Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves

Jeeves #13

by P.G. Wodehouse, Jonathan Cecil (Narrator)

In this humorous take on English manners, the paragon of British gentlemanly virtues leaps to the aid of his bumbling batchelor boss on numerous occasions. Read by Jonathan Cecil. Book available.

Genres: Fiction, Humor, Classics, Comedy, British Literature, Audiobook, Historical Fiction

Audio Cassette

First published January 1, 1963

About the author

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 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).

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can Bertie Wooster soothe the angry soul of a fiance forced into veganism?



Ok, if you're into Wodehouse's Jeeves series, Stiff Upper Lip is not to be missed. It's got all the same (or most of the same) characters as The Code of the Woosters and is almost as funny.



Now, I read listened to the stories out of order, but it didn't hinder my enjoyment. Which is one of the fantastic things about these books - you don't need to know anything about anything in the other books to enjoy everything in the current book you're reading.
Funny is funny.
All you need to know is that Bertie is a bit of a cowardly goof and Jeeves is his guardian angel.


Jonathan Cecil - Narrator (<--he's great!)
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing

[Jason Koivu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bertie Wooster is back at Totleigh Towers fighting off the threat of marriage with dippy Madeline Bassett in the charmingly delightful Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves.

Good ol' school chum Gussie Fink-Nottle's engagement to Madeline is all that's saving Bertie from a future strapped to a sap. A forced vegetarian diet could tip the scales!


(The horror is readily apparent all over newt fancier Fink-Nottle's map.)

Stiffy Byng, Stinker Pinker, Sir Watkyn Bassett and a bevy of other recurring characters show up to create the usual havoc that is constantly disturbing Wooster's gay bachelor life. Lucky for them they have a Jeeves in their lives to straighten it all out.

Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves is the same old Wodehouse fare, but even more so! In fact, I would go so far as to call this The Code of the Woosters, Part 2. It's got most all of the same characters. The plot is not terribly dissimilar. It never reaches the quality of Code, but then few of Wodehouse's books do. Perhaps there was an aspiration to repeat the success of Code, but Stiff lacks the same panache. It meanders. It chats. Whereas Code got into it, got things moving. Stiff also relies somewhat on the reader being familiar with the characters and their past. Even so, diving head first into the Totleigh Towers world is always a pleasure. I think this is my third or fourth time doing it!

[Algernon (Darth Anyan) · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘Sir?’
‘Didn’t you tell me once that snails were early risers?’
‘Yes, sir. The poet Browning in his Pippa Passes, having established that the hour is seven a.m., goes on to say, “The lark’s on the wing, the snail’s on the thorn.” ’
‘Thank you, Jeeves.’

Everything is going all right in Bertram Wooster’s world, prompting him to quote the famous ode to morning joy from the poet Robert Browning. I have a suspicion that P G Wodehouse has a different plan for his favorite team of scatter-brained master and resourceful servant.
As I come closer and closer to the end of the series, I have decided to save these books for a rainy day, one when I feel more acutely the need of a sure thing to boost my own morale. A cold November Sunday afternoon made the choice an easy one. And, as usual, Wodehouse didn’t let me down.

I had a ... what’s the word? begins with a p ... pre-something ... presentiment, that’s the baby ... I had a presentiment that I was being tipped off by my guardian angel that Totleigh Towers was trying to come back into my life and that I would be well advised and keep an eye skinned.

A phone call to his Aunt Agatha and the mention of a black amber statuette that caused friction between Uncle Tom Travers and Sir Watkins Bassett sets the clouds gathering at the edges of that fine morning. A chance meeting with his old pal Gussie Fink-Nottle, raises the threat level to orange. Bertram’s peace of mind relies heavily on his knowledge that the affections of Madeline Bassett are safely occupied by her engagement to Gussie. And Gussie seems to be having second thoughts.
Bertram Wooster urgently needs to go back to Totleigh Towers and straighten things out, before Madeline remembers that Bertie is [allegedly] crazy in love with her and can step in if she becomes available.

‘Ah well let us hope for the best.’
‘The only course to pursue, sir.’
‘Stiff upper lip, Jeeves, what?’
‘Indubitably, sir. That, if I may say so, is the spirit.’

The spirit is threatened also by the presence at Totleigh Towers of the lovely Stephanie ‘Stiffy’ Byng, another young woman presumed safely engaged to Reverend Harold ‘Stinker’ Pinker. Bertram has been blind sided by Stiffy in previous books, so he is understandably anxious of being drawn back into her orbit.

A charming girl whom, as I was telling Emerald Stoker, I am always prepared to clasp to my bosom, at least I would be if she wasn’t engaged to you, but one who is a cross between a ticking bomb and a poltergeist.

As a side note, most of the residents at Totleigh Towers are old friends to readers of the series. Two newcomers stand out and will play important roles in the latest debacle. Emerald Stoker is an American heiress with a cash flow problem, her allowance having been spent on injudicious horse race betting. She comes to Sir Watkins’ house as a cook, until her finances can be balanced.
Major Plank is a local rich neighbour and former explorer, the man who sold the ugly black statuette that serves as a replacement for the cow creamer in this episode. He needs a rugby player for his local team.

‘There are no limits, literally none, to what she can think of when she gives her mind to it. The imagination boggles at the thought of what she may be cooking up for me.’
‘Certainly you may be pardoned for feeling apprehensive, sir.’

Bertram Wooster’s fears are justified when Stiffy asks him to steal the amber statuette in a plot to force her uncle to give her fiance the vicarage they need in order to marry. The blasted girl doesn’t take no for an answer.
Even more dangerous are the dynamics of the Madeline-Gussie engagement, in the gutter after the dreamy girl decides to become a vegetarian.

‘Curse the poet Shelley! I hope he trips over a loose shoelace and breaks his ruddy neck.’
‘Too late, sir. He is no longer with us.’
‘Blast all vegetables!’

Gussie is understandably incensed, and resorts to midnight raids of the pantry in search of sustenance and illicit treats of kidney pie from the new cook. Bertram admits that many a proud spirit rebels when warned off the proteins , but the situation puts him on the hooks in the marriage market. His initial resolve to keep his upper lip rigid and the morals high is under serious siege, further complicated by his attempt to return the stolen statue to Major Plank.
An upcoming local social event is adding pressure to his already trembling soul: ‘You speak lightly, Jeeves, but I’ve known some dark work to take place in school treat tea tents.’

>>><<<>>><<<

P G Wodehouse recycles many of his plots, with minor adjustments like switching a cow creamer for a black statuette, or a broken promise for a similarly convenient misunderstanding between lovers. I personally never minded this, because what I love most about these books are the exuberant use of language and the colourful similes the author can be relied to come with. Still, reading too many of the same story in a row can have a negative effect on the general enjoyment of the plot. I believe the best way to read Wodehouse is to spread them thin around the year’s list and avoid overindulgence. I did the same with the Sharpe series by Bernard Cornwell and with the racing mysteries of Dick Francis.

... remorse has frequently been known to set in after a dust-up between a couple of troth-plighters, with all that Sorry-I-was-cross and Can-you-ever-forgive-me stuff, and love, after being down in the cellar for a time with no takers, perks up and carries on again as good as new. Oh, blessings on the falling-out that all the more endears is the way I heard Jeeves put it once.

Another thing to enjoy about Wodehouse is his predictability. You know what you are in for, before even opening the cover. And that is all right, when done by such a master of the language.

‘I wish I had a fiver for every time you’ve been within a step of the altar rails and have managed to escape unscathed. I remember you telling me once that you had faith in your star.’
‘Quite. Still, it’s not good trying to pretend that peril doesn’t loom. It looms like the dickens. The corner in which I find myself is tight.’

Bertram Wooster’s celibacy has been under threat since book one, yet still he is here, thirteen books later, ready to jump though any hoops to avoid a fate worse than poverty. He is not the only one. Plank echoes his feelings when he hears Stinker Pinker is looking forward to his nuptials.

‘Amazing! I once hitch-hiked all the way from Johannesburg to Cape Town to avoid getting married, and here you are seeming quite pleased at the prospect. Oh well, no accounting for tastes.’

One of the longest running jokes in the series is about the fashion disagreements between the adventurous Bertram and the conservative Jeeves. The cover gives the current instance of the joke away, but even with the expected outcome inevitable, I had a blast meeting Chief Inspector Witherspoon of Scotland Yard as he is hunting for the dangerous criminal known as Alpine Joe. My recent re-watch of the BBC episode featuring Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry in the title roles made it impossible to imagine any other actors playing Jeeves and Wooster.

I tried not to reveal all the complications of the plot here or the way Jeeves, his brain powers enhanced by his diet of fish, once again comes to the rescue of his gentleman, this time form a prison cell. I hope the moral of this social fable is general enough to serve as a closing bookmark for my review, showcasing the solid core of what some critics called the gratuitous escapism of the author’s romances. In other words, any excuse is fine for picking up another Wodehouse.

‘You know, Jeeves,’ I said, ‘one lives and learns.’
‘Sir?’
‘I mean, this episode had been a bit of an eye-opener to me. It has taught me a lesson. I see now what a mistake one makes in labelling someone as a ruddy Gawd-help-us just because he normally behaves like a ruddy Gawd-help-us. Look closely, and we find humanity in the unlikeliest places.’
‘A broadminded view, sir.’

[Nandakishore Mridula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gussie's engagement to Madeline is at the breaking point - and Bertie is justifiably worried, as the girl considers her him her spare tire, always waiting for her in the boot of the car: and to our intrepid hero, marriage to Madeline is a fate worse than death. So he has to rush in to patch up the quarrel. But this time it's even more difficult, as Madeline is forcing vegetarianism on Gussie. And to complicate matters, the would-be dictator Roderick Spode is waiting in the wings to tear the man who breaks his childhood sweetheart's heart "from limb to limb and dance on the remains with hob-nailed boots" or "pull him inside out and make him swallow himself". And the fact that Bertie is widely assumed to be a kleptomaniac on the trail of a statuette owned by Madeline's father doesn't help...

What is required is a stiff upper lip - and Jeeves, of course.

I don't know about Englishmen - but I couldn't keep a calm countenance even for a minute while reading this story. I was smirking throughout, and sometimes rolling around holding my tummy.

If laughter is the best medicine, this is an overdose.

[Geevee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stiffy Byng needs some help from Bertie but his summons is to Totleigh Towers the home of Sir Watkyn Bassett who is no friend of the Woosters. However, our intrepid hero does what all good Woosters do in times of need and with cries of help from friends: he visits and embarks on his errand, which is to his horror fully involving Sir Watkyn.

Madeline, Sir Watkyn's daughter is also at Totleigh Towers and is touched as she thinks Bertie has come to visit her adding a tad of complexity for our hero.

With other old friends such as Gussie Fink-Nottle (this reader's favourite) and the Reverend Pinker Stinker on the scene there is some comfort, but there are also less welcome characters, including Roderick Spode, Lord Sidcup, the 7th Earl of Sidcup who is the self-proclaimed protector of Madeline, and detests Bertie who to his mind is a thief and cad. With this the errand and Bertie's troubles start.

Another enjoyable adventure with plenty of comedy and funny moments.

My copy was a 2008 Arrow Books paperback of the originally published 1963 story.

[F.R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

P.G. Wodehouse’s ‘Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves’ was published on the 22nd of March, 1963. That’s the very day that The Beatles released their first album ‘Please, Please Me’, and exactly the same day John Profumo stood up in The Houses of Parliament to deny having relations with Christine Keener. It was the year Kim Philby fled to Moscow, the scandalous divorce of the Duke and Duchess of Argyll, Harold McMillan’s resignation, JFK’s assassination and the first broadcast of ‘Doctor Who’.

You will find no hint of any of that within the pages of ‘Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves’.

Unlike other Wodehouse novels of a later vintage, where there’s the occasional odd and jarring references to “doing the ‘rock’n’roll’”, this is a novel completely sealed in aspic. It’s not set in a particular fixed time, more a glorious England of the mind where Britannia still very much ruled the waves and that is a magnificent reality destined to last forever and ever. It is Wodehouse world and I can think of no more soothing sanctuary for the slings and misfortunes of modern life.

We’re at Totleigh Towers in the company of Gussie Fink-Nottle, Madeleine Bassett, Sir Watkyn Bassett, Roderick Spode (or Lord Sidcup, to give him his new and proper title), a colonial old salt of an explorer named Major Brabazon Plank, Stinker Pinker, Stiffy Byng and her Aberdeen Terrier who – like all of his breed – looks at one “as if they were in the pulpit of the church of some particularly strict Scottish sect and you were a parishioner of dubious reputation sitting in the front row of the stalls.” All very familiar stuff then; while the plot – as one might expect – is full of comic misunderstandings, sundered hearts and Bertie goggling for all he’s worth.

Compared to some of the mastery that went before in the Wooster books, this is merely an immensely charming and incredibly funny novel, not a work of staggering genius. But obviously I’m being unfair, as what could possibly match ‘The Code of the Woosters’ or ‘Right Ho, Jeeves’? In its own way ‘Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves’ is an absolutely perfect pleasure. A contemporaneous novel less concerned with the events of the 1960s it would be difficult to locate, but a better antidote to the craziness of the modern world it must surely be impossible to find.

[Zoeb · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first P.G Wodehouse read turned out to be such a hilarious, but also heartwarmingly candid, read. The plot is a goofy lark of the most deliciously sophisticated fashion as we follow Bertie Wooster on a ribald, mischievous brush with the quirky, irascible and uproariously loony residents of Totleigh Towers in a new series of misadventures and rescued just in the nick of time by his ever-loyal butler, the inimitable Jeeves and makes for an unexpectedly comically thrilling ride, replete with twists and turns that you don't quite see coming.

Wodehouse is famed for his always quotable witticisms, penned in his inimitable, unforgettable style of wordplay and this book is crammed between the covers with many a delectable piece of droll wit and clever turn of phrase that needs to be treasured. I leave it to the uninitiated to discover all this treasure of beautifully written and always boisterous humour on his or her own. Suffice to say that the characters are a hoot, the gags explode without warning and the comedy never flags its pace.

But what I need to remind to everybody is just how this book, and the rest of Wodehouse' work presumably, stands along side with the work of Oscar Wilde, Saki, Evelyn Waugh, Spike Milligan and the bizarre, outrageous and audaciously inventive comedy of Monty Python. The humour is not only brilliantly sardonic but also, most ingeniously, straight-faced in its punch. These are characters who are not putting up a farce but are actually behaving normally, instinctively and this is what makes the lines and shenanigans funnier than usual. And this is what is so brilliant about British comedy, as opposed to American comedy which is more in-your-face and unsubtle while its English counterpart works more subtly and stealthily on your mind.

A recommended comic treat for all. Bon appetit.

[Bettie · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007jqb0

Description: Bertie Wooster vows that nothing will induce him to return to Totleigh Towers, lair of former magistrate Sir Watkyn Bassett. Apart from Sir Watkyn himself, the place is infested with his ghastly daughter Madeline and her admirer, would-be dictator Roderick Spode. But when his old friend 'Stinker' Pinker asks for Bertie's help, there is nothing for it but to buckle down and go there. His subsequent adventures involve a black statuette, a Brazilian explorer with a healthy appetite for whisky-and-soda, an angry policeman, and all the horrors of a school treat. It takes Jeeves, posing as Chief Inspector Witherspoon of the Yard, to sort out the mess and retrieve his employer from the soup.

1/6: Bertie is obliged to sort out an amorous mix-up between his friends. PG Wodehouse romp with Richard Briers and Michael Hordern.

2/6: Bertie tries to play peacemaker when he arrives at Totleigh Towers.

3/6: Bertie Wooster is landed in a pickle over an expensive statue.

4/6: Gussie upsets his fiancee when he looks elsewhere on the menu.

5/6: Gussie is walloped and Aunt Dahlia sends Bertie on a spending spree.

[Diamond Cowboy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very delightful light read. If you want a good laugh and a few chuckles, read this. Jeeves is a gentleman's gentleman to a wealthy bumbling idiot. Who Jeeves has to get out of his sercomstances.

[Trevor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was first published in the same month I was born. In fact, in the UK only two days before I was born, though five months earlier in the US – which surprised me somewhat. I really like the idea that there might have been someone quickly reading this over the weekend that I was born and laughing away cheerfully at it all. Yes, I like that idea very much.

Wooster is truly one of the great narrative voices in English Literature. There are moments when it is nearly dangerous to listen to him as I drive. The man who reads them, a Jonathan Cecil, ought to have been given a K years ago. I’ve never heard a better reader for audio books in my life. His timing is immaculate and he brings the subtle (and not so subtle) humour of these books to the fore. He has Wooster’s slightly baffled and bewildered (if that is the word I’m looking for, it starts with a B anyway, whatever it is) voice to a T.

There are very clever jokes – like talking about Stinker’s left hook and how adroit it is (adroit being from the French for ‘to the right’). The plot is never as simple as you think it is going to be – I mean, you know how things are basically going to work out, but the moment you think you know what is going to happen next something totally unexpected occurs (often occasioned by Jeeves – who has a minor but essential role in all of these books) and generally it is something that has a very funny comment to make on – well, what it means to be human, I guess.

I really can’t rave about these books enough. I’ve finally tracked some more down in a secondhand bookshop, but they are as rare as hens’ teeth – which is hard to imagine, as the idea they should ever be out of print beggar’s belief. You would think someone would have thought of printing The Great Big Book of Jeeves and Wooster – or some such thing – I’d have bought a copy – I might even have bought a couple of copies. I’ve friends, they would read this stuff too, I’m quite sure.

There is a bit of this towards the end where Wooster is talking about a man who thinks he, that is Bertie, is a kleptomaniac and the man is an adventurer who is forever nipping off to the jungles of the Amazon and such places. Anyway, Bertie is forced to the conclusion that the native aboriginal peoples of Brazil really aren’t much chop – as they have had ample opportunity to kill this old fool and clearly have not availed themselves of the occasion as it has presented itself – and the punch-line is when he says something to the effect that, “And these natives have the audacity to call themselves savages”.

The other bit that made me laugh and laugh was where Bertie was being accused of plotting to steal an ornament and while being so accused is told to stop saying Oh! or Aye! (I understand that might not sound funny – but try it in context and it is close to the funniest thing I’ve ever heard) And of course the line about finding it difficult to continue a conversation when someone begins it by saying, “So!” – oh dear, sheer genius.

I think I’ve liked this one the most so far, although, I’ve liked all of them the most as they have gone along. They are a pure delight.

[Христо Блажев · Rating 4 out of 5]

Устър пак е под угрозата от брак: http://knigolandia.info/book-review/g...

И тук събитията следват изпитания си порядък, установен във времето – невнятния пройдоха Бърти Устър си мисли, че всичко в живота му е съвсем наред, увенчано с най-екстравагантната шапка, до която е успял да се добере, напук на силното неодобрение на верния му иконом Джийвс. Но човек и добре да си живее, решава да последва хубаво момиче, дори то да се е отправило към най-зловещото място на света - а именно Тотли Тауърс, където коли и беси бившият съдия Басет, на когото Бърти никога няма да прости една глоба от 5 лири след безобидно присвояване на полицейски шлем.

Storytel
http://knigolandia.info/book-review/g...

[Vimal Thiagarajan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my seventh book in the Jeeves series, and I'd have to count this as my most memorable, perhaps matched only by Right Ho, Jeeves. Wondering what this crazy old Octogenarian had smoked while writing this book. He seems to have put in everything he had into this, and then some more. After the half-way mark, I just couldn't read even 2 consecutive pages of this book without collapsing into minute-long violent fits of laughter which has now left me literally aching muscle-for-muscle. Bertie at his Bertieish Best. An outrageous read!

[Dan Schwent · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Jeeves reread continues with Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves. In this volume, Woosters returns to Totleigh Towers, setting of Code of the Woosters, to fix things between Gussie Fink Nottle and Madeline Bassett or he'll wind up marrying Basset himself. There's also Emerald Stoker, the saga of Stiffy Bing and Stinker Pinker, Roderick Spode, and a black amber statuette.

There were a few more moving parts in this one than most Jeeves and Wooster books. I kept forgetting who was entangled with whom when it came to Stiffy Bing and Madeline Bassett. Still, it was a fun ride. Engagements broken, engagements made, people being stuck about the head and shoulders, and black amber statuettes being pinched. As usual, Jeeves sorts things out in the end but not without hitches.

Not my favorite Jeeves book by any stretch but still a ton of fun. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

[Peter · Rating 2 out of 5]

'Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves' is a follow up of sorts of the far earlier 'The Code of the Woosters' and once again finds Bertram Wooster as an unwilling and unwanted guest at Totleigh Towers along with his valet Jeeve's. Bertie has been asked to stay by the owner's niece Stiffy who wants revenge on the family patriarch because he won't give her fiancé, Rev Harold 'Stinker' Pinker a vicarage. Also Sir Watkyn Bassett's daughter Madeline, who is still under the misguided belief that Bertie is in love with her, is busy forcing her own fiancé, Gussie Fink-Nottle, to become a vegetarian against his will. Bertie needs to patch up this relationship before it fails because Madeline has made it clear that if it should then Bertie will be next in line to share her matrimonial bed. An occurrence that Bertie is extremely keen to avoid.

In the hands of many writers, such a shallow, farcical plot simply would not work. But in the hands Wodehouse, however, readers are treated to a book that is light, funny and pokes gentle fun at the lives of England's idle rich between the two world wars.

Over the years I have read quite a number of the Jeeves and Wooster books and this was one of the later ones to be published. Unfortunately it shows. Whilst there are a few laugh out loud moments, it is also littered with the odd recycled joke or situation here and there. Overall, I think that P.G.Wodehouse is a magical writer and whilst this isn't one of the best of his books that I've read it's still a bit of harmless fun that never takes itself too seriously and I look forward to dip in and out of his output when I feel in need of some light relief.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trouble at Totleigh Towers...

When told that Stiffy Byng requires his presence at Totleigh Towers to perform a little task for her, Bertie issues a strong nolle prosequi. This young menace to society, Stiffy, while undoubtedly easy on the eye, is well known for landing her friends in hot water up to their chins. Plus Totleigh Towers is the home of Sir Watkyn Bassett who, due to an unfortunate misunderstanding, is convinced that Bertie is a habitual thief. Only Jeeves' brilliance in the past has prevented Bertie from serving time at His Majesty's pleasure, and Bertie has no desire to risk another encounter with Sir Watkyn. But storm clouds are gathering. There is a rift in the lute of love between Madeline, daughter of Sir Watkyn, and Gussie Fink-Nottle, keeper of newts, over the issue of steak pies – Gussie would like to eat them while Madeline is insisting on him sticking to a vegetarian diet. In the past, Madeline has made it clear that, should she find it necessary to return Gussie to store, Bertie will be expected to fill the vacancy for prospective bridegroom. Madeline, as readers will recall, believes that every time a fairy sheds a tear, a wee bit star is born in the Milky Way, so one can readily understand why Bertie is so keen to see Madeline and Gussie reconciled. The only way to make sure of it is to go to Totleigh Towers after all...

‘Jeeves,’ I said, ‘as always, you have found the way. I’ll wire Miss Bassett and ask if I can come, and I’ll wire Aunt Dahlia that I can’t give her lunch as I’m leaving town, and I’ll tell Stiffy that whatever she has in mind she gets no service and co-operation from me. Yes, Jeeves, you’ve hit it! I’ll go to Totleigh, though the flesh creeps at the prospect. Pop Bassett will be there, Spode will be there, Stiffy will be there, the dog Bartholomew will be there. It makes one wonder why so much fuss has been made about those half-a-league half-a-league half-a-league-onward bimbos who rode into the Valley of Death. They weren’t going to find Pop Bassett at the other end. Ah well, let us hope for the best.’
‘The only course to pursue, sir.’
‘Stiff upper lip, Jeeves, what?’
‘Indubitably, sir. That, if I may say so, is the spirit.’

This is one of Wodehouse's later novels, written in 1963 when he was in his eighties. While it's still a lot of fun with all of his trademark lightness and charm, it doesn't really compare to the books he was writing at his peak. In fact, the plot is largely a re-hash of elements that have appeared in previous books – Stiffy and the favour, stealing objets d'art from Sir Watkyn, Spode threatening to break the neck of anyone who upsets Madeline, etc., - and Wodehouse frequently refers back to those earlier episodes, going over what happened in them with the pretext of bringing new readers up to date. Wodehouse always carried plot elements and jokes from book to book, but each time changing them enough so that they achieved a feeling of being both fresh and familiar at the same time, like variations on a theme – the ultimate comfort reading, in fact. But in this one it feels more like repetition than variation. I hesitate to use the word stale – Wodehouse could never be that – but certainly not straight from the oven. However, I suspect that might only be obvious to people who have a good familiarity with the earlier Jeeves books.

She was heading for the piano, and something told me that it was her intention to sing old folk songs, a pastime to which, as I have indicated, she devoted not a little of her leisure. She was particularly given to indulgence in this nuisance when her soul had been undergoing an upheaval and required soothing, as of course it probably did at this juncture.
My fears were realized. She sang two in rapid succession, and the thought that this sort of thing would be a permanent feature of our married life chilled me to the core.

There are some new elements in it, though, which lift it and make it still an enjoyable read . For example, Major Plank is a retired bastion of the Empire, giving Wodehouse the opportunity to poke some fun at the British attitudes to its colonies at the time – though the book was written in the '60s, it's set in the '30s, I'd say. And, while Bertie's Aunt Dahlia doesn't appear in person, we have the fun of some of her phone conversations with her much-loved but exasperating nephew.

I listened to the audiobook version with Jonathan Cecil narrating and, as always, he does an excellent job, giving distinct voices to all the different characters and doing an excellent Bertie. Even though this isn't one of the all-time bests, it's still great, mood-enhancing entertainment, as are all of the Jeeves books.

www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com

[Мартин Касабов · Rating 5 out of 5]

ГОРЕ ГЛАВАТА, ДЖИЙВС в Изумен

Започнах да чета книгите на Удхаус, защото на задната корица на една от тях прочетох: Книгите на Удхаус се препоръчват от психиатри като терапевтично средство за изваждане от депресия, но няма нужда да сме психически зле, за да им се радваме. Правя всичко възможно да не се озовавам в подобно противно състояние, но мрачните есенни месеци понякога надделяват.

След „Законът на Устър“ започнах да издирвам друга книга от прословутия английски автор. Попадна ми настоящата – Горе главата, Джийвс, чиято корица не само напомняше предишната, ами и изобразената сцена беше почти идентична с друга, описана в „Законът“. Единствената разлика бе, че Джийвс отсъства, а на негово място има някакъв старец с лилав халат на жабки. В книгите на Удхаус сюжетът винаги е толкова увъртян, че човек рано или късно започва да се пита кой, къде, какво е казал, и се оставя на потока от сладка реч да го води към следващите приключения на главните герои. Но кои всъщност са те?

Бърти Устър – джентълмен със съмнителни културни познания и неговият иконом Джийвс – готов да рецитира всеки поет от Чосър до Шели. В предишната книга всичко започна с една грозна сметаниера във формата на крава. Тук всичко започва с грозна тиролска шапка. Интересно е, че Удхаус започва книгите си все с подобни естетически разминавания във вкусовете на героите, но тук вече те стават причина за охладняване на взаимоотношенията. Бърти отново се отправя на спасителна мисия в Тотли Тауърс (действието се развива по-късно от „Законът“, така че по-добре прочетете първо нея) и оттам нататък всичко се оплесква, както си му е редът де.

Не знам дали книгата ще избави депресираните от състоянието им, но за моето мрачно настроение няма по-добро лекарство от доза Удхаус.

Нормално вечерята е събитието, което кара Бъртрам да изпъкне и да се представи в най-добрата си форма. Обичам да вечерям. Много от най-щастливите ми часове са преминали в компанията на супа, риба, фазан или съответното месо, суфле, плодове и заключителния портвайн. Те измъкват най-доброто от мен и ме карат да блестя като току-що шлифован брилянт. „Устър, казват често тези, които ме познават, може да не става за нищо през деня, но само потопете света в мрак, запалете мекото осветление, отпушете шампанското, наблъскайте го с изискани ястия на вечеря и акълът ще ви се вземе.

[Girish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, What does one need to do to hold on to bachelorhood and stay out of jail? If you are Bertram Wooster, way more than a normal human being, and that too succeed by a whisker thanks to the inimitable Jeeves by his side. This rib tickler had me stifle-laughing like an imbecile on flights while my neighbours were desperately trying to sleep despite me.

Totleigh Towers is next only to Mordor when it comes to terror and Bertie well advisedly resolves to stay far away from it. He even turns down his chum Stinker Pinker who seeks Bertie's faculties in a diabolical scheme planned by Stiffy Byng. But when the love boat of Madeline Bassett and Gussie is rocked thanks to divided opinion on Kidney pie, Bertie's bachelorhood is at stake and he has no option but to play raison-something (wish Jeeves were here to help) braving the human gorilla Spode, the judgemental Sir Wyatt Bassett and a mad terrier to name a few.

Jeeves keeps doing his thing all through than the one big flourish towards the end - this despite the monstrosity of his master's Alpine Hat.

Hilarious book!

[Katie Hanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not absolutely the best of the Wooster canon, but highly enjoyable for all that. I don't have much else to say, so I'll just record my favorite quote for posterity and call it a day:

"You won't come to Totleigh?"
"Not within fifty miles of the sewage dump."
"She'll be terribly disappointed."
"You'll administer spiritual solace. That's your job. Tell her these things are sent to try us."

[Сибин Майналовски · Rating 5 out of 5]

Невероятен... 😍

[Велислава Величкова · Rating 5 out of 5]

Удхаус никога не разочарова!

[Pieter · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very funny Wodehouse, as every Jeeves and Wooster story is amusing.
The humor lies not only in the bizarre situations but also in the way Wodehouse masters and uses language.
It is always a pleasure to read a Wodehouse pocket.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

From BBC Radio 4 Extra:
1/6: Bertie is obliged to sort out an amorous mix-up between his friends. PG Wodehouse romp with Richard Briers and Michael Hordern.

2/6: Bertie tries to play peacemaker when he arrives at Totleigh Towers.

3/6: Bertie Wooster is landed in a pickle over an expensive statue.

4/6: Gussie upsets his fiancee when he looks elsewhere on the menu.

5/6: Gussie is walloped and Aunt Dahlia sends Bertie on a spending spree.

6/6: Bertie is in a mess. Can his valet save his bacon? PG Wodehouse romp with Richard Briers, Michael Hordern and Paul Eddington.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007jqb0

[Shravasti Misra · Rating 4 out of 5]

The humour and tone was mostly on point with some moments where I actually laughed out loud, but I was so disappointed by Jeeves. And by just how much Wooster was willing to swallow his pride and take insult and slander and almost a wrongful prison sentence because everyone including Jeeves had taken advantage of his inability to stand up for himself. The whole situation was also ridiculous and Wooster had landed himself in it, but he still didn't deserve what he got from everyone. Including Jeeves. Landing him in a spot only to get him out of it sounds almost like negging. Jeeves, you manipulative bastard, taking advantage of your simple, sweet master.

[JZ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly, just perfect. The language, the plot, the execution, the reading. So much fun to listen to. Do listen. American accents aren't conducive to getting the juice out of this by reading.

Now I know where the phrase "blot on the landscape" came from, and how it became the title of a comedy series starring David Suchet and Penelope Keith back in the forever ago.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

More rip-roaring adventures of Jeeeves and Wooster that makes tea snort from ones nose.

Pip, pip.

[Paulla Ferreira Pinto · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sempre divertido.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Apparently even when a particular J&W tale isn't among the best in the series, it's still pretty top-notch. Take this one, for example... please:

Basically using just one of the regular ingredients (mix-matched love matches), Wodehouse guarantees solid story construction and consistent intelligence. The jokes, though, are perhaps noticeably low-key. There's almost nothing here that stands out in terms of 'hilarity' but it's the type of sustained humor that keeps a smile on your face from start to finish.

P.G. is working with a smaller cast here, which also keeps things slight. All told: fun, if not as wildly memorable as other entries.

[Steven R. Kraaijeveld · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves, we find Wodehouse in mid-season form, even though he wrote it near the end of his life, past the ripe old age of eighty. Which makes it all the more tongue-in-cheek, if that's the expression I want, that the novel ends with a comment about the butler Mr. Butterfield, who is apparently courting a widowed lady in the village, a state of affairs that surprises Wooster:

"'But surely he was a hundred and four last birthday?'
'He is well stricken in years, sir, but nevertheless—' Replies Jeeves.
'There's life in the old dog yet?'
'Precisely, sir.'" (220)

[Vaishali · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best Jeeves books…. I laughed and laughed and laughed… and in no small part due to Jonathan Cecil’s fantastic narration. How he managed to voice Plank in a completely unique and hilarious fashion stuns. Just awesome 🤩

Please check it out here, and enjoy !
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zl4wT...

[Shauna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bertie Wooster gets into more scrapes and Jeeves has to get him out of them. Great fun.