sib Posted April 28, 2006 Share Posted April 28, 2006 Hi, is anyone into P G Wodehouse? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted April 28, 2006 Share Posted April 28, 2006 I must confess that I haven't read any of his books Welcome to the forum. I'm sure that you'll enjoy it here! We're a chatty bunch so just feel free to join in! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted April 28, 2006 Share Posted April 28, 2006 Is it him that did all the Jeeves & Wooster stuff? I've not read them but I caught the occasional Fry & Laurie series on telly... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted April 28, 2006 Share Posted April 28, 2006 Kell it was - I checked on Amazon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inanna Posted April 28, 2006 Share Posted April 28, 2006 I don't believe I have read any of his books before, no! But welcome aboard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maureen Posted April 29, 2006 Share Posted April 29, 2006 Not even me. What type of books does he have? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiccibat Posted April 30, 2006 Share Posted April 30, 2006 My old man loves his books, I've read a couple and they are really funny.The T.V. series captures the essence of the books very well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freewheeling Andy Posted May 1, 2006 Share Posted May 1, 2006 The books are fantastic. The TV series caught the mood very well, but you acn't quite get Wodehouse's writing style onto the screen. I've only read 3 or 4 of them but they're such good fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarahrob Posted May 2, 2006 Share Posted May 2, 2006 I've only ever read What Ho, Jeeves, but thought it was completely fantastic and would love to read more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Stein Posted June 9, 2006 Share Posted June 9, 2006 Yes Wodehouse is a master. The difficulty is that he wrote about 90 books so it's hard to know where to start. I've read maybe a dozen or so. I strongly recommend Leave it to Psmith as one of his best novels. The story collections Meet Mr Mulliner and Ukridge are wonderful too. He has a particular way of phrasing things which is slightly old-fashioned and yet perfectly hilarious. And that's without even mentioning the Blandings books or the Jeeves and Wooster ones (which I don't like quite as much). The plots of his books are almost interchangeable - bossy aunts, drippy blokes, feisty girls, stolen manuscripts, prize-winning pigs - but it's all in the writing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sib Posted September 10, 2006 Author Share Posted September 10, 2006 He's probably my favourite author, but I agree that his plots and characters are a bit the same sometimes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louiseog Posted September 11, 2006 Share Posted September 11, 2006 I love his books, so easy to read! Quite samey but that is part of the attraiction, Simon Brett has something the same about his books as does MC Beaton and Agatha Raisin. I think Adore the television too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sib Posted September 11, 2006 Author Share Posted September 11, 2006 I know what you mean about the saminess being a good thing - it's like the characters are old friends. I think his books give you a nice, warm feeling. His use of language is masterly - the way he expresses things is funny. And some of his comedy situations are pure genius - I think Something Fresh, chapter 8, part IV is a great example. I think Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie were brilliant in the TV Jeeves and Wooster. I picture them as Bertie and Jeeves when I read the books now, as well as some of the other actors in that series as their respective characters in the books. His stories are farces about young men and women trying to make a buck and marry the girl/man of their dreams. Then of course there's Jeeves and Wooster; Wooster being the aristocratic Tim Nice But Dim character and Jeeves (his manservant) always getting him out of the various scrapes he gets into. And not to forget Ukridge, the likeable ne'er do well always with a grand scheme up his sleeve but never more than about threepence in his pocket. And Psmith, not one of my favourite characters, but a crafty and resilient chap all the same. Some of his comic situations are brilliant, and his use of language to great comic effect and his ability to find the telling phrase are masterly. A good one to start with would probably be Very Good Jeeves, a book of short stories with Jeeves and Wooster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz Posted October 6, 2006 Share Posted October 6, 2006 I've got two of the Jeeves books - Very Good, Jeeves and Right Ho, Jeeves. I know that there are a few more before those two in the series, but are they the type of books where it's better to read them in order, or doesn't it make much difference? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sib Posted October 6, 2006 Author Share Posted October 6, 2006 I've got two of the Jeeves books - Very Good, Jeeves and Right Ho, Jeeves. I know that there are a few more before those two in the series, but are they the type of books where it's better to read them in order, or doesn't it make much difference? To be honest, you could probably read them in any order. Even if you haven't read the previous books Wodehouse will fill you in on any essential details from those stories. He makes a kind of joke of it; Wooster says 'Please stop me if I've told you this before, but for those who haven't read of my previous adventures...' etc. Both Very Good, Jeeves and Right Ho, Jeeves are really good ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz Posted October 7, 2006 Share Posted October 7, 2006 Ah, that's good then. Thanks very much, Sib. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sib Posted October 7, 2006 Author Share Posted October 7, 2006 Let us know what you think of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy Posted October 8, 2006 Share Posted October 8, 2006 Wodehouse is my favourite humorous author. I saw some-one describe his books as satire, which I suppose in a way they are. I've read every book of his I can lay my hands on and many several times. They are real feel-good books and so very funny. Jeeves and Wooster are my favs, and like you say sib, Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry play their parts to perfection. But the Blandings series is excellent as well, I have a lot of affection for Lord Emsworth and his pig. I love the names the gives his characters - Gussie Fink-Nottle, Biffy, Barmy, Stiffy, Pongo etc etc. Now I'm going to use one of his quotes as my signature:mrgreen: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sib Posted October 9, 2006 Author Share Posted October 9, 2006 I think blandings is probably his most consistently good setting. (Not sure if that was a very good sentence, but nevermind.) But some of his one-off novels are great too. Try 'The Small Bachelor' and 'Uneasy Money' (this was the first one I read, and I'm re-reading it now). He's just got a way of saying things which is funny; your signature quote is a good example. Not sure I'd describe his books as satires particularly, (I always think of more scathing critiques of society or something when I think of satires). I'd just describe his books as 'fun'. Anyway, happy Wodehousing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy Posted October 9, 2006 Share Posted October 9, 2006 It's quite difficult to get hold of his more obscure (if that's the right word) books in NZ. I've read everything available in the library and always look out for his books in second-hand shops, but haven't come across these two, as far as I remember. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sib Posted October 11, 2006 Author Share Posted October 11, 2006 It's quite difficult to get hold of his more obscure (if that's the right word) books in NZ. I've read everything available in the library and always look out for his books in second-hand shops, but haven't come across these two, as far as I remember. You'll get The Small Bachelor from Amazon. In fact, I think Amazon is quite a good place for Wodehouse. Alot of his books are like gold-dust, now. The rarer ones seem to go for silly money on ebay. I think Everyman are doing a new series of his books, and have already got quite a few in print. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pilgrim Posted October 20, 2006 Share Posted October 20, 2006 If anyone's interested, we're discussing Jeeves and Wooster stories at this site: http://discussions.pbs.org/viewforum.pbs?f=4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KAY Posted October 31, 2006 Share Posted October 31, 2006 I had seen a jeeves and wooster episode on tv and thought i'd like to get into reading them, so i bought "thank you jeeves" only the time i read it was when i was feeling sick and in a great deal of pain with mumps and now everytime i see them on the shelves in the book shops it reminds me of my horrid mumps, the pain the sick and supplies me with dire memories. will one day erase the memories and read more though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pilgrim Posted November 19, 2006 Share Posted November 19, 2006 Funny to think that Wooster has become famous as House, MD. I like Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry in Jeeves and Wooster. This is a wonderful clip from the Emmy Awards with him and Helen Mirren. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Sv7Hy91EgM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ophelia Posted December 8, 2006 Share Posted December 8, 2006 I've read quite a few and have loved them. A couple of years ago a (fairly wealthy) friend bought me a Folio Society copy of 'The Plums of P G Wodehouse' which contains some of his best bits. I'm not sure whether it's published by anyone else, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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