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david_megginson's review against another edition
3.0
Very light reading — like a dinner where all the courses are desserts.
colinthegreatandpowerful's review against another edition
3.0
When it's funny, it's absurd and scathingly funny. When it's not, it's very dull.
fionak's review against another edition
3.0
The pacing and story arc of these little tales is rather inconsistent and the resolutions are sometimes unsatisfying. I quite enjoyed the one about the ugly policeman and it was fun to see Wodehouse write female narrators.
monkreads's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75
ulrikedg's review against another edition
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
4.5
Coming at this book after having read all of the Jeeves & Wooster stories (including Extricating Young Gussie, which is the second story in this volume), and being of the opinion that the middle novels are Wodehouse's best, I was quite surprised at how much I enjoyed this collection of early stories! I frequently reread the J&W audiobooks to fall asleep, but I almost always skip the short stories as less enjoyable. These short stories are almost universally lovely!
I think my favorite story was At Geisenheimer's. If this were a more modern story, I'd have wondered if Miss Roxborough and Mary weren't going to run away together (I may have to check AO3 to see if anyone has written that alternate ending), but I did enjoy the sweet ending Wodehouse gave us.
The Making of Mac's and Black for Luck both feature rather obnoxious male romantic partners, neither of whom deserve to end up with the girl. But the other stories are generally pretty good. Sometimes, it's not clear whether Wodehouse is really a terrible misogynist or if he just writes sexist characters.
I've always been a fan of Frederick Davidson's Wodehouse narrations, and here I can compare him head-to-head (so to speak) with David Thorn, who is the narrator of the version of Extricating Young Gussie that I already own. Davidson comes out miles ahead! Five stars for Davidson.
I think my favorite story was At Geisenheimer's. If this were a more modern story, I'd have wondered if Miss Roxborough and Mary weren't going to run away together (I may have to check AO3 to see if anyone has written that alternate ending), but I did enjoy the sweet ending Wodehouse gave us.
The Making of Mac's and Black for Luck both feature rather obnoxious male romantic partners, neither of whom deserve to end up with the girl. But the other stories are generally pretty good. Sometimes, it's not clear whether Wodehouse is really a terrible misogynist or if he just writes sexist characters.
I've always been a fan of Frederick Davidson's Wodehouse narrations, and here I can compare him head-to-head (so to speak) with David Thorn, who is the narrator of the version of Extricating Young Gussie that I already own. Davidson comes out miles ahead! Five stars for Davidson.
dawnsona's review against another edition
5.0
Somehow not as upbeat as I'd like my Wodehouse to be...
theladydoor's review against another edition
4.0
I first heard about P.G. Wodehouse in an interview of Hugh Laurie's in which he claimed that reading Wodehouse novels saved his life. I was intrigued. Who was this Wodehouse, and what about him made his novels special?
My curiosity (and my overwhelming fannish love for Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry) led me to watch all of Jeeves and Wooster, loving every minute of it. I read several Jeeves and Wooster books as well as one or two about Psmith and Blandings Castle. I love that the characters are all semi-connected, and I must admit that the time period Wodehouse writes about is my absolute favorite, a time when women were women, and men were fops.
The short stories in this collection are essentially Wodehousian in all aspects. The characters are delightfully earnest. One story stands out in particular: a dog does everything in his power to make his master (a thief) happy, but only ends up foiling his plans. These characters, bumbling through life, trying their best, and achieving dreams through sheer dumb luck, made me incredibly happy.
My curiosity (and my overwhelming fannish love for Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry) led me to watch all of Jeeves and Wooster, loving every minute of it. I read several Jeeves and Wooster books as well as one or two about Psmith and Blandings Castle. I love that the characters are all semi-connected, and I must admit that the time period Wodehouse writes about is my absolute favorite, a time when women were women, and men were fops.
The short stories in this collection are essentially Wodehousian in all aspects. The characters are delightfully earnest. One story stands out in particular: a dog does everything in his power to make his master (a thief) happy, but only ends up foiling his plans. These characters, bumbling through life, trying their best, and achieving dreams through sheer dumb luck, made me incredibly happy.
shortthoughts's review against another edition
5.0
Another fun collection of short stories. These are early stories and the first story of Jeeves and Wooster. Both of those characters would grow and develop later on. I quite enjoyed it.