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alischim's review against another edition
4.0
Quite possibly one of the most British books I have ever had the good fortune of reading. Clever and witty, and highly enjoyable.
missziyal's review against another edition
3.0
Being new to P.G. Wodehouse and Jeeves and Wooster, I thought I'd start off with the first book of short stories. I didn't know that this collection had several Reggie Pepper and I didn't care for those as much. But I greatly enjoyed the ones that were actually Jeeves and Wooster. There's a certain charm to them and the writing style is incredibly entertaining.
joshualeet697's review against another edition
4.0
I Say! A topping read my chappies! Okay, no more of that. In all seriousness, this was a great fun light read. I enjoyed each story exceedingly. This is the first P.G. Wodehouse book I've read. I'm lead to believe that while it is good, some other stuff of his is much better. In fact, I was expecting this to be far less entertaining. Something about the year 1919 doesn't really have a nice ring about it as a publishing date. In any event, these stories were all amusing. Some more than others. And I must say I hold a preferential bias toward enjoying the Jeezes/Wooster stories more than the Reggie Pepper ones. Not to suggest the Reggie ones weren't entertaining, because they were.
Why 4 instead of 5 stars? My only real qualm is in the fact of each story being rather formulaic. You could always expect the words Rummy, Topping, Chappies, etc. So stylistically each story resembled the others a great deal. But that didn't really bother me much, it was merely something I noticed as I read several stories in a row. It does warrant a reduction of one star I feel, because the stories could have been a bit more varied in composition.
Essentially the stories seem to roughly go as follows (albeit correct me if I'm wrong):
Friend comes to Wooster or Reggie Pepper with a problem
A resolution is settled upon
The resolution doesn't go quite as planned
Failure causes some discomfort to the characters
New resolution to problem comes
Resolution succeeds
General happy ending
A bit more diversity plot form would have been preferred but on the whole I enjoyed it, and look forward to more in the future.
Why 4 instead of 5 stars? My only real qualm is in the fact of each story being rather formulaic. You could always expect the words Rummy, Topping, Chappies, etc. So stylistically each story resembled the others a great deal. But that didn't really bother me much, it was merely something I noticed as I read several stories in a row. It does warrant a reduction of one star I feel, because the stories could have been a bit more varied in composition.
Essentially the stories seem to roughly go as follows (albeit correct me if I'm wrong):
Friend comes to Wooster or Reggie Pepper with a problem
A resolution is settled upon
The resolution doesn't go quite as planned
Failure causes some discomfort to the characters
New resolution to problem comes
Resolution succeeds
General happy ending
A bit more diversity plot form would have been preferred but on the whole I enjoyed it, and look forward to more in the future.
yermie's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
bexstory's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Jeeeves and Wooster are hilarious caricatures of the period. I would give 5*s, but I did not find the stories of their friends as convincing.
karen_unabridged's review against another edition
4.0
Great fun. This is the first Wodehouse I've read through. The short stories made it an easy bedtime read. Love the use of language and turns of phrase. I think I actually laughed out loud while reading this one.
Recommended for: fans of British humor, fans of funny (rather than gothic or tragic) short stories.
Recommended for: fans of British humor, fans of funny (rather than gothic or tragic) short stories.
rubyredders's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Delightfully camp. Every single story has a helpless but well meaning man trying his best to help a pal out, then ending up in an absolutely farcical scenario and still somehow coming out alright.
The Jeeves and Wooster stories were a joy. Reggie Pepper was a pleasant surprise, albeit the stories were weaker in comparison.
Definitely some outdated wording and social mores but nothing that would come across overly offensive so much as well behind the times.
The language Wodehouse uses is so evocative of the characters he's giving voice to - dated obviously, but so entertaining and the characters are very endearing. Reggie and Bertie really do try their best bless them, but they love an obtuse scheme and no back up plan so hijinks always ensue.
The Jeeves and Wooster stories were a joy. Reggie Pepper was a pleasant surprise, albeit the stories were weaker in comparison.
Definitely some outdated wording and social mores but nothing that would come across overly offensive so much as well behind the times.
The language Wodehouse uses is so evocative of the characters he's giving voice to - dated obviously, but so entertaining and the characters are very endearing. Reggie and Bertie really do try their best bless them, but they love an obtuse scheme and no back up plan so hijinks always ensue.
charity_royall_331's review against another edition
5.0
The genius of the Jeeves and Wooster stories is that they are all first-person narrated by the dunderheaded Bertie.
caysie's review against another edition
4.0
I actually listened to this book (from librivox.org) when I was sick - classic Wodehouse. :)