Meet Mr. Mulliner

De: P. G. Wodehouse

Narrado por: Jonathan Cecil

In the Angler’s Rest, drinking hot scotch and lemon, sits one of Wodehouse’s greatest raconteurs. Mr. Mulliner, his vivid imagination lubricated by Miss Postlethwaite the barmaid, has fabulous stories to tell of the extraordinary behavior of his far-flung family....

One of them concerns Wilfred, who lights on the formula for Buck-U-Uppo, a tonic given to elephants to enable them to face tigers with the necessary nonchalance. Its explosive effects on a shy young curate and then the higher clergy are gravely revealed....

©2009 the Trustees of the Wodehouse Estates. All rights reserved.; 2011 the Trustees of the Wodehouse Estates. All rights reserved. (P)2011 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Timeless stories of both hilarity and warmth

Wodehouse is a literary treasure of material to enjoy for many years to come

hilarious

This collection of short stories is hilarious. Most deal with romance. what a hoot

For the Mulliner stories, as good as it gets

What does Jonathan Cecil bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I've been trying for years to warm up to Wodehouse. Highly literate friends whose opinions I respect are lifelong Wodehouse fans, and of course, you can't read anything about Wodehouse without finding him praised for his supposed mastery of English prose style, for his alleged hilarity (indeed, he considered himself pretty hilarious as well), and for the fact that people like Waugh, Orwell, and Eliot were fans. I kept trying to read him -- the Jeeves books, specifically -- but just never found him funny, and those plots -- all about lovelorn types at country-house weekends trying to impress difficult girlfriends or escape from domineering aunts -- were pleasant enough, and yeah, they never pretended to be more than amusing trifles set in an artificial world... but even as such, they just seemed as silly and ultimately tedious as '50s sitcoms. But Jonathan Cecil's affable, comfortable voice, narrating Mr. Mulliner's tales of his various eccentric relatives (which he's recounting to assembled listeners at the Anglers' Rest -- what a perfect venue), is just the thing for making Wodeouse, if not exactly knee-slappingly funny, at least amiable and palatable and good to listen to before going to sleep. I can't explain exactly why, but Wodehouse just works way, way better for me spoken aloud, in a properly genial voice, than on the page.

Mixed bag of Wodehouse

Some great moments, some less great. Wodehouse cannot be universally appealing 100% of the time. Worth a free listen, for sure.

Mulliner is worth meeting

A terrific selection of stories that are classic Wodehouse. I particularly liked "The Bishop's Move" - found it to be uproariously funny in a quirky kind of way. Jonathan Cecil's voice characterizations are masterful, and highly entertaining. Cecil squeezes every nuance of satire and humor out of the stories - a true artist that helps you understand the genius of the author.