Carry On, Jeeves

By: P. G. Wodehouse

Narrated by: David McCallion

Length: 7 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

Carry On Jeeves once again follows the humorous everyday lives of Bertie Wooster and his gentleman's gentleman Jeeves. As the helpful soul that he is, Bertie continues to try to come to the aid of his friends whenever they're in need, and although his intentions are always for the best nothing ever seems to work out quite right for anyone until Jeeves steps in and invariably saves the day.

When his friends are in trouble Bertie is always the first to step forward and offer his assistance, but try as he might he just can't seem to be as much use as his man Jeeves who can always come up with a plan that will ensure a positive outcome for everyone, especially himself!

The first story in this book heralds the arrival of Jeeves into Bertie’s employment, as a replacement for his previous valet who was of the light fingered variety. It also contains a story from Jeeves's perspective, a unique insight into the mind of the man who most of Bertie's friends wish was the one picking out their socks in the morning.

©2014 A.R.N. Publications (P)2014 A.R.N. Publications

A well done story

Wodehouse is wonderful and the narrator is superb. A great story to listen to while traveling.

Rather!!

I couldn't quite make up my mind about David McCallion's reading but really, text as good as this could be read by Vinnie Jones and still be a knockout. The glorious Edwardian slang of Bertie (people being 'pipped' or 'bucked', to 'rally round', 'popping orf', 'old chap / sport / fruit / bean', 'chumps' at every turn, etc. etc), the irreproachable Jeeves speaking like the Lord Chancellor... and the names! Sippy, Bingo, Biffie, each more fat-headed than the last. In the more serious moments one idly wonders about the whole apparatus of 'service' and 'gentlemen's gentlemen' and how it could ever have survived the Middle Ages... but fortunately these are few, and one can believe that Jeeves is perfectly content with his lot in life, and wish for a life like Bertie's all over again. McCallion does put a lot of care into his seemingly breezy reading, even the mispronunciations noted by another reviewer would be period- and class-accurate (shire to rhyme with wire being a recurring example). Overall simply not to be missed.

Not the best performance

This book includes the story of Wooster's first meeting with Jeeves, which is a nice bit of history if you haven't read it before. I'd recommend a different version, though. Wooster's efforts to be witty sound rather dull and mundane in this performance. I switched to the version narrated by Jarvis and found the stories much more lively and interesting.

Stories are funny with dry humor.

The Narrator was my favorite. I prefer the voices of Jonathan Cecil. I love the short stories.

Wodehouse is wonderful!

What made the experience of listening to Carry On, Jeeves the most enjoyable?

I got into this author thanks to the BBC TV series starring Stephen Fry (as Jeeves) and Hugh Lorie. Therefore my "voice memory" of these two actors was very strong when I started this audio book. However, David McCallion did a great job of narrating this unabridged version which was shockingly close to the TV series. This rendition of this wonderful book was thoroughly enjoyable and I highly recommend it!

What did you like best about this story?

The stories are like finding an old photo - familiar but very old-fashioned.

Fun with Jeeves

Such fun to listen to, with many laugh out loud moments, though one must be willing to overlook the chauvinism of the narrative which was typical of the time in which the action is set.

The PERFECT voice for this book!

We all have that one friend who is always willing to lend a helping hand no matter how small or large the task. In the early 1900s in London, Bertram "Bertie" Wooster is a gentleman who is searching for just that sort of friend, which he finds in his new servant Jeeves. An amalgam of characters emerge with different personalities, modes of speech, and ways of interacting, all stemming from the brilliant reading of this audio version by David McCallion. His depiction of the characters and their dialogues breathe wittiness and humor into the words when appropriate, as he also takes on a serious tone when the text calls for it. 

Reading about and listening to the various situations that Bertie finds himself in makes me wish I had a friend like Jeeves all to my own! It seems that there is no problem too great for Jeeves to solve, and just like Bertie's friends, it is easy to understand how important Jeeve's presence is in everyone's life. Despite the twists and turns of the plot, McCallion's constant changing of his inflection and voice help to bring clarity to who is speaking, making for an amazing listening experience to this very funny tale!

Pedantic, news anchor delivery

I’m a huge Wodehouse fan, and Jonathan Cecil sets a very high bar. The delivery and cadence of this narrator did not support the comedy, in my opinion. Pace is crucial in farce, and I was distracted by the narrator’s rhythm.

Enjoyable

The book was the usual Wodehouse style very enjoyable and hilarious at times. Good recommendation

old fashioned but worth reading

as a spoof the book is excelent. but it shows an exaggerated picture from 100 years ago