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15th out of 52 books
—
56 voters
The Clicking of Cuthbert
Who but P.G. Wodehouse could have extracted high comedy from the most noble and ancient game of golf? And who else could have combined this comedy with a real appreciation of the game, drawn from personal experience? Wodehouse's brilliant but human brand of humor is perfectly suited to these stories of love, rivalry, revenge, and fulfillment on the links.
While the Oldest...more
While the Oldest...more
Paperback, 174 pages
Published
March 27th 1994
by Random House UK
(first published 1922)
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Oct 20, 2007
Ian Wood
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone, golfer or otherwise
Shelves:
p-g-wodehouse
Fore! Some years ago a friend of mine encouraged me to take up Golf so I could join him in a strange world of tournaments, competitions and social events that would otherwise be closed to me. He offered to take me out on a round to get me into the ‘swing’ of things. Some five hours, one hundred and sixty strokes (a very liberal scoring procedure was employed) and five lost balls later both he and I were suffering some frustration. I went to a driving range but had to be smuggled out of the back...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I am not a golfer. The appeal of hitting a little white ball with a bent stick and then chasing after it eludes me.
So why would I read a collection of golfing tales? The answer can be summed up in one word: Wodehouse.
P.G. Wodehouse is, hands down, the funniest author I have ever read.
This book contains ten golf-related short stories:
The Clicking of Cuthbert
A Woman is Only a Woman
A Mixed Threesome
Sundered Hearts
The Salvation of George Mackintosh
Ordeal by Golf
The Long Hole
The Heel of Achilles
The...more
So why would I read a collection of golfing tales? The answer can be summed up in one word: Wodehouse.
P.G. Wodehouse is, hands down, the funniest author I have ever read.
This book contains ten golf-related short stories:
The Clicking of Cuthbert
A Woman is Only a Woman
A Mixed Threesome
Sundered Hearts
The Salvation of George Mackintosh
Ordeal by Golf
The Long Hole
The Heel of Achilles
The...more
A prolific and consistent writer, Wodehouse produced volumes of well-crafted humor. But, at times, one inevitably feels a certain distance. The comedian really should not get too close to his audience. But in this book I get the strong sense that he was writing as much for himself as for the public. In most of these stories he is not trying to get us to laugh, he is cracking jokes and laughing along.
Much of the humor may be lost on non-golfers (or those who don't know any golfers). But if you ha...more
Much of the humor may be lost on non-golfers (or those who don't know any golfers). But if you ha...more
Started reading this book on net on a dull monday morning in Office.(Ya I do that. :p)
And trust me nothing could have been more refreshing.
I was suggested about Wodehouse books by my friend before.I had even began with one but left in between because
of the arduous verbiage and unfamiliar slangs.
So was bit hesitant before starting this.But it "clicked".:)
The book is collection of short stories themed around the game of golf and the extent to which it worshippers go to
preserve their love for it.Th...more
And trust me nothing could have been more refreshing.
I was suggested about Wodehouse books by my friend before.I had even began with one but left in between because
of the arduous verbiage and unfamiliar slangs.
So was bit hesitant before starting this.But it "clicked".:)
The book is collection of short stories themed around the game of golf and the extent to which it worshippers go to
preserve their love for it.Th...more
J. Cuthbert Banks is in love with Adeline, a young lady who is a member of the 'Cultured' club. As a member of the 'Golf' club, he is at odds with any Cultured club member, so he switches clubs and gives up golf (no pun intended on my part). He soon finds that she is in love with a promising young novelist in the Cultured club who is influenced by Russian authors. The C Club eventually invites Mr. Brusiloff, a Russian writer to speak at their club; he publically shames the young novelist by sayi...more
I am still laughing about some of these stories. I very much enjoyed the nature of much of the humor in this piece. Certainly, taken as a period piece (somewhat stereotypical of women in the 1920's and 30's) it is quite funny. Much the same as Evelyn Waugh (one of my absolute favorite writers) in the satire, especially names and observations of class, wealth and relationships, but add the absolutely insane command golf has on the sane human being and you get to laugh out loud at yourself in many...more
May 11, 2013
Christopher
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
fans of Wodehouse
as a rule, i think of golf as a sedative on a lazy sunday afternoon and little else. P.G. Wodehouse's short stories loosely centered around golf are much more edifying. a reader doesn't need to know much about the sport in order to appreciate these stories, as one can glean the meanings of golf terms mostly from context and repetitive usage. no, these stories are love stories for the most part, and are filled with Wodehouse's unique charm. of the 84 books by Wodehouse (published by Overlook) tha...more
About as funny as P. G. Wodehouse gets. I laughed out loud at least twice. Probably the funniest part is that Wodehouse wrote the book for a British audience. Then, in order to sell it in the States, he changed the setting to Long Island. "London" becomes "New York," and "Picadilly" (I'm guessing) becomes "Times Square." The funny part is that he doesn't change any of the characteristic English style and expressions. The result is that you have Manhooset golfers wielding their niblicks and enjoy...more
Jan 18, 2012
Karthik Thrikkadeeri
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
read it!
Recommended to Karthik by:
no one.
It was my first PGW. I liked it. It wasn't all that funny as I had expected it to be. Or maybe I am too young? I am reminded of a line from it : "Golf like measles should be caught young."
He he...
Anyway, in the foreword, (titled Fore!)PGW said that it was a time when he was bleeding or something. His life must have been in ruins. ANyway, he said that we should appreciate him if we found anything amusing in the book. He also shared a critic's letter which pointed out a mistake which PGW had delib...more
He he...
Anyway, in the foreword, (titled Fore!)PGW said that it was a time when he was bleeding or something. His life must have been in ruins. ANyway, he said that we should appreciate him if we found anything amusing in the book. He also shared a critic's letter which pointed out a mistake which PGW had delib...more
However I was mistaken to be suspicious, these stories mixing the trials and tribulations of golf with the golfer’s attempts to succeed in love or other worthwhile pursuits really are a triumph.
The Oldest Member of the club sums up all aspects of golf in the most wonderful language , such as the following description of weekend golfers ‘Like all Saturday foursomes, it is in difficulties. One of the patients is zigzagging about the fairway like a liner pursued by submarines. Two others seem to be...more
The Oldest Member of the club sums up all aspects of golf in the most wonderful language , such as the following description of weekend golfers ‘Like all Saturday foursomes, it is in difficulties. One of the patients is zigzagging about the fairway like a liner pursued by submarines. Two others seem to be...more
Ten stories, all with the common theme of golf and its tortures. Amusing but not particularly laugh out loud funny. Some great turns of phrase and wonderful images but I have noticed one constant. This is the second volume of his short stories that i have read and though i am always aware of which character I am supposed to like, I almost inevitably find them annoying and self-obsessed. In this volume, which is largely tongue-in-cheek, perhaps that is not a real problem but i carry the horrible...more
Apr 11, 2010
Timothy
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
read-reviewed-in-2009
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Ah, Wodehouse, where would I be without you? Technically in the exact same spot I am now, but I would be here without quite as large a grin on my face. After my last Wodehouse read, I acquisitioned a horde of Wodehouse works to get me through when reading times were tough. This was just such a time. I had been plodding through three non-fiction works, some more painstaking than others, but all of them taking up a lot of time and focusing on very serious matters. After finishing up one, I knew th...more
Aug 21, 2007
Lyman Phillips
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
looking for light humor
Shelves:
humor
Looking for light humor unburdened by irony, meanness or sex? Travel back to a gentler time where good for nothing men played golf at the club and woo-ed women they had fallen head over heels in love with after an evening stroll, while attempting to become a scratch player using spoons, mashies and niblicks.
Not sure what I am talking about? Golf, by Jove!
Delicate little fables of the rare game played by characters that do not exist anymore and probably never existed. These players love the game...more
Not sure what I am talking about? Golf, by Jove!
Delicate little fables of the rare game played by characters that do not exist anymore and probably never existed. These players love the game...more
What a charming little collection of golf-related yarns. As I may have mentioned, although I don't play at all I'm a moderately fluent speaker of golf. (Thanks be to Wikipedia for the translations for the old fashioned names of clubs that preceded the current, rather prosaic numbering system.)
This was my first Wodehouse, but certainly won't be my last. There were so many wonderful turns of phrase and quirky descriptions, so many quick, acute insights into human character to enjoy in these 10 s...more
This was my first Wodehouse, but certainly won't be my last. There were so many wonderful turns of phrase and quirky descriptions, so many quick, acute insights into human character to enjoy in these 10 s...more
I had no idea of the rules of golf but this book still had me in splits. After I finished this book and stopped laughing (and the latter took quite a while), I actually went and learnt a bit about the rules in order to better understand his other golfing stories - the book is that good. The stories are filled with classic, lovable Wodehouse characters; the writer's effortless turn of phrase and wide range of allusions will have any reader spellbound and enlightened.
In short: The inimitable Plum...more
In short: The inimitable Plum...more
A fabulous book of golf stories that has made me fall in love with the game itself. And it reminded me of the long hours i spent playing golf in my Wii console! How much I must have irritated my sister as she waited for me to struggle through every hole in a dozen putts! The audio book was a bliss that made me forget the strain in the initial days of pedalling to work. Lovely.
I'm not a golfer, but these golfing stories are sublime. Written with the classic Wodehousian light tough, these stories manage to convey the passion golfers have for the game without taking it too seriously. Each of these little gems is a love story on the links, for the links, or by the links, and they should be read by golfers and non-golfers alike.
There is a blatant madness to the game of golf that never fails to impress me, and it is a perfect fit with Wodehouse's brand of prose and drama. This book is the literary equivalent to a gin&tonic; light, sweet and mellowing to the spirit, but with just the right amount of sarcastic bite to make it memorable - and repeatable - for a lifetime. Classic.
An avid golfer friend of mine passed this Wodehouse book on to me. Am not into golfing but I thought I'd give it a try. It's a collection of funny and witty stories (written in 1924)that deal with men and their love for women and golf. There's a lot of bumbling going on, cluelessness, rivalry, conspiring, much in the Wodehouse fashion. I'm sure a lot of golfing jokes went right past me though.
This is a collection of golf stories. All of them make me want to play golf, and are extremely funny as well. I must say the last one was a little too idiotically silly for me- a faraway kingdom learns of golf and begins to worship it, in turn bringing prosperity to the country.
A collection of short stories about golf as related to young players by the Oldest Member -- very funny, biting satire leveled against the overly-avid golfer and yet ultimately sweet tales of life and relationships. First Wodehouse I've read, but there will be more.
Very funny especially if you golf (or more so if you're a golf "widow"), but this isn't a necessity since most of the stories revolve around relationships and wooing. But it would be helpful going into the book knowing that a Mashie niblick is a term (historically preceding the numbering of clubs) referring to a higher iron or wedge.
I will use this "review" for all the P. G. Wodehouse I have read. I read them all so long ago and enjoyed them so much that I have given them all 5 stars. As I re-read them I will adjust the stars accordingly, if necessary, and add a proper review.
When I first discovered P. G. Wodehouse I devoured every book I could find in the local library, throughout the eighties and early nineties. Alas, this means that I have read most of them and stumbling across one I have not read is a rare thing. I'm su...more
When I first discovered P. G. Wodehouse I devoured every book I could find in the local library, throughout the eighties and early nineties. Alas, this means that I have read most of them and stumbling across one I have not read is a rare thing. I'm su...more
This book is a series of golf stories told by the oldest member. Most of them include wooing of fellow golfers or contests between two golfers after the same woman. The final story is about the introduction of golf to a remote country.
Hilarious is the exact expression to describe Wodehouse stories:) I had always thought of Golf as a not-so-exciting sport.. but this book turned my view upside down. Recommended Wodehouse pick if you are feeling so meh ! ;)
Not being a golfer, I wasn't sure about this one; but it was amusing enough for housework listening.
I listened to the LibriVox recording.
I listened to the LibriVox recording.
Wodehouse demonstrates his understanding of golf and its comic potential, particularly when his characters are the jolly young things whose amorous and other difficulties feature in the Oldest Member's ruminations.
Contains two of my favorite comic short stories, "The Long Hole" and "The Coming of Gowf". You don't have to be a golfer to enjoy this book as long as you understand the hold that the game can have on people.
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Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, KBE, was a comic writer who enjoyed enormous popular success during a career of more than seventy years and continues to be widely read over 30 years after his death. Despite the political and social upheavals that occurred during his life, much of which was spent in France and the United States, Wodehouse's main canvas remained that of prewar English upper-class so...more
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Oct 08, 2008 08:31am