Pelham Grenville Wodehouse (1881 1975), a native of Guildford, England, was probably the greatest writer of comedy in the 20th century. With each passing year, his work continues to grow in popularity. Jeeves, the omniscient, highly competent valet, and Bertie Wooster, the upper-class, feather-brained gadabout, are his two most famous creations. His stories are generally characterized by intricate plots dealing with human foibles and complex, romantic entanglements. This series of short stories are perfect examples of his style.
The four stories in this collection were the very first pieces Wodehouse published about his famous duo. They already demonstrate his mastery of style, language, and complex imagery which was so marvelously sustained in his material for the ensuing 60 years. These short stories are jewels of comedic brevity and masterpieces of stylistic unity.
The stories in this collection are:
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(P)1999 Audio Connoisseur
"almost unlistenable"
I'm a Wodehouse fan, but the Charlton Griffin narration is horrendous. Complete with tinkling 20's ragtime background music, this production is cheesy and grotesque.
After listening Frederick Davidson's elegant and understatedly humorous readings of other Wodehouse books, this came as a very bad surprise.
It was just too corny, campy, cheesy. A good narrator should disappear into the background and support the written word. Griffin's performance does the opposite. And--I wouldn't have thought this possible--ruins the stories.
Please have Frederick Davidson narrate this!
"Not good on any level"
I really did not like this book. The characters are shallow and I was unable to develop any interest at all in what happens to them. The plot seemed pointless and completely failed to capture my interest. Worst of all was that the narration is simply annoying. The nasal quality of all the characters may be music to a British ear, but this American just couldn't stand any more after the first hour. And it really wasn't particularly funny.