|9850375|Right Ho, Jeeves (Jeeves, #6)|P.G. Wodehouse|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1302047500l/9850375._SX50_.jpg|2168123] does follow that standard, but I think that a novel-length story actually gives the characters some room to grow and I also liked how it poked fun at it at that standard at the same time; calling out the fact that an item of clothing was not going to be held to ransom until Jeeves saved the day.
This story features a cast of characters that readers of the short-story collections will be familiar with. However, as stated, they're really given the opportunity to become slightly more than the caricatures that are normally presented in these stories. To be fair, there's no great character arc or growth here, it's just that there's a little more breathing room for them. Actually, now that I think about it, it's not so much that the characters have a chance to grow, it's that the author has an opportunity to really set up the jokes a little better. In particular Hildebrand "Tuppy" Glossop, Aunt Dahlia and cousin Angela Travers are all given the limelight on occasion and I particularly enjoyed the Tuppy storyline.
The story revolves around a set of troubles and, as usual, Bertie has upset Jeeves with a sartorial decision that has resulted in Jeeves not putting forward a ready solution. In this case, Bertie refuses to back down and, rather than sorting out the issue, Bertie specifically states that he will not be sacrificing his mess-jacket to Jeeves' sensibilities, and he sets about resolving the issues alone. What results is a genuinely amusing shemozzle and it was a lot of fun to watch the machinations devolve into utter disaster, waiting and waiting to see how the denouement would play out.
I listened to the Audible version of the book, expertly narrated by [a:Jonathan Cecil|356481|Jonathan Cecil|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]. I honestly think that at least one of the four stars is attributable solely to Mr Cecil. His timing, delivery and voicing really make the story a performance as opposed to a narration. In particular Tuppy and Fink-Nottle stand out as fantastic amid the usual excellent presentation of Jeeves, Wooster and co.
TL: This is the first non-collection Jeeves and Wooster book that I've read and, despite the fact that it hews pretty close to the standard Jeeves and Wooster plot-line, it works quite well - better even than the majority of the collection books I think.
The collections are good to dip into, but I don't think they should be read cover-to-cover as the aforementioned "standard plot-line" can get a little wearing. [b:Right Ho, Jeeves|9850375|Right Ho, Jeeves (Jeeves, #6)|P.G. Wodehouse|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1302047500l/9850375._SX50_.jpg|2168123] does follow that standard, but I think that a novel-length story actually gives the characters some room to grow and I also liked how it poked fun at it at that standard at the same time; calling out the fact that an item of clothing was not going to be held to ransom until Jeeves saved the day.
This story features a cast of characters that readers of the short-story collections will be familiar with. However, as stated, they're really given the opportunity to become slightly more than the caricatures that are normally presented in these stories. To be fair, there's no great character arc or growth here, it's just that there's a little more breathing room for them. Actually, now that I think about it, it's not so much that the characters have a chance to grow, it's that the author has an opportunity to really set up the jokes a little better. In particular Hildebrand "Tuppy" Glossop, Aunt Dahlia and cousin Angela Travers are all given the limelight on occasion and I particularly enjoyed the Tuppy storyline.
The story revolves around a set of troubles and, as usual, Bertie has upset Jeeves with a sartorial decision that has resulted in Jeeves not putting forward a ready solution. In this case, Bertie refuses to back down and, rather than sorting out the issue, Bertie specifically states that he will not be sacrificing his mess-jacket to Jeeves' sensibilities, and he sets about resolving the issues alone. What results is a genuinely amusing shemozzle and it was a lot of fun to watch the machinations devolve into utter disaster, waiting and waiting to see how the denouement would play out.
I listened to the Audible version of the book, expertly narrated by [a:Jonathan Cecil|356481|Jonathan Cecil|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]. I honestly think that at least one of the four stars is attributable solely to Mr Cecil. His timing, delivery and voicing really make the story a performance as opposed to a narration. In particular Tuppy and Fink-Nottle stand out as fantastic amid the usual excellent presentation of Jeeves, Wooster and co.