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Mr. Mulliner #2
Mr. Mulliner Speaking
At the Angler?s Nest, Mr. Mulliner tells his amazing tales. Here you can discover what happened to The Man Who Gave up Smoking, and experience the dreadful Unpleasantness at Bludleigh Court.
232 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1929
80 people are currently reading
2570 people want to read
About the author
P.G. Wodehouse
1,680 books6,937 followersSir 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 40 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 society, reflecting his birth, education, and youthful writing career.
An acknowledged master of English prose, Wodehouse has been admired both by contemporaries such as Hilaire Belloc, Evelyn Waugh and Rudyard Kipling and by more recent writers such as Douglas Adams, Salman Rushdie and Terry Pratchett. Sean O'Casey famously called him "English literature's performing flea", a description that Wodehouse used as the title of a collection of his letters to a friend, Bill Townend.
Best known today for the Jeeves and Blandings Castle novels and short stories, Wodehouse was also a talented playwright and lyricist who was part author and writer of fifteen plays and of 250 lyrics for some thirty musical comedies. He worked with Cole Porter on the musical Anything Goes (1934) and frequently collaborated with Jerome Kern and Guy Bolton. He wrote the lyrics for the hit song Bill in Kern's Show Boat (1927), wrote the lyrics for the Gershwin/Romberg musical Rosalie (1928), and collaborated with Rudolf Friml on a musical version of The Three Musketeers (1928).
An acknowledged master of English prose, Wodehouse has been admired both by contemporaries such as Hilaire Belloc, Evelyn Waugh and Rudyard Kipling and by more recent writers such as Douglas Adams, Salman Rushdie and Terry Pratchett. Sean O'Casey famously called him "English literature's performing flea", a description that Wodehouse used as the title of a collection of his letters to a friend, Bill Townend.
Best known today for the Jeeves and Blandings Castle novels and short stories, Wodehouse was also a talented playwright and lyricist who was part author and writer of fifteen plays and of 250 lyrics for some thirty musical comedies. He worked with Cole Porter on the musical Anything Goes (1934) and frequently collaborated with Jerome Kern and Guy Bolton. He wrote the lyrics for the hit song Bill in Kern's Show Boat (1927), wrote the lyrics for the Gershwin/Romberg musical Rosalie (1928), and collaborated with Rudolf Friml on a musical version of The Three Musketeers (1928).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 122 reviews
September 5, 2015
In the Wodehousian universe of absurdly funny happenings, the character of Mr. Mulliner can be seen as the ever-spouting fountain of contentment, bubbling enthusiasm, never-say-die attitude and unlimited supplies of strange amusing stories.
Sipping his share of Hot scotch and Lemon, Mr. Mulliner, a regular patron at the Angler's Rest pub, has an opinion for everything and narrates a steady stream of amazing tales to his fellow drinkers – who are referred to as Pints of Stout and Whiskies and Splash, identifying them by their favorite drinks.
In ‘Mr. Mulliner Speaking’, P.G. Wodehouse presents the reader with nine hilarious short stories narrated through Mulliner, in which his family and fellow club members appear as central characters. Each of these short stories begin with conversations happening between the frequenters at the bar parlor, and then Mr. Mulliner joining these conversations and elaborating them with his outlandish and funny tales based on his ‘recollections’ and ‘memories’ about his extended family.
In the short story "The Reverent Wooing of Archibald", Mr. Mulliner tells his audience about the love story of Archibald Mulliner, his nephew and an expert at mimicking a hen laying an egg; In "Those in Peril on the Tee", Mr. Mulliner delights the listeners with a running commentary on one of the most hilarious and worst game of golf ever played by two young men in the name of love; These rib-tickling tales, which Wodehouse spins through Mr. Mulliner has settings around the globe and deal with a range of themes - like love lost and gained, quests for love and fortunes made and lost – and will make you laugh in delight.
We can observe Wodehouse at his finest in his ability to create incredible humor from silly situations and general confusion among the characters in these short stories. With such a skill in creating the most preposterous of plots and making them highly enjoyable for the reader, it is no surprise that P.G. Wodehouse and his works continue to be appreciated by a healthy number of diehard followers.
Julian Fellowes - the English actor, writer, film director and a Conservative member of the House of Lords, who adapted 'Piccadilly Jim' for a screenplay for the 2004 John McKay movie - made this observation about the comfortable world that Wodehouse creates for the reader through his narrations.
This is a fine selection of short stories, which are comical, fresh, easy to read and highly entertaining.
Sipping his share of Hot scotch and Lemon, Mr. Mulliner, a regular patron at the Angler's Rest pub, has an opinion for everything and narrates a steady stream of amazing tales to his fellow drinkers – who are referred to as Pints of Stout and Whiskies and Splash, identifying them by their favorite drinks.
In ‘Mr. Mulliner Speaking’, P.G. Wodehouse presents the reader with nine hilarious short stories narrated through Mulliner, in which his family and fellow club members appear as central characters. Each of these short stories begin with conversations happening between the frequenters at the bar parlor, and then Mr. Mulliner joining these conversations and elaborating them with his outlandish and funny tales based on his ‘recollections’ and ‘memories’ about his extended family.
In the short story "The Reverent Wooing of Archibald", Mr. Mulliner tells his audience about the love story of Archibald Mulliner, his nephew and an expert at mimicking a hen laying an egg; In "Those in Peril on the Tee", Mr. Mulliner delights the listeners with a running commentary on one of the most hilarious and worst game of golf ever played by two young men in the name of love; These rib-tickling tales, which Wodehouse spins through Mr. Mulliner has settings around the globe and deal with a range of themes - like love lost and gained, quests for love and fortunes made and lost – and will make you laugh in delight.
We can observe Wodehouse at his finest in his ability to create incredible humor from silly situations and general confusion among the characters in these short stories. With such a skill in creating the most preposterous of plots and making them highly enjoyable for the reader, it is no surprise that P.G. Wodehouse and his works continue to be appreciated by a healthy number of diehard followers.
"P.G. Wodehouse remains the greatest chronicler of a certain kind of Englishness, that no one else has ever captured quite so sharply, or with quite as much wit and affection"
Julian Fellowes - the English actor, writer, film director and a Conservative member of the House of Lords, who adapted 'Piccadilly Jim' for a screenplay for the 2004 John McKay movie - made this observation about the comfortable world that Wodehouse creates for the reader through his narrations.
This is a fine selection of short stories, which are comical, fresh, easy to read and highly entertaining.
June 3, 2015
This second visit to the bar-parlour of the Angler’s Rest is as delightful as the first. The Mulliner tales – like the best of Wodehouse – are simultaneously beautifully light and roar out loud funny.
There’s no point me wasting words trying to describe the stories, so here’s a quote from each to give you a flavour.
The Reverent Wooing of Archibald
“’The Aunt. She thinks Bacon wrote Shakespeare.’
‘Thinks who wrote what?’ asked Archibald, puzzled, for the names were strange to him.
The Man Who Gave Up Smoking
“I look upon tobacco as life’s out-standing boon, and it annoys me to hear these faddists abusing it. And how foolish their arguments are, how easily refuted. They come and tell me that if they place two drops of nicotine on the tongue of a dog the animal instantly dies: and when I ask them if they have ever tried the childishly simple device of not placing nicotine on the dog’s tongue, they have nothing to reply. They are non-plussed. They go away mumbling something about never having thought of that.”
The Story of Cedric
“The drowsy stillness of the summer afternoon was shattered by what sounded to his strained senses like G.K. Chesterton falling on a sheet of tin.”
The Ordeal of Osbert Mulliner
“He possessed in addition to good looks the inestimable blessings of perfect health, a cheerful disposition, and so much money that Income-Tax assessors screamed with joy when forwarding Schedule D to his address.”
Unpleasantness at Bludleigh Court
“’When I first met your father, I thought I had never seen anybody more completely loathsome. Then I was introduced to your brother Reginald, and I realised that, after all, your father might have been considerably worse. And, just as I was thinking that Reginald was the furthest point possible, along came your Uncle Francis and Reginald’s quiet charm seemed to leap out at me like a beacon on a dark night.’“
Those in Peril on the Tee
“When she laughed, strong men clutched at their temples to keep the tops of their heads from breaking loose.”
Something Squishy
“If there’s one thing in this world that should be done quickly or not at all, it is the removal of one’s personal snake from the bed of a comparative stranger.”
The Awful Gladness of the Mater
“’Rolie, old thing,’ he said, with gentle reproach, ‘you oughtn’t to go about London in a hat like that.’ Roland Attwater was his cousin, and a man does not like to see his relatives careering all over the Metropolis looking as if cats had brought them in.”
The Passing of Ambrose
“Furthermore, girls of Roberta Wickham’s fine fibre do not love a man entirely for his hat. The trousers count, so do the spats.”
There’s no point me wasting words trying to describe the stories, so here’s a quote from each to give you a flavour.
The Reverent Wooing of Archibald
“’The Aunt. She thinks Bacon wrote Shakespeare.’
‘Thinks who wrote what?’ asked Archibald, puzzled, for the names were strange to him.
The Man Who Gave Up Smoking
“I look upon tobacco as life’s out-standing boon, and it annoys me to hear these faddists abusing it. And how foolish their arguments are, how easily refuted. They come and tell me that if they place two drops of nicotine on the tongue of a dog the animal instantly dies: and when I ask them if they have ever tried the childishly simple device of not placing nicotine on the dog’s tongue, they have nothing to reply. They are non-plussed. They go away mumbling something about never having thought of that.”
The Story of Cedric
“The drowsy stillness of the summer afternoon was shattered by what sounded to his strained senses like G.K. Chesterton falling on a sheet of tin.”
The Ordeal of Osbert Mulliner
“He possessed in addition to good looks the inestimable blessings of perfect health, a cheerful disposition, and so much money that Income-Tax assessors screamed with joy when forwarding Schedule D to his address.”
Unpleasantness at Bludleigh Court
“’When I first met your father, I thought I had never seen anybody more completely loathsome. Then I was introduced to your brother Reginald, and I realised that, after all, your father might have been considerably worse. And, just as I was thinking that Reginald was the furthest point possible, along came your Uncle Francis and Reginald’s quiet charm seemed to leap out at me like a beacon on a dark night.’“
Those in Peril on the Tee
“When she laughed, strong men clutched at their temples to keep the tops of their heads from breaking loose.”
Something Squishy
“If there’s one thing in this world that should be done quickly or not at all, it is the removal of one’s personal snake from the bed of a comparative stranger.”
The Awful Gladness of the Mater
“’Rolie, old thing,’ he said, with gentle reproach, ‘you oughtn’t to go about London in a hat like that.’ Roland Attwater was his cousin, and a man does not like to see his relatives careering all over the Metropolis looking as if cats had brought them in.”
The Passing of Ambrose
“Furthermore, girls of Roberta Wickham’s fine fibre do not love a man entirely for his hat. The trousers count, so do the spats.”
November 11, 2018
More Mulliner; what's not to love? Absolutely pearling prose, the stunners just keep coming. Hilarious. The mental image of the canary in the cami-knickers will never fade.
July 30, 2022
A very solid forerunner to the comedy stylings that would make Wodehouse's name. You can see how he tightened the ship at every turn in later books. Still, this is quite good and well worth a read, especially if you're already a fan of the author.
June 24, 2021
Hilarious delicious pleasure. Pure P.G. Wodehouse (4-4.5 stars) and Jonathan Cecil as a narrator (5 stars).
August 26, 2019
The esteemed patrons of the Angler's Rest enjoy a good old natter with their various snifters. Amongst them one man sits supreme, ever ready with an apposite shaggy-dog-story to seal any argument.
Scotch and lemon in hand, Mr. Mulliner holds court.
Blessed with an extended family of pinheaded nephews, love-lorn nieces and an assortment of spirited cousins from which to draw his material, Mr. Mulliner has an anecdote for every occasion. So pull up a pew, the argus of the Angler's Rest requires an audience.
A collection of nine stories, the first is the best. 'The Reverent Wooing of Archibald' is the very essence of Wodehouse, with a fatuous nephew attempting to win the heart of an imperious female when the only talent at his disposal is the dubious ability to imitate a hen laying an egg.
The story contains some particularly pleasing turns of phrase from the old master, not least this apt description of Archibald: 'if his brain had been constructed of silk, he would have been hard put to it to find sufficient material to make a canary a pair of cami-knickers'.
Also hilarious is 'The Man Who Gave Up Smoking', in which Ignatius Mulliner discovers that giving up the pipe leads to a 'vague sensation of emptiness and bereavement akin to that experienced by the historian Gibbon on completing his Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'.
Elsewhere yellow shoes, a false wig with blue spectacles and an atrocious game of golf somehow enable Mr. Mulliner's relations to overcome a miscellany of muscular plug-ugglies and recover their heads in time to find true love.
The last three stories slightly deviate from those twin themes of beatings and betrothals. All include an appearance from that practical joker par excellence, the one and only Miss Roberta 'Bobbie' Wickham, one-time paramour and bette noir of a certain Bertram Wooster.
The first of Bobbie's trio of tales, 'Something Squishy', is the pip of the bunch, in which Miss Wickham proves that "there are moments in life where knowing when to lay your hand on a snake means more than words can tell".
Raise your glasses to Mr. Mulliner!
Scotch and lemon in hand, Mr. Mulliner holds court.
Blessed with an extended family of pinheaded nephews, love-lorn nieces and an assortment of spirited cousins from which to draw his material, Mr. Mulliner has an anecdote for every occasion. So pull up a pew, the argus of the Angler's Rest requires an audience.
A collection of nine stories, the first is the best. 'The Reverent Wooing of Archibald' is the very essence of Wodehouse, with a fatuous nephew attempting to win the heart of an imperious female when the only talent at his disposal is the dubious ability to imitate a hen laying an egg.
The story contains some particularly pleasing turns of phrase from the old master, not least this apt description of Archibald: 'if his brain had been constructed of silk, he would have been hard put to it to find sufficient material to make a canary a pair of cami-knickers'.
Also hilarious is 'The Man Who Gave Up Smoking', in which Ignatius Mulliner discovers that giving up the pipe leads to a 'vague sensation of emptiness and bereavement akin to that experienced by the historian Gibbon on completing his Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'.
Elsewhere yellow shoes, a false wig with blue spectacles and an atrocious game of golf somehow enable Mr. Mulliner's relations to overcome a miscellany of muscular plug-ugglies and recover their heads in time to find true love.
The last three stories slightly deviate from those twin themes of beatings and betrothals. All include an appearance from that practical joker par excellence, the one and only Miss Roberta 'Bobbie' Wickham, one-time paramour and bette noir of a certain Bertram Wooster.
The first of Bobbie's trio of tales, 'Something Squishy', is the pip of the bunch, in which Miss Wickham proves that "there are moments in life where knowing when to lay your hand on a snake means more than words can tell".
Raise your glasses to Mr. Mulliner!
January 17, 2020
Oh What Fun! Wodehouse pokes careful, yet rather sharp, fun at British society. He does not tear it down however, but rather invites the reader along for the fun. Mr. Mulliner commiserates with his fellow public house patrons, but always finds a way to turn the conversation to his very colorful family.
Thank goodness, because that means we get to meet the family! Nephews, nieces, cousins, and more, that make all of us feel better about our own family misfits and malcontents.
Find it! Buy it! READ IT!
Thank goodness, because that means we get to meet the family! Nephews, nieces, cousins, and more, that make all of us feel better about our own family misfits and malcontents.
Find it! Buy it! READ IT!
July 22, 2019
I like it.
March 22, 2012
Within pages you can see Wodehouse’s influence on British comedy. If he didn’t invent, he certainly contributed to and carried on the nonsense that Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett and the Monty Python crew would embrace. This is my favorite sub-genre of comedy: dumb humor for educated people. A character whose greatest talent is doing an impression of a rooster, researching Francis Bacon so as to impress a girl. Dante, Shakespeare and the art gallery scene are all thrust at us in early chapters, fodder for jokes and social posturing as Mulliner attempts to fit in with an effete set. The stories grow increasingly ridiculous, reaching one man staying at a potential girlfriend’s parents’ house, with the girlfriend purposefully not showing up and pretending she isn’t dating him, and the butler suspecting him of so much evil that he guards his door with a gun.
October 14, 2014
As I wrote in reviewing some Wodehouse book, I can't begin to review them all. The Mulliner stories are less well-known than the Drones Club or Jeeves or Blandings; so, if you don't know the Mulliner ones and you like other Wodehouse, haste ye to them. Mr Mulliner dominates the conversation at his pub with stories of his relatives who don't move in the same circles as the characters mentioned above but have adventures and ventures just as amusing to read about. BTW The Best of Wodehouse: An Anthology has some of the Mulliner stories. It also has some Ukridge stories, just as deserving. Try "A Bit of Luck for Mabel" as an opener on Ukridge.
June 19, 2013
At the Angler's Nest, Mr. Mulliner tells his amazing tales. Here you can discover what happened to The Man Who Gave up Smoking, and experience the dreadful Unpleasantness at Bludleigh Court.
I'm gonna add a quote by Stephen Fry that describes this book to perfection :
"You don't analyse such sunlit perfection, you just bask in its warmth and splendour."
Wodehouse, like his famous character Jeeves, stands alone.
I'm gonna add a quote by Stephen Fry that describes this book to perfection :
"You don't analyse such sunlit perfection, you just bask in its warmth and splendour."
Wodehouse, like his famous character Jeeves, stands alone.
April 13, 2025
Mr Mulliner is always an entertaining storyteller, recounting some unlikely adventure of one of his vast crowd of relations, and here that includes Roberta "Bobbie" Wickham, that red-headed young menace, who leads her many admirers such a dance that they quickly cease to be admirers; that's the case with three stories in this collection. She's a classic 1920s girl, with shingled hair, who's described here as looking like an unusually good-looking schoolboy who's dressed up in his sister's clothes. She also comes into one of the later Jeeves and Wooster books, where Bertie is foolish enough to fall in love with her but, like her other flames, comes to regret it, and emerges from the experience a sadder and a wiser man. Her problem is that she can't resist a practical joke, and has no respect whatsoever for the truth, and will put a young man through hell without a second thought if she thinks it will be amusing or even just convenient for her. She is, in fact, a pot of poison. However, she is the slightly indirect cause of the wonderful line uttered by her mother's butler when presenting a snake to her current wooer on a salver: "Your serpent, sir."
There are other stories here too, though, often, as Mr Mulliner stories tend to be, about worms turning, or men who have been trying to impress a woman by doing exactly the wrong thing finally finding out that she wanted them to do something else, which came more naturally to them. There's an apparent contradiction in that one of these women is described here as living with an aunt, her parents being implied to be dead, while in Young Men in Spats the same woman's parents are very much alive and central to the story. Do we care? We do not. The ups and downs of these lunatics in pursuit of often inadvisable love are hilarious in the way only Wodehouse can be hilarious.
There are other stories here too, though, often, as Mr Mulliner stories tend to be, about worms turning, or men who have been trying to impress a woman by doing exactly the wrong thing finally finding out that she wanted them to do something else, which came more naturally to them. There's an apparent contradiction in that one of these women is described here as living with an aunt, her parents being implied to be dead, while in Young Men in Spats the same woman's parents are very much alive and central to the story. Do we care? We do not. The ups and downs of these lunatics in pursuit of often inadvisable love are hilarious in the way only Wodehouse can be hilarious.
December 25, 2018
"Do you mean to say you have the immortal crust to expect me to hang about for two weeks waiting for you?"
"I don't see why not."
"Oh, don't you? Well I'm jolly well not going to."
"Right ho. Just as you like."
"Right ho. Then I shall go alone."
"Right ho. Go alone."
"Right ho. I will."
"Right ho. Do."
"Right ho, then."
"Right ho," said Ambrose Wiffin.
"Right ho," said Algy Crufts.
"I don't see why not."
"Oh, don't you? Well I'm jolly well not going to."
"Right ho. Just as you like."
"Right ho. Then I shall go alone."
"Right ho. Go alone."
"Right ho. I will."
"Right ho. Do."
"Right ho, then."
"Right ho," said Ambrose Wiffin.
"Right ho," said Algy Crufts.
July 19, 2018
What fun to enjoy a P.G. Wodehouse book as part of my summer reading. No surprises in this book, which follows a pattern that Wodehouse relies on, but pure enjoyment results.
March 10, 2020
3 1/2 stars. The Mulliner stories are treasures, and I startled my wife several times with snorts of laughter. This one concludes with a heavy dose of Bobbi Wickham, so consult your doctor, etc.
June 2, 2024
Another great Wodehouse book. Never disappoint me. This was nine short stories. Each as good as the other. First class as usual. What a treat
October 22, 2020
Still a five star experience.
February 3, 2024
I don't know if Mr Mulliner tells the truth or not. If so he has an awful lot of strange nephews and nieces. He knows how to tell a story though. He can make you laugh the way no one else could. If anyone else told these stories they would be boring. Mr Mulliner has a gift.
May 24, 2018
I simply cannot get enough of Wodehouse currently. Jonathan Cecil as narrator especially makes this a memorable experience with his various voices of the characters. I beg my friends pardon if I slip into an accent currently. I cannot help myself.
I know Wodehouse is appreciated still by many, but wonder how many get all the jokes as we edge onwards a century later? As do I wonder what percentage that I get, but I admit to be laughing out loud often.
As an example from these stories:
“The drowsy stillness of the summer afternoon was shattered by what sounded to his strained senses like G.K. Chesterton falling on a sheet of tin.”
That is priceless. As is the rest of this book and Wodehouse.
I know Wodehouse is appreciated still by many, but wonder how many get all the jokes as we edge onwards a century later? As do I wonder what percentage that I get, but I admit to be laughing out loud often.
As an example from these stories:
“The drowsy stillness of the summer afternoon was shattered by what sounded to his strained senses like G.K. Chesterton falling on a sheet of tin.”
That is priceless. As is the rest of this book and Wodehouse.
June 24, 2021
You always know what to expect from Wodehouse, he usually delivers. With his bookly quota of "what ho"s, misunderstandings, and infuriatingly blasé women. The humouristic isn't necessarily the situations, rather his descriptions and his commentary of the frivolous lives (and low intelligence, probably due to never using it) of the upper classes.
Reading one once in a while is good, but don't read too many in a short time, they do tend to be repetitive.
Reading one once in a while is good, but don't read too many in a short time, they do tend to be repetitive.
December 7, 2020
The second Mulliner collection, but the stories are either stand-alones, or connected to stories in this volume. Still told by that entirely honest fisherman.
Such as the romantic entanglements of Roberta "Bobbie" Wickham. As stand-alones there is the romantic effects of yellow shoes, and a golf game escape from a romance, and a man who can not escape or not escape an engagement.
Such as the romantic entanglements of Roberta "Bobbie" Wickham. As stand-alones there is the romantic effects of yellow shoes, and a golf game escape from a romance, and a man who can not escape or not escape an engagement.
August 2, 2023
I think very few Malayalis (that is what people from Kerala are called, for those unfamiliar with this tiny state in India which we have the immortal rind to call "God's Own Country") would be familiar with Mr. Mulliner, the sage of 'Angler's Rest' who has been "singularly blessed" with countless nephews and nieces. But I am sure they would recognise in him the spirit of the middle-aged gentleman sitting in the corner of our local tea-shop, regaling customers with stories. I think every panchayat in Kerala would have its own Mulliner - and I think this would hold true for most of the world.
Mulliner's nephews and nieces (and assorted cousins) lead lives which are far from the ordinary. In fact, one would be pardoned for thinking that the sage was exaggerating things a bit, unless he had not assured us that scrupulous honesty was the one guiding principle of his life. They get into all sort of impossible scrapes, twisted love-affairs, and fantastic situations which could be considered "somewhat equivocal" (to borrow from Jeeves). However, things always end more or less happily, for the Mulliners, in addition to being good-looking, are extremely resourceful.
I had not seen this second volume in the series during my college days when I was collecting Wodehouse. But having gone through it, I am of the opinion that these are the Mulliner stories which were previously uncollected (I have encountered "The Ordeal of Osbert Mulliner" in a library book years ago). Anyway, I should be happy that I could read some Wodehouse stories for the first time after years: a story by Plum is always a thing of beauty, but reading it fresh is something else altogether!
(A word of caution: only the first five stories in this book are "real" Mulliner stories. The sixth one ('Those in Peril on the Tee') is a golf story, once narrated by the Oldest Member, now adapted as a Mulliner tale. The last three stories are about Roberta ("Bobbie") Wickham, the girl lets down suitor after suitor with a thud. She has here been transformed into a distant cousin of Mulliner. This is not to say that the stories are below par, however.)
Mulliner's nephews and nieces (and assorted cousins) lead lives which are far from the ordinary. In fact, one would be pardoned for thinking that the sage was exaggerating things a bit, unless he had not assured us that scrupulous honesty was the one guiding principle of his life. They get into all sort of impossible scrapes, twisted love-affairs, and fantastic situations which could be considered "somewhat equivocal" (to borrow from Jeeves). However, things always end more or less happily, for the Mulliners, in addition to being good-looking, are extremely resourceful.
I had not seen this second volume in the series during my college days when I was collecting Wodehouse. But having gone through it, I am of the opinion that these are the Mulliner stories which were previously uncollected (I have encountered "The Ordeal of Osbert Mulliner" in a library book years ago). Anyway, I should be happy that I could read some Wodehouse stories for the first time after years: a story by Plum is always a thing of beauty, but reading it fresh is something else altogether!
(A word of caution: only the first five stories in this book are "real" Mulliner stories. The sixth one ('Those in Peril on the Tee') is a golf story, once narrated by the Oldest Member, now adapted as a Mulliner tale. The last three stories are about Roberta ("Bobbie") Wickham, the girl lets down suitor after suitor with a thud. She has here been transformed into a distant cousin of Mulliner. This is not to say that the stories are below par, however.)
January 16, 2025
Woe to the man who ends up hitched to a banshee of the likes of Roberta ‘Bobbie’ Wickham. Does it not speak to human nature, that the woes of not one, not two, but three different men taken in by Bobbie and left hung out to dry would tickle my funny bone oh so much!?
Mr. Mulliner recounting the stories of his family members comes out akin to a collection of short humorous comics with a happy ending, for the most part. As always, Wodehouse’s comic style of prose makes for vivid imagination that is more often than not, relatable to every young man who’s had his heart set on a pretty lass, and has experienced the tumultuous emotions that sally forth with it. The cast, comprising of some members of Mr. Mulliner’s large and extended family, their romantic objectives, their rivals, some confused butlers and waiters, family members who would make you want to jump off a bridge, a cursed house, even a snake, make for great entertainment that can at times feel a tad predictable and clichéd but funny nonetheless
It’s a casual read that one does not need to finish in a stretch, but can take their own time enjoying each story as a stand-alone. There are tidbits and references to some other locations that quite often pop up in Wodehousian literature, ensuring that an avid reader of Wodehouse would enjoy the read. Of course, being a collection of short stories, one can get a few laughs out of this book, but it does not match the level of comedy that the author has reached in his other longer works. As such, it rates a low 4 stars in my book
Mr. Mulliner recounting the stories of his family members comes out akin to a collection of short humorous comics with a happy ending, for the most part. As always, Wodehouse’s comic style of prose makes for vivid imagination that is more often than not, relatable to every young man who’s had his heart set on a pretty lass, and has experienced the tumultuous emotions that sally forth with it. The cast, comprising of some members of Mr. Mulliner’s large and extended family, their romantic objectives, their rivals, some confused butlers and waiters, family members who would make you want to jump off a bridge, a cursed house, even a snake, make for great entertainment that can at times feel a tad predictable and clichéd but funny nonetheless
It’s a casual read that one does not need to finish in a stretch, but can take their own time enjoying each story as a stand-alone. There are tidbits and references to some other locations that quite often pop up in Wodehousian literature, ensuring that an avid reader of Wodehouse would enjoy the read. Of course, being a collection of short stories, one can get a few laughs out of this book, but it does not match the level of comedy that the author has reached in his other longer works. As such, it rates a low 4 stars in my book
March 21, 2021
Wodehouse writes things like: (1) The conversation in the bar-parlor of the Anglers' Rest, which always tends to get deepish towards closing time,...and a Gin-and-Ginger-Ale sitting in the corner by the window remarked that it was strange how types die out.
The Draught Stout shook his head.
"Nobody can say. It's the same with dogs. One moment the world is fun of pugs as far as the eye can reach; the next, not a pug in sight, only Pekes and Alsatians. Odd!"
The Small Bass and the Double-Whisky-and-Splash admitted that these things were very mysterious, and supposed we should never know the reason for them. Probably we were not meant to know.
And also: (2) Even at the Drones Club, where the average of intellect is not high, it was often said of Archibald that, had his brain been constructed of silk, he would have been hard put to it to find sufficient material to make a canary a pair of cami-knickers.
Or: (3) You don't seem to realize what it means being in love with a girl like Aurelia. When I look into those clear, soulful eyes, or see that perfect profile bobbing about on the horizon, a sense of my unworthiness seems to slosh me amidships like some blunt instrument. My tongue gets entangled with my front teeth, and all I can do is stand there feeling like a piece of Gorgonzola that has been condemned by the local sanitary inspector.
The Draught Stout shook his head.
"Nobody can say. It's the same with dogs. One moment the world is fun of pugs as far as the eye can reach; the next, not a pug in sight, only Pekes and Alsatians. Odd!"
The Small Bass and the Double-Whisky-and-Splash admitted that these things were very mysterious, and supposed we should never know the reason for them. Probably we were not meant to know.
And also: (2) Even at the Drones Club, where the average of intellect is not high, it was often said of Archibald that, had his brain been constructed of silk, he would have been hard put to it to find sufficient material to make a canary a pair of cami-knickers.
Or: (3) You don't seem to realize what it means being in love with a girl like Aurelia. When I look into those clear, soulful eyes, or see that perfect profile bobbing about on the horizon, a sense of my unworthiness seems to slosh me amidships like some blunt instrument. My tongue gets entangled with my front teeth, and all I can do is stand there feeling like a piece of Gorgonzola that has been condemned by the local sanitary inspector.
May 4, 2021
Mr Wodehouse’s style, 1920’s through and through, is enough to make anyone laugh. Contrary to my previous experience, I listened to this version and though the audiobook take on the great author made me hesitate, I still ended up laughing again and again at the ridiculousness of the situations that are described.
Mr Mulliner’s stories have the added advantages of taking place in a pub. This reminds me of the other great English writes, sir Arthur C Clarke, whose best stories originated in the White Hart. The pub setting of telling a tale works perfectly for the short story, and it is in this medium that Mr Mulliner presents to the reader tales of what happened to his extended family.
In many a case, these tales are simply outrageous. It is difficult to listen, or to read, to these without bursting out in laughter, especially as the author’s style captures so very perfectly the style and propriety of the English gentleman. Of course, along with this goes Mr Wodehouse’s curated language. It is weird to read that style because outside of the context of the story it is clear that almost none of his sayings would make any sense at all, but within that context everything is absolutely crystal clear.
Right ho!
This review was originally posted on my blog.
Mr Mulliner’s stories have the added advantages of taking place in a pub. This reminds me of the other great English writes, sir Arthur C Clarke, whose best stories originated in the White Hart. The pub setting of telling a tale works perfectly for the short story, and it is in this medium that Mr Mulliner presents to the reader tales of what happened to his extended family.
In many a case, these tales are simply outrageous. It is difficult to listen, or to read, to these without bursting out in laughter, especially as the author’s style captures so very perfectly the style and propriety of the English gentleman. Of course, along with this goes Mr Wodehouse’s curated language. It is weird to read that style because outside of the context of the story it is clear that almost none of his sayings would make any sense at all, but within that context everything is absolutely crystal clear.
Right ho!
This review was originally posted on my blog.
January 4, 2024
Mr Mulliner Speaking is the second volume of Wodehouse’s Mr Mulliner stories, in which the titular character narrates tales of the scrapes in which his family members find themselves. These stories are, on the whole, somewhat more grounded than those in the first volume, largely because of the absence of Buck-u-Uppo related tales, and this gives the volume a feeling of somewhat less energy. This is not to say, however, that fun isn’t to be found in its pages: Unpleasantness at Bludleigh Court, whilst superficially a spin on the previous volume’s Honeysuckle Cottage (both tales involving a house which seems to exert an odd influence on its denizens), is a particularly fun romp and whilst you couldn’t imagine The Man Who Gave Up Smoking being presented to a modern audience, the comedy that it derives from the personality change of a man giving up an addiction is both well-observed and wryly amusing. Perhaps the most notable stories in this collection, however, are a trilogy of tales which introduce the character of Bobbie Wickham – the red-haired prankster who later turns up in a number of Jeeves and Wooster stories. For these alone, the book should be considered of interest to a casual Plumologist, but the collection is a worthwhile read regardless.
October 17, 2021
The second collection of Mulliner short stories are equally funny as the first one, Meet Mr. Mulliner. The Ordeal of Osbert Mulliner was an ordeal to read. Save that ghastly exception, the remaining stories in Mr. Mulliner Speaking were delightful, in which Mr. Mulliner, sipping his hot scotch and lemon, keeps his audience in Angler’s Rest spell bound with the outrageous happenings in the lives of his nephews, nieces, and first cousins once removed.
I wonder why Wodehouse never gave the nickname “Wicked Wickham” to Bobbie Wickham, Mulliner’s cousin’s daughter. That name would have perfectly suited this red headed beauty, once engaged to Betram Wooster in How Right You Are Jeeves, who wreaks havoc in the lives of others with her practical jokes. All in all, a classic, thoroughly enjoyable work by Wodehouse.
I wonder why Wodehouse never gave the nickname “Wicked Wickham” to Bobbie Wickham, Mulliner’s cousin’s daughter. That name would have perfectly suited this red headed beauty, once engaged to Betram Wooster in How Right You Are Jeeves, who wreaks havoc in the lives of others with her practical jokes. All in all, a classic, thoroughly enjoyable work by Wodehouse.
July 10, 2024
This was a top notch effort from P.G. Wodehouse and a strong 5 star result in my book. The stories are great and the writing on par with some of Plum's best and funniest. I was particularly pleased with the appearance of the redheaded hellhound Roberta "Bobbie" Wickham in the last three stories as she makes a nightmare out of the lives of three different men. Bobbie reappears in several of the Jeeves and Wooster stories and she definitely makes Bertie's life his own personal "slough of despond" and it was great having her in this book again. I partially read this via an actual book and partially listened to the incomparable Jonathan Cecil read it; if you can get your hands on the latter I highly recommended it as his readings of Wodehouse are peerless in their hilarity.
May 24, 2024
3.5 stars
P.G Wodehouse books are always entertaining and amusing. I prefer listening to them because I think they just come across better on audio than in print. There are many different narrators, but I always try to get the ones narrated by Jonathan Cecil if at all possible. He's definitely my favorite narrator of Wodehouse's work.
The Mr. Mulliner books feature the resident storyteller of the bar parlor of the Angler's Rest Public House.
This is a series of nine short stories almost always featuring some relative of Mr. Mulliner and usually some romance that's either going well or going poorly or (often) both.
Plenty of delightful characters with delightful names and quirks. Some characters are in multiple stories.
Written in the late 1920's, these stories and still delightful and I recommend listening to the editions narrated by Jonathan Cecil.
P.G Wodehouse books are always entertaining and amusing. I prefer listening to them because I think they just come across better on audio than in print. There are many different narrators, but I always try to get the ones narrated by Jonathan Cecil if at all possible. He's definitely my favorite narrator of Wodehouse's work.
The Mr. Mulliner books feature the resident storyteller of the bar parlor of the Angler's Rest Public House.
This is a series of nine short stories almost always featuring some relative of Mr. Mulliner and usually some romance that's either going well or going poorly or (often) both.
Plenty of delightful characters with delightful names and quirks. Some characters are in multiple stories.
Written in the late 1920's, these stories and still delightful and I recommend listening to the editions narrated by Jonathan Cecil.
April 12, 2018
Mr. Mulliner isn’t a character so much as a framing device. Each of these stories opens with a page or two set at the Angler’s Rest, where the good-natured but long-winded raconteur Mr. Mulliner sips his Scotch and lemon and launches into a tale. Each one is awash in romantic misunderstandings, wild schemes gone awry, social functions that end in disaster— you know: Wodehouse stuff. And not a one of them fails to charm or to generate laughter. A most worthy collection from one of the great writers.
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