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“P.G. Wodehouse is always a must read for me...”
sahana2802 wrote this review Sunday, March 15 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Loved it! You will howl with laughter and sound just like a howler monkey. This is a compilation of short stories by Wodehouse. You must read the short story Mulliner's Buck-U-Uppo before you die. Here is a synaposis of it from Widpedia:
Wendy A wrote this review Thursday, March 12 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Augustine Mulliner, a meek and mild young curate, arrives in Lower-Briskett-in-the-Midden to assist the vicar, the Rev. Stanley Brandon and falls in love with the vicar's daughter, Jane Brandon. The young lovers wonder how to approach the fierce vicar about their love when a package arrives from Augustine Mulliner's aunt containing a tonic, Buck-U-Uppo (it works directly on the corpuscles) arrives. Mulliner takes a tablespoonful as recommended by his aunt and becomes more confident and assertive. The next morning, after another tablespoonful, he rescues a visiting bishop chased up a tree by a dog and firmly ends a quarrel between the bishop and the vicar, receives the vicar's blessings for his love for Jane, saves the bishop from being forced to wear thick winter woolies, and becomes the bishop's secretary. On returning to his rooms, he finds a letter from his cousin Wilfred Mulliner (A Slice of Life) explaining that the tonic, mistakenly sent to Augustine, is meant for steeling the nerves of elephants in India ("too often elephants, on sighting the tiger, have turned and galloped home," he writes). Augustine promptly writes for three cases of Buck-U-Uppo!”
“The back of The Most of P. G. Wodehouse declares this to be the "most lavish P. G. Wodehouse collection ever published," and when one considers the breadth of selection crammed into just over 700 pages, it's hard to argue with the publisher's assertion. Wodehouse's writing career spanned over forty years, and while I am far from being able to claim that I've read even a third of his output, in my opinion his genius and comic timing rarely faltered. Probably Wodehouse's best known creations are Bertie Wooster and his indefatigable valet, Jeeves (memorably portrayed by Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry, respectively). The pair is represented here by five short stories. As I recently acquired Jeeves & Wooster - The Complete Series, I have to say that Laurie and Fry captured the characters so perfectly that I now hear their voices in my head when I read the J&W tales. Wooster's cronies at The Drones Club are represented by seven stories - "Tried in the Furnace" and "Goodbye to All Cats" are particularly hilarious. There are seven Mr. Mulliner stories, where he sagely dispenses his life wisdom based on the experiences of various and sundry members of his incredibly large family - I especially liked the story "Mulliner's Buck-U-Uppo." In five stories one can read five of Stanley Featherstonehaugh Ukridge's wildly whacky money-making schemes, and there's a brief stop at Blandings Castle, home of Lord Emsworth and his prized pig the Empress of Blandings. There are five of the Golf Stories, and they were an absolutely revelation - so hilarious, and I am not a fan of golf in the least. The one complete novel, Quick Service, is a solid representation of Wodehouse's full-length fiction, full of romantic entanglements and comic misunderstandings. Wodehouse's sense of humor and command of the English language make his stories and novels an absolute joy to read, and this anthology is probably one of the best introductions out there. Read, enjoy, and laugh till you cry.”
Ruth wrote this review Wednesday, August 13 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“P.G. Wodehouse is, of course, best know for his Jeeves and Wooster stories. If you have been lucky enough to catch the TV series with Stephen Fry as Jeeves and Hugh Laurie as Bertie Wooster on PBS or Bravo, but unlucky enough to never have read any of the stories those TV episodes were based on, you might be surprised to discover that Bertie is not nearly such a chowder head as he was made out to be on television.
Bob F wrote this review Wednesday, July 23 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Of course, this might have something to do with the fact that in the stories, Bertie is the narrator. That’s point of view for you :)
Besides 5 Jeeves and Wooster stories, we also get 7 stories that feature other members of The Drones Club, 8 stories narrated by Mr. Mulliner, who has a relative for every occasion that conveniently reminds him of a story, 5 stories featuring Stanley Featherstone Ukridge, a fellow who spends most of his time concocting outlandish schemes to make money, 1 story about Lord Emsworth, who spends his time worrying about his prize pig, and 5 golf stories, narrated by The Oldest Member.
Oh, and there’s also a complete short novel, called “Quick Service.”
How does it all stack up? Once I got over the fact that there is not nearly as much Jeeves and Wooster as I had hoped, I found the book to be a fine introduction to P.G. Wodehouse. Although the stories are whimsical, the plots do become a bit predictable when taken all at once. It’s better to savor Wodehouse a little bit at a time, whenever the occasion seems a bit depressing and some light hearted humor is called for.
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“A collection of P.G. Wodehouse stories. All very funny, though the Golf stories are pretty much a mystery to me. There is a also a novella called Quick Service, more of the breezy style. My favourites are the Jeeves stories but the adventures of various Mulliners are also enjoyable. Some of the 1920's slang and allusions go right over my head.
Amy M wrote this review Tuesday, April 29 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
http://amyem.bookcrossing.com/journal/6016967”
“Wodehouse is my favorite humor writer. His command of the language never fails to delight and entertain. He had the ability to turn the most mundane situation into a source of amusement. His stories are filled with demanding aunts, slightly dim aristocrats, and butlers who are able to solve any problem.”
NorwayJose wrote this review Sunday, October 21 2007. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“Wodehouse is Wodehouse. A class Apart!!”
writetotanveer wrote this review Tuesday, August 21 2007. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“LOVE Wodehouse. Oddball characters, zany circumstances and a fun ride, every time. ”
sallysaurus wrote this review Thursday, September 13 2007. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“One of my favorite authors, always delightful and an easy read.”
themessiers wrote this review Tuesday, May 22 2007. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
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