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Title: Thank You, Jeeves
Series: The Jeeves Omnibus 1.1
Author: P.G. Wodehouse
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Genre: Humor
Pages: 241
Format: Digital Edition
| Synopsis: |
Bertie Wooster has taken up playing the banjolele. He does it so badly that Jeeves gives his notice and all of Bertie’s neighbors complain to the landlord. Bertie decides to spend the summer in a bungalo playing the banjolele at his chum Chuffy’s mansion out in the country.
Chaos ensues. Chuffy is trying to sell his mansion to a rich american. This rich american has a daughter, Pauline, that Bertie was engaged to for about 24hrs a while ago. Chuffy falls in love with her and she with him. But other family interests make a hash of things, plus the father is convinced that his daughter still loves Bertie and he hates Bertie. Hilarity ensues, escapades happen and through it all, Jeeves helms the boat through troubled waters and in the end, brings it in to safe harbor.
Chuffy and Pauline are engaged, Chuffield Mansion is sold, Bertie gives up the banjolele and Jeeves and Bertie return to London once again united as Lord and Servant. Everybody is happy.
| My Thoughts: |
I am reading the Jeeves Omnibuses. They each contain 3 stories. So instead of saying that I only read one book, I am counting each book as one book. It’s all about those numbers, you know? But that is why I am doing the series as a decimal number and not a whole number. This was the first book in the first Jeeves omnibus.
Now, WHY this was the first book is beyond me. It is actually #5 in the Jeeves series. So there are many, many, many instances of Bertie referencing things that have happened previously that we the reader have no idea about. None of the things are big enough that you lose the essence of what is being referred to, as it is mostly silly or assinine things that Bertie has done, but the specifics aren’t there and it makes the references less real. That is really my only complaint for this book.
My favorite part is Bertie’s new man, Brinklie. He gets roaring drunk, burns down Bertie’s cottage, assaults various people with knives, potatoes, etc and is generally a dangerous lunatic but through Bertie’s eyes it is “Oh, that just goes with the territory”.
I am surprised that I haven’t seen more of an uproar by social justice clowns because of the whole master servant thing with Bertie and Jeeves and the use of the word nigger in several instances when referring to black performers. Since this was published in 1934 it is no doubt to old for them to even know it exists, as nothing existed before them, except when they wish to trot out their straw donkey arguments.
The one positive thing about reading this first, instead of fifth, is that I found the humor original enough so I wasn’t comparing it to previous books. That was my complaint from my original read and most likely the reason I only gave it 3stars back in ’03.
★★★★☆
Bookstooge's Reviews on the Road 
I almost bought this this past weekend. I’ve often heard of Wodehouse but have never tried any of the books.
Seems like you’re a bit indecisive there about whether it was a good decision to jump in here. For a newbie to the Jeeves books (me) do you recommend starting with the first book? …which one is the first?
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I was looking around and you know what? I’d go with the omnibuses just because trying to work out what stories are in what books is WAY more work than I thought.
Just go with the flow and let the references flow over you.
Yeah, that works 😀
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🙂 I like that – “Just go with the flow and let the references flow over you.”
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People over here are getting 3 year prison sentances for uttering the afrikaans word for nigger. There is this case where a woman has gone to prison after being a victem of a muggery, uttering it for 48 times. The only way they know this is cause it was Cuaght on security camera…
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While you’ll never hear me utter that word, as I find it as offensive as can be, I don’t believe that people should be punished legally for offensive things.
Social pressure is enough.
But being of the libertarian bent, that shouldn’t come as a surprise to any one who knows me 🙂
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My mom had recommended Woodhouse too me in the past, and I wasn’t a huge fan of the T.V. shows, but to be honest I think I only saw one or two. But I think I should probably give the books a try.
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If you didn’t like the tv show, I’d be real iffy about recommending these to you then. I thought the tv show captured the spirit of Bertie and Jeeves spot on.
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I was hoping it would be more of a better book than movie scenario. Library then if I give them a shot just in case.
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That sounds like a good plan…
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I’ve only seen a few clips from the tv show with Fry and Laurie and they were good… I have a book or two in part of my library that is inherited from my Grandpa, maybe I should take a closer look 🙂
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If you liked the Fry and Laurie stuff, chances are really good you’ll like the books. Whoever produced the tv show must have been a huge fan of the books because they nailed the humor exactly.
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Counting the different books inside of an omnibus as separate books? Oh yes. That’s how I roll too.
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*fist bump*
That’s what I’m talking about! 😀
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That was interesting. I’ve never heard of this, but since you’ve got a whole omnibus of his work, it must mean that the author is known for this series, right? 😀 Is it humour fiction? 😮
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I mean.. is it like humour in comic strips or it’s actually fiction text? hahah
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Straight up text. It started out as various short stories and near the end of the run, full length novels.
I’ve got 4 or 5 of the omnibuses, so there is a lot of material…
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It is humorous fiction of a british lord and his super efficient butler.
If you want to check out the humor, youtube for jeeves and wooster starring Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie. If you like the clips you see, you’ll probably like the books 🙂
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Ouuuh intriguing, I’ll look into that.
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