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A review by ulrikedg
The Man with Two Left Feet by P.G. Wodehouse
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.