Scan barcode
A review by shoelessmama
Ring for Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse
2.0
My least favorite of the Jeeves canon so far and here's why...
1. No Bertie Wooster. I figured I would like this slightly less than the others since I knew going into it that Bertie wouldn't be there. However, some of the short stories have gone without Wooster and still been enjoyable due to the inclusion of his friends of his who are his equal.
2. The characters. I can't think of a single character in this novel aside from Jeeves who I liked. Bill is akin to Wooster in intelligence but lacks his charm, his fiancee Jill is jealous with very little cause, Rosalinda is into parapsychology (ugh) and is a simpering ninny, Captain Biggar is full of blustering machismo, Bill's sister Monica is fine but her husband Rory is several rungs dumber than Bertie Wooster which is hard to do.
3. Gambling troubles. Gambling stresses me out even when part of books/movies I love so in a novel I'm not enjoying it's another strike against.
4 The narration. No fault of P.G.'s and honestly I enjoyed that each voice was so recognizable- no mixing up characters here. However, the way that Rosalinda Spottsworth was voiced was extremely cringey to this American. I have heard other British actors attempt an American accent and have it come out in a similar way to this that in no way resembles ANY American. I get it, we have a tendency to pronounce our R's more than other English speakers but I have never heard an American put R's at the end of words in the way it is done here. It's completely ridiculous and made the portions with her unbearable to listen to. If anything it's similar to a "cowboy" accent. Imagine the part of a wealthy British woman voiced in a badly done Cockney and it would be on par with this.
5. The plot was similar to other Wooster/Jeeves romps but lacking. This was in part due to the fact that I didn't care if any of the romances worked out in the end and have my fingers crossed that the one marriage (Monica & Rory) ends. I was firmly rooting against everyone here except Jeeves- so tangentially Bill, but if not for Jeeves I wouldn't have cared what happened to him.
Harsh. I know.
1. No Bertie Wooster. I figured I would like this slightly less than the others since I knew going into it that Bertie wouldn't be there. However, some of the short stories have gone without Wooster and still been enjoyable due to the inclusion of his friends of his who are his equal.
2. The characters. I can't think of a single character in this novel aside from Jeeves who I liked. Bill is akin to Wooster in intelligence but lacks his charm, his fiancee Jill is jealous with very little cause, Rosalinda is into parapsychology (ugh) and is a simpering ninny, Captain Biggar is full of blustering machismo, Bill's sister Monica is fine but her husband Rory is several rungs dumber than Bertie Wooster which is hard to do.
3. Gambling troubles. Gambling stresses me out even when part of books/movies I love so in a novel I'm not enjoying it's another strike against.
4 The narration. No fault of P.G.'s and honestly I enjoyed that each voice was so recognizable- no mixing up characters here. However, the way that Rosalinda Spottsworth was voiced was extremely cringey to this American. I have heard other British actors attempt an American accent and have it come out in a similar way to this that in no way resembles ANY American. I get it, we have a tendency to pronounce our R's more than other English speakers but I have never heard an American put R's at the end of words in the way it is done here. It's completely ridiculous and made the portions with her unbearable to listen to. If anything it's similar to a "cowboy" accent. Imagine the part of a wealthy British woman voiced in a badly done Cockney and it would be on par with this.
5. The plot was similar to other Wooster/Jeeves romps but lacking. This was in part due to the fact that I didn't care if any of the romances worked out in the end and have my fingers crossed that the one marriage (Monica & Rory) ends. I was firmly rooting against everyone here except Jeeves- so tangentially Bill, but if not for Jeeves I wouldn't have cared what happened to him.
Harsh. I know.