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Quick Service
When imperious American widow Beatice Chavender eats a forkful of inferior ham at her sister's country home near London, it affects the lives of everyone around her--her sister, her brother-in-law, her sister's butler, her sister's poor relation Sally, Sally's fiance Lord Holbeton, and, most of all, Mrs. Chavender's own one-time fiance, "Ham King" J.B. Duff, whose rotten product spoils her breakfast.
227 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1940
25 people are currently reading
1050 people want to read
About the author
P.G. Wodehouse
1,684 books6,886 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 215 reviews
November 28, 2021
Reading P.G. Wodehouse is a lot like enjoying eiswein. Connoisseurs can easily merge their nuances into a reason for celebration, the uninitiated can’t. A vintage eiswein has a complex, syrupy taste and consistency. But for one who has no palette or appreciation of them, the differences may be lost. “It’s all the same,” they say and ask, “what’s the big fuss?” The same could be said about a Wodehouse novel or short story. For those not well-versed with Wodehouse’s geography, the differences between them are negligible; they blend together into repetitive themes.
Yet, within the Wodehouse universe, a meandering repetitive story line is not a bad thing. It is a source of comfort and anticipation. After all, we can be sure to encounter a country manor run by eccentric uncles and aunts, a sappy love story, an overbearing relative or guest, an American—maybe wealthy, maybe not—who tries to appropriate some of the gleam and cachet off British aristocracy, a butler, and a local inn which always seems to be the center of confusion and misunderstanding. These are problems for people who do not realize they have no real problems in their lives at all.
The Wodehouse vineyard varietals include the better-known Jeeves and Wooster and Blandings Castle stories. One could also count, to a lesser extent, Mr. Mulliner’s storytelling, the eccentricities of Psmith and Ukridge, the antics of the bungling criminals Chimp Twist, Malloy and Dolly, the insanity of Lord Ickenham, the shallowness of the Drones Club members, and many other upper class English scenarios.
When considering the products coming from the Wodehouse vineyards, Quick Service is unquestionably among its finest vintages. You’ll check out of your world for a short time, you’ll laugh, and, as with good wine, you will wonder about those you haven’t yet sampled.
Yet, within the Wodehouse universe, a meandering repetitive story line is not a bad thing. It is a source of comfort and anticipation. After all, we can be sure to encounter a country manor run by eccentric uncles and aunts, a sappy love story, an overbearing relative or guest, an American—maybe wealthy, maybe not—who tries to appropriate some of the gleam and cachet off British aristocracy, a butler, and a local inn which always seems to be the center of confusion and misunderstanding. These are problems for people who do not realize they have no real problems in their lives at all.
The Wodehouse vineyard varietals include the better-known Jeeves and Wooster and Blandings Castle stories. One could also count, to a lesser extent, Mr. Mulliner’s storytelling, the eccentricities of Psmith and Ukridge, the antics of the bungling criminals Chimp Twist, Malloy and Dolly, the insanity of Lord Ickenham, the shallowness of the Drones Club members, and many other upper class English scenarios.
When considering the products coming from the Wodehouse vineyards, Quick Service is unquestionably among its finest vintages. You’ll check out of your world for a short time, you’ll laugh, and, as with good wine, you will wonder about those you haven’t yet sampled.
June 5, 2014
Never in my life have I texted the acronym "lol," probably because I'm inordinately proud, but also because it's used entirely too often. Very seldom does one, I find, actually laugh out loud from something that one reads. Therefore I submit to the world the addition of "literally" to everyone's favorite acronym in order to produce a more accurate reflection of the world around us.
That being said, this book is so full of llols that one often has trouble getting to the end of a paragraph with breath remaining in one's lungs, at least if one is reading out loud to one's wife. Which is the best way to read any humorous work.
And with that, I feel, the world emerges slightly further into the light of useful vocabulary.
That being said, this book is so full of llols that one often has trouble getting to the end of a paragraph with breath remaining in one's lungs, at least if one is reading out loud to one's wife. Which is the best way to read any humorous work.
And with that, I feel, the world emerges slightly further into the light of useful vocabulary.
May 28, 2016
Beatice Chavender's portrait, painted by Joss Weatherby, which she gave to her sister-in-law, Mabel Steptoe, causes a lot of problems in this comedy. Lord Holbeton wants his guardian, J.B. Duff, to hand over some money so he can marry Mrs. Steptoe's poor relation, Sally Fairmile. Joss wants to be made Art Director of Duff's ham company but is fired by an irritable Duff instead. After Joss discovers Sally trying to extract money from Duff, he falls madly in love and forms plans to be with Sally. Duff wants nothing more than Mrs. Chavender's portrait, but having a past history with her and an intense dislike of women, he's reluctant to approach her. He hits on the perfect solution- to steal the portrait! His early attempts thwarted, J.B. Duff remains determined and finds that any number of people are willing to steal the portrait in exchange for money.
This is a typical Wodehouse comedy.This book doesn't come close to the level of comedy in the Blandings Castle series. It lacks that screwball moment. There's one that's shown a little bit but doesn't reach the highest level of Wodehouse's ability. There's another potential screwball moment that is told after the fact. That was very disappointing.
This story does not feature any of his regular characters but they are all types he used in other stories. Joss is a younger version of Uncle Fred spreading "sweetness and light" everywhere. I found him a little too perky and cheerful. He's not quite an idiot like Freddy Threepwood. He certainly can be shrewd when he wants to be but he doesn't seem to take anything seriously. His storyline is predictable but yet fun and charming.
Sally is unlike typical Wodehousian heroines. She's not "hard boiled." She's a poor relation and searching for her happily ever after. She is kind and knows how to handle men without being conniving or overly motherly.
The Steptoes were a bit unusual, being American. Mrs. Steptoe is a tartar to some degree but being American, she lacks the social cache to be as haughty as Lord Emsworth's sisters in the Blandings Castle series. She doesn't seem like much of a nice person though. Mabel is a social climber and she's willing to step on anyone who gets in her way, including her relatives. She bullies her husband. Howard Steptoe really surprised me. He adds an extra comedic touch to the story.
The butler, Chibnall, is not a likable butler. He's nosy, he gossips and he isn't very considerate of his fiance. He constantly dismisses her interest in thrillers but has his own guilty pleasures and is jealous of every man she meets. However, he does listen to her concerns and fears while jumping to his own conclusions. Jeevs he is not.
This is a fun story that doesn't require much brain power to enjoy - just what I needed!
This is a typical Wodehouse comedy.This book doesn't come close to the level of comedy in the Blandings Castle series. It lacks that screwball moment. There's one that's shown a little bit but doesn't reach the highest level of Wodehouse's ability. There's another potential screwball moment that is told after the fact. That was very disappointing.
This story does not feature any of his regular characters but they are all types he used in other stories. Joss is a younger version of Uncle Fred spreading "sweetness and light" everywhere. I found him a little too perky and cheerful. He's not quite an idiot like Freddy Threepwood. He certainly can be shrewd when he wants to be but he doesn't seem to take anything seriously. His storyline is predictable but yet fun and charming.
Sally is unlike typical Wodehousian heroines. She's not "hard boiled." She's a poor relation and searching for her happily ever after. She is kind and knows how to handle men without being conniving or overly motherly.
The Steptoes were a bit unusual, being American. Mrs. Steptoe is a tartar to some degree but being American, she lacks the social cache to be as haughty as Lord Emsworth's sisters in the Blandings Castle series. She doesn't seem like much of a nice person though. Mabel is a social climber and she's willing to step on anyone who gets in her way, including her relatives. She bullies her husband. Howard Steptoe really surprised me. He adds an extra comedic touch to the story.
The butler, Chibnall, is not a likable butler. He's nosy, he gossips and he isn't very considerate of his fiance. He constantly dismisses her interest in thrillers but has his own guilty pleasures and is jealous of every man she meets. However, he does listen to her concerns and fears while jumping to his own conclusions. Jeevs he is not.
This is a fun story that doesn't require much brain power to enjoy - just what I needed!
April 4, 2015
This is one of Wodehouse's stand-alones. Starting out in Claines Hall, where Mrs. Chavender has ham for breakfast, setting off all sorts of consequences.
She doesn't like it. And when Sally Fairmile, the poor relation who procured it, tells her where she got it, Mrs. Chavender realizes that it is a Paramount ham, which J. B. Duff is so fascinated with producing and selling that she broke off her engagement to him on hearing about them once too often. She is going to tell him what she thinks of them, Lord Holbeton, who had just gotten engaged to Sally, is horrified because Duff is his trustee and he has to get some money out of him. Sally herself engages to go -- she is, after all, going anyway to get a new valet for Mr. Stephoe, the master of the house, who has a distressing tendency to not dress as she wishes, and whose valets find it impossible.
At J. B. Duff's office, he is faced with an artist who does posters -- Joss Weatherby, a man with a great deal of impudence and self-confidence, which is how he manages to face down Mr. Duff. When Mrs. Chavender arrives, Mr. Duff avoids her but has the brilliant notion of using an imperious portrait of her (painted by Weatherby) as a poster. And then Sally arrives, Joss falls in love at first sight, and when Mr. Duff fires him, he offers himself up for the job of valet.
Oddly enough, Mrs. Steptoe, who owns the portrait, refuses to sell. Thus setting Mr. Duff, too, to arrive at Claines Hall, where all these characters continue the wacky incidents and fantastical and whimsical plots of a Wodehouse novel. Involving love triangles, reuniting lovers, rival burglaries, rain, coal cellars, Weatherby's astounding ability to get Mr. Steptoe to dress properly, the song of a non-existent nightingale, a fake mustache, jealousy, and a tea room.
All looped together with the kind of adroitness that only Wodehouse could really pull off.
She doesn't like it. And when Sally Fairmile, the poor relation who procured it, tells her where she got it, Mrs. Chavender realizes that it is a Paramount ham, which J. B. Duff is so fascinated with producing and selling that she broke off her engagement to him on hearing about them once too often. She is going to tell him what she thinks of them, Lord Holbeton, who had just gotten engaged to Sally, is horrified because Duff is his trustee and he has to get some money out of him. Sally herself engages to go -- she is, after all, going anyway to get a new valet for Mr. Stephoe, the master of the house, who has a distressing tendency to not dress as she wishes, and whose valets find it impossible.
At J. B. Duff's office, he is faced with an artist who does posters -- Joss Weatherby, a man with a great deal of impudence and self-confidence, which is how he manages to face down Mr. Duff. When Mrs. Chavender arrives, Mr. Duff avoids her but has the brilliant notion of using an imperious portrait of her (painted by Weatherby) as a poster. And then Sally arrives, Joss falls in love at first sight, and when Mr. Duff fires him, he offers himself up for the job of valet.
Oddly enough, Mrs. Steptoe, who owns the portrait, refuses to sell. Thus setting Mr. Duff, too, to arrive at Claines Hall, where all these characters continue the wacky incidents and fantastical and whimsical plots of a Wodehouse novel. Involving love triangles, reuniting lovers, rival burglaries, rain, coal cellars, Weatherby's astounding ability to get Mr. Steptoe to dress properly, the song of a non-existent nightingale, a fake mustache, jealousy, and a tea room.
All looped together with the kind of adroitness that only Wodehouse could really pull off.
December 6, 2018
another good one! my collection of Wodehouse is growing!
August 20, 2024
One of the better non-Wooster/Blandings offerings from Wodehouse. Probably because it reads just like the books from those two series. Quick Service gives you all the usual Wodehousisms: a heist, a love triangle, and a twisty plot. Who could ask for anything more? Toyota!...That ad always left me wondering why Toyota was so needy and greedy.
March 4, 2012
Wodehouse has been consistently good so far for me. Quick service offers a tale that is different yet the same as the more familiar series of Blandings Castle, Psmith or Jeeves. The MacGuffin in this case is a painting - chased by several goofy personages, with or without moustaches.
The names of the characters or of the sumptuous country manor may change from book to book, but the verve and the good natured banter are a constant feature of Wodehouse that makes me come back again and again to read about a "belle epoque" that may have been only a figment of the writer's imagination, but manages to make me feel better about the future and about my fellow humans. The wicked sense of humor ("fresh" in the book lingo) and the sunny disposition of young and not so young people in love form the ingredients of a summer adventure like only the master was capable of.
The names of the characters or of the sumptuous country manor may change from book to book, but the verve and the good natured banter are a constant feature of Wodehouse that makes me come back again and again to read about a "belle epoque" that may have been only a figment of the writer's imagination, but manages to make me feel better about the future and about my fellow humans. The wicked sense of humor ("fresh" in the book lingo) and the sunny disposition of young and not so young people in love form the ingredients of a summer adventure like only the master was capable of.
December 2, 2017
Interlocking characters lose and find money, love, jobs, true callings, and learn the difficulty of stealing art when conscientious butlers are about in this 1940 comedy. I couldn't care enough about the characters to keep track of what was going on. Light and sunny enough but the beginnings of WWII made much of Wodehouse's post-Depression work lacking in goodwill I think. Plus there is an unfortunate nearly-forced kissing scene narrated entirely from the pov of the male character, whose reaction is to apologize and hastily retreat (surprisingly) but the female character's reaction is basically that that was really what she wanted, so back to the bad taste in the mouth. Beautifully read by Simon Vance, but just OK overall.
December 31, 2023
At her sister's house party, Mrs. Chavender unwisely chooses ham for breakfast, thus setting off a chain of events affecting everyone at the house party as well as ham king J.B. Duff and his artist employee Joss Weatherby, who painted a portrait of Mrs. Chavender once which Duff would like to have. This non-series Wodehouse uses one of his most common plot devices (house party, item in house which multiple guests and other people would like to steal, midnight encounters), to very good effect. Joss is rather like Psmith in his resilience and quick thinking (though without Psmith's most individual way of turning a phrase), and the plot is quick moving and fun.
November 14, 2020
3.5*
May 2018 reread/listen:
Simon Vance does a good narration, though his American accents don't sound right to my New England ears. Still, listening to this book is a fun way to spend a rainy day.
Nov. 2020 reread/listen:
Still of the same opinion as above...
May 2018 reread/listen:
Simon Vance does a good narration, though his American accents don't sound right to my New England ears. Still, listening to this book is a fun way to spend a rainy day.
Nov. 2020 reread/listen:
Still of the same opinion as above...
November 1, 2019
LISTEN. This is my favorite British comedy of manners since The Importance of Being Earnest. It is so absolutely trivial and delightful. The audiobook read by Simon Vance is a treasure. If you’re a fan of British period pieces, I would definitely recommend.
November 16, 2019
Comfort reading at its finest. What a gift for language
March 9, 2024
In which people realize California is better than Sussex and an Alsatian gets punched on the jaw.
July 7, 2024
ENGLISH: This is the first time I've read this novel. As is usual in Wodehouse, it has some hilarious moments, such as the following:
An instant before she could have been mistaken for a rattlesnake about to strike. Her air now became that of a rattlesnake which is prepared to reserve its judgement till it has heard all the facts.
...her acceptance of his proposal might have been merely an impulsive girl's natural reaction to a tenor voice that sounded like a swooning mosquito.
...Mr. Steptoe and a cat that liked his looks, which seemed odd, but cats are cats...
ESPAÑOL: Es la primera vez que leo esta novela. Como es habitual en Wodehouse, tiene algunos momentos muy divertidos, como estos:
Un instante antes, se la podría haber confundido con una serpiente de cascabel a punto de atacar. Su aspecto ahora se convirtió en el de una serpiente de cascabel que está dispuesta a reservarse su juicio hasta enterarse de todos los hechos.
...su aceptación de su declaración de amor podría haber sido simplemente la reacción natural de una chica impulsiva ante una voz de tenor que sonaba como un mosquito desmayado.
...el Sr. Steptoe y un gato al que le gustaba su aspecto, lo cual parecía extraño, pero los gatos son gatos...
An instant before she could have been mistaken for a rattlesnake about to strike. Her air now became that of a rattlesnake which is prepared to reserve its judgement till it has heard all the facts.
...her acceptance of his proposal might have been merely an impulsive girl's natural reaction to a tenor voice that sounded like a swooning mosquito.
...Mr. Steptoe and a cat that liked his looks, which seemed odd, but cats are cats...
ESPAÑOL: Es la primera vez que leo esta novela. Como es habitual en Wodehouse, tiene algunos momentos muy divertidos, como estos:
Un instante antes, se la podría haber confundido con una serpiente de cascabel a punto de atacar. Su aspecto ahora se convirtió en el de una serpiente de cascabel que está dispuesta a reservarse su juicio hasta enterarse de todos los hechos.
...su aceptación de su declaración de amor podría haber sido simplemente la reacción natural de una chica impulsiva ante una voz de tenor que sonaba como un mosquito desmayado.
...el Sr. Steptoe y un gato al que le gustaba su aspecto, lo cual parecía extraño, pero los gatos son gatos...
October 8, 2022
Wodehouse might have Austen beat for writing great love stories. It was much dryer than stuff I've read by him previously-- which made me love it more. The characters were fantastic from bristling eyebrows, to false moustaches, failed Hollywood star, to budding artists, and nymph-like servants. If someone asked me what a man and a woman should be like, and what was the good of marriage-- I would hand them this book.
March 25, 2018
This is somewhat more wacky than most of Wodehouse's books. Still, I am glad that I audiobooked it.
January 7, 2014
Rather than go into detail about this book, I'll just say that I've read almost everything by Wodehouse, and that I roughly divide his output into three categories:
1. The best, which of course means some of the very best humorous writing in the English language. In this category I would put Leave It to Psmith, Ukridge, Fish Preferred (aka Summer Lightning), Lord Emsworth and Others, The Code of the Woosters, Joy in the Morning (aka Jeeves in the Morning), and The Mating Season.
2. The good - those books which work well enough, but lack the inspired insanity of Wodehouse's best work. Most of Plum's output falls into this category. These books are well worth reading because of Wodehouse's use of language and clever characters, but the plots may be more predictable.
3. The weak. This is, thankfully, a fairly small group, given Wodehouse's massive output. The plots are not just predictable, they're threadbare. The characters are thinly drawn to the point of disbelief, and Wodehouse's mastery of language has abandoned him. I would put The Purloined Paperweight (aka Company for Henry), The Return of Jeeves (aka Ring for Jeeves), and The Girl in Blue in this category.
Quick Service is in the second category. It's decent Wodehouse, but I would read any of the books I listed in the first group to experience Wodehouse at his best.
1. The best, which of course means some of the very best humorous writing in the English language. In this category I would put Leave It to Psmith, Ukridge, Fish Preferred (aka Summer Lightning), Lord Emsworth and Others, The Code of the Woosters, Joy in the Morning (aka Jeeves in the Morning), and The Mating Season.
2. The good - those books which work well enough, but lack the inspired insanity of Wodehouse's best work. Most of Plum's output falls into this category. These books are well worth reading because of Wodehouse's use of language and clever characters, but the plots may be more predictable.
3. The weak. This is, thankfully, a fairly small group, given Wodehouse's massive output. The plots are not just predictable, they're threadbare. The characters are thinly drawn to the point of disbelief, and Wodehouse's mastery of language has abandoned him. I would put The Purloined Paperweight (aka Company for Henry), The Return of Jeeves (aka Ring for Jeeves), and The Girl in Blue in this category.
Quick Service is in the second category. It's decent Wodehouse, but I would read any of the books I listed in the first group to experience Wodehouse at his best.
June 11, 2021
P. G. Wodehouse is the best. After trying and failing to find humor in
two
highly-lauded Gary Shteyngart books, I needed to go to something that I knew would work. I've read this one before and it is delightful, even if Wodehouse's plot devices can be a bit threadbare. His use of language sure isn't, and I continue to find new wonders in the text. In this one I learned about the "Lambeth Walk" and other cultural references and vocabulary words. In my senior years I'm doing a victory lap with the works of Wodehouse before passing my copy along to someone else. I figure if I outlive this project, well, his stuff is not that hard to come by again.
October 28, 2015
Strange title and cover art, but excellent book! Oh, how I love P.G. Wodehouse, even though I just discovered him yesterday. Above all, charming! Witty, fast moving...oh, I adored this book. British humor at its most delicious.
January 23, 2018
Wodehouse, what else is there to say? An entertaining audio. Simon Vance is a great narrator!
December 24, 2019
Same old characters under new names. Same old story. Same old magic!
February 20, 2022
It's a classic Wodehouse plot, with maybe an extra soupçon of wordplay, compared to the ones I've read most recently. Confident Josh Weatherby is a tame artist for Duff and Trotter, purveyor of fine hams. Lovely Sally with the musical voice has just gotten engaged to a sorry specimen of a young lord. American ex-boxer Steptoe has a portrait hanging in his breakfast room, and when Duff learns about it he becomes obsessed with the idea of using it in his advertising. The butler is engaged to the local barmaid and saving up for a pub of their own. Naturally someone must steal the portrait, which was painted by Weatherby and whose subject is the widow who was once Duff's fiancée, but broke it off because of Duff's obsession with ham. The widow and Sally both live with the Steptoes, Sally as a poor relation who must earn her keep. Weatherby falls in love at first sight with Sally and takes a job as Steptoe's valet, a position that needs someone with strength of character - Steptoe rubbed the last valet's nose against his (Steptoe's) stiff shirtfront in protest against wearing uncomfortable clothes.
I could go on. It's a delight. The audio narration is good, and the American voices aren't bad (there's another narrator of Wodehouse whose Americans all sound like movie cowboys). I still prefer reading in print so as not to miss anything, but this is pretty easy to follow in audio.
For a while, I wondered if this might be the same book as my first encounter with Wodehouse, when I was eleven, maybe published under a different title. My dad was a huge fan, and on his recommendation I looked for Wodehouse at the Palo Alto library at Rinconada Park - the adult library, not the children's library next door. The librarian was skeptical but eventually allowed me to check out Mostly Sally, which was the only Wodehouse on their shelves. I didn't get truly hooked on Wodehouse until someone found me some Jeeves stories, which remain my favorites. I'm glad he was so prolific, because even after decades of reading him I'm still finding new ones.
I could go on. It's a delight. The audio narration is good, and the American voices aren't bad (there's another narrator of Wodehouse whose Americans all sound like movie cowboys). I still prefer reading in print so as not to miss anything, but this is pretty easy to follow in audio.
For a while, I wondered if this might be the same book as my first encounter with Wodehouse, when I was eleven, maybe published under a different title. My dad was a huge fan, and on his recommendation I looked for Wodehouse at the Palo Alto library at Rinconada Park - the adult library, not the children's library next door. The librarian was skeptical but eventually allowed me to check out Mostly Sally, which was the only Wodehouse on their shelves. I didn't get truly hooked on Wodehouse until someone found me some Jeeves stories, which remain my favorites. I'm glad he was so prolific, because even after decades of reading him I'm still finding new ones.
March 20, 2023
En esta novela corta veremos como se entrelazan las vidas de dos jóvenes prometidos, un magnate del jamón y cartelista, una vieja viuda, una pareja madura recién llegados de EEUU que residen en un castillo y un mayordomo y camarera prometidos.
Como viene siendo habitual la habilidad que tiene este autor para crear historias e ir complicándolas hasta lo inimaginable es increíble.
La novela parte de un simple desayuno, de la necesidad de pedir dinero para una boda y de una idea de marketing. Con esas tres cosas se crea esta novela corta tan original.
El estilo de escritura del autor, como siempre, es sencillo y con situaciones y diálogos muy amenos y divertidos.
Muy recomendable a todas aquellas personas, mayores de 13 años, que disfruten con las novelas humorísticas-satíricas ambientadas en la burguesía.
Como viene siendo habitual la habilidad que tiene este autor para crear historias e ir complicándolas hasta lo inimaginable es increíble.
La novela parte de un simple desayuno, de la necesidad de pedir dinero para una boda y de una idea de marketing. Con esas tres cosas se crea esta novela corta tan original.
El estilo de escritura del autor, como siempre, es sencillo y con situaciones y diálogos muy amenos y divertidos.
Muy recomendable a todas aquellas personas, mayores de 13 años, que disfruten con las novelas humorísticas-satíricas ambientadas en la burguesía.
January 27, 2018
Dieses Buch war mein erstes von Wodehouse, auch wenn ich die Fernsehadaption von Jeeves und Wooster kenne. Statt des schlagfertigen Butlers dreht sich diese Geschichte aber um den frechen Künstler Joss, der sich unsterblich in Sally verliebt hat. Leider ist diese verlobt und sein Chef setzt ihn auch noch vor die Tür. Davon lässt sich Joss aber nicht beeindrucken und schmiedet stattdessen kühne Pläne, die auch den Diebstahl eines Gemäldes beinhalten.
Der Humor und die englische Landszenerie haben mir sehr gut gefallen. Auch wenn die Geschehnisse alle vorhersehbar sind, ist das Buch dennoch überaus unterhaltsam. Die überzeichneten Figuren sind allesamt auf ihre Art liebenswert. Hoffentlich bleibt es nicht mein letztes Wodehouse-Buch.
Der Humor und die englische Landszenerie haben mir sehr gut gefallen. Auch wenn die Geschehnisse alle vorhersehbar sind, ist das Buch dennoch überaus unterhaltsam. Die überzeichneten Figuren sind allesamt auf ihre Art liebenswert. Hoffentlich bleibt es nicht mein letztes Wodehouse-Buch.
January 29, 2020
I think it would have been 5 stars if I'd read it in hand instead of listening to an audio, though I have nothing negative to say about the narrator. It was just harder to catch all the witty asides, follow the conversations, etc. with the audio version. Very well done, and I look forward to reading more of Wodehouse's work.
February 17, 2019
Mildly wonderful (it's Wodehouse, what did you expect?). If I'm going to be picky, it doesn't have the most promising of beginnings and the ending's a little too neat, but oh, the tangled middle bit!
April 8, 2021
I enjoyed this very much! Lots of dry humor. 4 stars mainly because I had a hard time following the story line towards the end.
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June 16, 2022Laugh out loud funny.
2022 A book recommended by a family member (Abigail)
2022 A book recommended by a family member (Abigail)
January 16, 2023
I think everyone should always be reading a Wodehouse! So funny! This was my first stand-alone and it was delightful!
November 8, 2024
Few things make me happier than British humor. The perfect listen for a tough week.
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