Bright Young Things discussion

What better reason to start a BYT thread about P.G. Wodehouse...





Ally wrote: "Jeeves and the Wedding Bells is a masterpiece.

Sebastian Faulks' plot is bang on-message. Faulks captures perfectly both the tone and the spirit of P.G. Wodehouse's originals.

This is a pitch-perfect undertaking: proof, almost a century after his debut, that Jeeves may not be so inimitable after all."

Matthew Dennison, The Spectator "

Wow. Great new for P.G. Wodehouse lovers everywhere - but can this incredible claim really be true?

We'll have to have a few hot reads...for comparison purposes. I have 'Thank You Jeeves' unread on my shelf...anyone?

I'm always up for some Wodehouse Ally and I note the Faulks book is in my local library

I've read The Inimitable Jeeves and have Very Good Jeeves! and Right Ho Jeeves to read still. I did enjoy TIJ.

I have read all the Bertie/Jeeves books, so I am somewhat hesitant when another author takes over a classic series. But I will certainly give it a chance.

I've just read my first ever Wodehouse books and loved them both---Mulliner Nights and Mike and Psmith. So glad I've finally been introduced.

^ Good to know there's some appreciation for P.G. Wodehouse here at BYT.


I got a copy of Jeeves and the Wedding Bells by Sebastian Faulks out of the library today. I'll read it in the next few weeks and report back.

I hope it really is a "masterpiece" that captures perfectly both the tone and the spirit of P.G. Wodehouse's originals.

Watch this space.

P.G. Wodehouse is the funniest writer the past century ever knew. Wodehouse defies superlatives. He is, quite simply, the best comedic writer to ever put pen to paper.

So which is your favourite book by this great writer? And do you prefer Jeeves and Wooster to Blandings, or perhaps Psmith? Now then, and I mentioned this book on the August fiction poll...

Leave It to Psmith....



The first time I read "Leave It to Psmith" I was, at one memorable point, reduced to minutes of laughter that caused tears to stream down my face and make breathing extremely difficult. My family, who witnessed this, still marvel at how a book could cause such extreme mirth and merriment.

"Leave It to Psmith" is a comic novel by P.G. Wodehouse, first published in the United Kingdom on 30 November 1923 and in the United States on 14 March 1924. It was the fourth and final novel featuring Psmith, it is also the second novel set at Blandings Castle. The Blandings saga would be continued in many more novels and shorts.

As one GR reviewer has it: Psmith ("the p is silent, as in phthisis, psychic, and ptarmigan") is a triumph of characterisation, urbane, resilient, clever, utterly unflappable, altogether unlike Bertie Wooster (perhaps somewhat closer to Jeeves, though not a valet).

What about you?

Favourites? Funniest? Most enjoyable?

Ally wrote:


"Jeeves and the Wedding Bells is a masterpiece.

Sebastian Faulks' plot is bang on-message. Faulks captures perfectly both the tone and the spirit of P.G. Wodehouse's originals.

This is a pitch-perfect undertaking: proof, almost a century after his debut, that Jeeves may not be so inimitable after all."

I've read about half of Jeeves and the Wedding Bells now, and Ally's review above is right.

Masterpiece is overstating it, however it is pitch perfect and Sebastian Faulks is to be congratulated for pulling off a perfect homage. I have been smiling, chuckling and on a couple of occasions laughing heartily.

P.G. Wodehouse would approve I'm sure. I'll report back when I've finished.

Thanks to Ally and her fulsome praise in the New Discoveries thread I decided to read....




Jeeves and the Wedding Bells by Sebastian Faulks

Sebastian Faulks, in the book's introduction, describes this book as "a tribute" by "a fan" and not "an imitation".

For my money, and as a fellow P.G. Wodehouse fan, I'd say Jeeves and the Wedding Bells is every bit as good as the real thing. Sebastian Faulks is to be congratulated for pulling off the perfect homage.

I smiled, chuckled and on a couple of occasions guffawed, through this charming Jeeves and Wooster story.

P.G. Wodehouse would have approved I'm sure. Jeeves and the Wedding Bells reminds me how much I love the work of P.G. Wodehouse and inspires me to get reading and rereading his books. There is no higher praise.

As you may now, P.G. Wodehouse won the Mark Twain Medal in 1936 for "having made an outstanding and lasting contribution to the happiness of the world". Sebastian Faulks has now further added to the happiness of the world with Jeeves and the Wedding Bells.

4/5

Sounds well worth reading. Often these imitations/tributes are so far less than the originals--nice to hear that this one really worked.

Have you read anything else by Faulks? I see he wrote Birdsong, which is supposed to be very good.

^ Only "Birdsong" many moons ago. All I can remember is that I thought it was very good.

Good to know. Thanks. I'll put them both in the ever-expanding queue. AFTER A Dance to the Music of Time, among others.

I'm currently reading 'Right Ho Jeeves', which is just brilliant. I love the Jeeves and Wooster stories - they are so quintessentially English and for me, Wodehouse is just the master of written comedy. I've read 'Something Fresh' but need to get round to the rest of the Blandings series. A friend gave me a copy of 'Jeeves and the Wedding Bells' recently and said she enjoyed it, but I'm procrastinating over reading it in case I don't like it or end up reading it thinking, "this is just not original Wodehouse." ^Like Jill, I'm also worried when new authors take on classic series.

^ Hi Lori


Like you I love all things Wodehousian and nodded knowingly as I read your post. Wodehouse is the master. I adore him and his books never fail to make the world a better place. Anyway, let me reassure you about Jeeves and the Wedding Bells, it is worthy of the great man's legacy.

Now then, looking for a quick Wodehouse quote? Who isn't? Try this Wodehouse quote generator....

http://www.wodehouse.co.uk/quote_gene...

Consider me reassured, Nigelyb :) I'm going to bump it up my reading list and will post thoughts in due course. I completely agree that Wodehouse's books make the world a better place. They just cheer you right up.

Lori wrote: "I completely agree that Wodehouse's books make the world a better place. They just cheer you right up. "


Talking of which, I nominated this for our December 2014 fiction read...



My Man Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse

Who can forget our beloved gentleman's personal gentleman, Jeeves, who ever comes to the rescue when the hapless Bertie Wooster falls into trouble. My Man Jeeves is sure to please anyone with a taste for pithy buffoonery, moronic misunderstandings, gaffes, and aristocratic slapstick.

Contents:
"Leave It to Jeeves"
"Jeeves and the Unbidden Guest"
"Jeeves and the Hard-boiled Egg"
"Absent Treatment"
"Helping Freddie"
"Rallying Round Old George"
"Doing Clarence a Bit of Good"
"The Aunt and the Sluggard"

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Come and vote for it when the polls go up in a couple of weeks

I am about halfway through this beauty…





"Much Obliged, Jeeves" by P.G. Wodehouse

One chapter in and it’s like being with old friends. Just sublime. BYT perfection.

P.G. Wodehouse was ninety years old when this was was published in 1971 and it is the penultimate Jeeves and Wooster novel.

Already smiled a lot, chuckled a few times and laughed quite hard once. The whole thing has been a delight so far.

I love P.G. Wodehouse. As do many others...

"Wodehouse's idyllic world can never stale. He will continue to release future generations from captivity that may be more irksome than our own. He has made a world for us to live in and delight in." Evelyn Waugh

"He exhausts superlatives" Stephen Fry

"Pure word music" Douglas Adams

I thought I would transfer the Wodehouse chat on the July 2017 nominations thread to here as it will soon be deleted....

Ally wrote: "Ooh I do love P.G. Wodehouse...especially in the summer!"

Nigeyb wrote: "I think we can safely say that Cocktail Time by P.G. Wodehouse is not going to win the poll. I will still be reading it v soon if anyone else fancies it."

Judy wrote: "I was hoping you might say that, Nigeyb. :) I would definitely be up for a buddy read of this - I need some Wodehouse in my life at the moment with everything that is happening in the world."

Susan wrote: "I have been meaning to try some more Wodehouse and recently downloaded the Jeeves and Wooster first omnibus (currently £1.99 as someone kindly pointed out on another group). Is Cocktail Time by P.G. Wodehouse a stand alone novel, Nigeyb? I ask this, as it is listed as the 3rd or 4 novels about this character and I don't like reading a series out of order?"

@ Judy - hurrah! I've set up a thread for Cocktail Time, though I anticipate that I won't get to it for a month or so...

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...


@ Ally - PGW was wildly popular in his day and on both sides of the Atlantic. I think it's more likely that the slightly dated nature of his comedy, and the upper class context of his novels, does not connect so readily with today's reading public. Those that do acquire the taste are richly rewarded though. He never fails to make my life richer and more enjoyable.


@ Susan - it is indeed a standalone novel and, as you say, not the first. That said, and despite your legendary preference for reading books in order, if ever there was a writer for whom reading out of order makes only a negligible difference it is PGW. His books are truly stand alone and any references to past incidents are explained in the context of whichever book you happen to be reading.

Susan wrote: "I apologise, Nigeyb. I am sure it annoys people, but it is something I am a little obsessive about!"

No need to apologise Susan - it's part of your boundless charm!

And of course you could always read the first two (or is it three?) books in the Uncle Fred series and then join in.

According to Wikipedia it's two and a bit...


"Uncle Fred Flits By" (1935) - included in the collection Young Men in Spats, (1936)
Uncle Fred in the Springtime (1939) - a Blandings story
Uncle Dynamite (1948)
Cocktail Time (1958)
Service with a Smile (1961) - a Blandings story

Jennifer W wrote: "I would read more Wodehouse, but my library doesn't have this one. Maybe I'll nominate one that I can get my hands on!"

That would be splendid Jennifer

Lynaia wrote: "I don't believe that PGW is as well known in the States today as he is in the UK. I had never heard of him until my husband and I went on a trip to London 10 years ago. We always check out bookstores on vacation and I saw a bunch of books by him and they looked interesting so I picked up a couple. First PGW I read was Piccadilly Jim. I absolutely loved it and have read many more since. Before that trip, I had never even seen any books by PGW. This may explain to some extent why he never does well in the polls though. It's definitely too bad though. He is well worth reading! "

I couldn't agree more with your last comment Lynaia

Jan C wrote: "Wodehouse just doesn't appeal that much to me. I have a Mulliner book. But haven't really been able to get into it. I think most of us were introduced to Wodehouse when Bertie and Jeeves was being shown on PBS. That didn't exactly appeal to me either. It just didn't seem very funny, at least to my American eyes.

Maybe it is the class thing."

For me it's all about the language and humour - simply put, sublime

I revel in the understatement, exaggeration, literary allusion, surprising juxtapositions, linguistic inventiveness and so forth

Some fun examples here...

http://thewodehousianword.tumblr.com

So, should you be inclined to read Cocktail Time by P.G. Wodehouse then do come and join in this hot read discussion...

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

The general consensus is that no one is going to get to it for a few weeks yet, so plenty of time to get hold of a copy if you're tempted. The more the merrier.


Here's a bit more info about Cocktail Time by P.G. Wodehouse....



Cocktail Time
by P.G. Wodehouse

An Uncle Fred novel

Frederick, Earl of Ickenham, remains young at heart. So it is for him the act of a moment to lean out of the Drones Club window with a catapult and ping the silk top-hat off his grumpy in-law, the distinguished barrister Sir Raymond Bastable - but unfortunately things don't end there.

The sprightly earl finds that his action has inspired a scandalous bestseller and a film script - but this is as nothing compared with the entangled fates of the couples that surround him. In this delightful novel by the master of comic fiction, Uncle Fred will discover that only he, with his fabled sweetness and light can save the day.

Jan C wrote: "Wodehouse just doesn't appeal that much to me."

Lynaia wrote: "Personally, I find Uncle Fred funnier than Jeeves and Wooster. It may be that most Americans can't relate as well to Jeeves and Wooster. Don't know anyone with a valet here."

I've yet to read any of the Uncle Fred books but have only heard good things.

Valets are a thing of the past here in the UK. Indeed even when they were more widespread it was only a tiny percentage of the population who had one. Domestic servants more generally were a bit more widespread.

My copy came today. Looking forward to reading it (although of course there are a few books I must finish first). I haven't read much Wodehouse yet, but the ones I've read have been enjoyable and laugh-out-loud funny.

That's great news Barbara - looking forward to reading it with you and discovering what you make of it

I had the good sense to read 'Aunts Aren't Gentlemen' last week. I’ve noticed some readers suggest this latter day Jeeves and Wooster novel is a little sub par. I must respectfully demur. This is chock full of the requisite Wodehousian bon mots and amusing set pieces.

Click here to read my review