The Gold Bat and Other School Stories

School Stories

by P.G. Wodehouse

Three stories set in turn of the century British public schools deal with revenge, fagging, dormitory life, and cricket

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

464 pages, Paperback

First published September 13, 1904

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

[Charles van Buren · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of Wodehouse's school novels

Most of Wodehouse's early work is school stories. This is a 1904 example of the genre. There are flashes of the future comic genius but the novel is very heavy on English sports. Some of the terms and slang will be difficult for many modern American readers.

As I know little of English sports and am quite baffled by the rules of most of them, I found the descriptions of football interesting. I didn't like the novel as well as Wodehouse's later comic novels but it held my interest to the end.

[Anu · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is a reason why people around the world love P.G. Wodehouse. He can make anyone connect to any story, no matter how little the reader may know about the world of British private schools. I must thank my high school English Literature teacher- Mrs. D'souza for including P.G. Wodehouse books into the curriculum. The gold bat is one of his early works and maybe that's why it deals with teen school life so brilliantly.
My edition (the Indian edition)is called The Gold Bat & other stories though i did not come across any other story, but i'm not complaining. P.G. Wodehouse shows us whats wrong with modern literature and culture- too much sex, drama, tension and pessimism. For the first time in a long time i read a book and laughed heartily at the subtle, sarcastic and light-hearted humour. Not every piece of fiction has to be grandiose. A true work of great literature is turning a mundane event into a page turner.
The Gold Bat , is set in the fictional private school called Wrykyn . The popular school prefect and captain of the school and Donaldson house rugby team- Trevor, is in the middle of a crisis as his precious 'Gold Bat', which is given to captain of the winning cricket team, is lost by his friend, and resident slacker, O'Hara and which shows up at a crime scene. The plot further thickens when the dreaded 'League' is resurrected and begins to sabotage Trevor's efforts at building a winning Rugby team to win the match against arch rivals- The Ripton school team.
Having studied in a British style school myself i could completely relate to the story although this one is set in an all-boys school. The "prefects", "houses", school rivalry, strict rules, eccentric school traditions and fierce loyalty can be recognized by anyone who has studied in British - era Indian schools.
I find present day depictions of school life to be completely unfathomable and secretly thank the heavens that i graduated a long time back. I still refuse to believe that teenage life is as dreary as portrayed on "The Gossip Girl", "Pretty little liars", "Modern Family" or our very own "Remix".
The story weaves through the eccentricities of British schools and one can't help but think of the famed "Eton" as one reads the book. The symbiotic and complex relationship between a senior and a "fag" (I hear this term is not in use anymore for obvious reasons albeit the innocent meaning here!, the student studies, tea brewing and Greek lessons conjure up images of jovial, snooty, polite and perfectly well groomed Englishman- just how we imagine them always!
Oh why did the Americans have to ruin dry British sarcasm with their crass toilet humour. I must say i'm mighty glad and chuffed to bits that I found me this book at the right time. It's high time i returned to my favourite author. To P.G.Wodehouse- I salute thee!!!

Note: This review can also be seen on http://www.ltgtr.in/2012/06/golden-ba....

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

“The Gold Bat” was the third novel, and the fourth book that P. G. Wodehouse had published. As with all his previous stories, this one takes place at a school. Instead of St. Austin’s as it was in “The Pothunters” and “Tales of St. Austin’s”, or Beckford College as it was for “A Prefect’s Uncle”, the setting this time is Wrykyn, a fictional public school which supposedly is based on Wodehouse’s alma mater. The novel was published on September 13, 1904. At first I thought that given his previous history of including so many characters, that it would have been best had he set this novel at one of the schools he had already defined and used some of those characters again. However, by creating a new setting, it was easier to compare this novel with the first two, and to realize just how much he had improved in his story telling.

The hero of this story is Richard Trevor, the Captain of the first fifteen and the Head of Donaldson’s House. He is a well respected student and athlete at the school, and the current holder of the Golden Bat, an award given to the captain of the cricket team that wins the inter-house cup. The main sport in the story, though, isn’t cricket, it is football (a.k.a rugby), and Trevor is the captain of the school team. Other key characters are Clowes, who is Trevor’s right-hand man; Milton, the Head of Seymour’s House, which is Donaldson’s main competition in football; O’Hara, an Irishman who is a bit of a troublemaker and a strong defender of Ireland and also a good boxer; Barry, the young player from the third fifteen who Trevor brings up to the first fifteen; and Rand-Brown, the player left out by Barry’s leap-frogging into the first fifteen.

As Wodehouse became so adept at, here again there are numerous storylines. One of them is with regard to the decision to replace a key player Barry, a player who has shown a great deal of promise but is on the third fifteen, instead of taking the obvious choice of Rand-Brown from the second fifteen, because Rand-Brown has shown more than once that he lacks the best skills. Another storyline is about another student, O’Hara playing a prank and putting tar and leaves on the statue of the town’s mayor, the problem being that he apparently lost the Gold Bat which he had borrowed from Trevor when he was carrying out the deed. Another storyline is about the re-emergence of The League, a mysterious group who puts pressure on students to do what they want, by causing them havoc. They turn their attention to Trevor after he makes his decision to put Barry on the first fifteen.

There are a few other smaller storylines as well, and it is here where Wodehouse has shown some great improvement over the first two novels. He weaves the storylines together well and creates an interesting story which keeps the reader’s interest. Wodehouse also does a good job with the different characters, and it is easier to follow the key characters than in the previous books because they are more distinct. There are still too many characters; some of which get introduced in the last chapter, but on the positive side he does stick with a core set of characters for the most part, the others are, with one exception, not that important to the story. The humorous aspects of the story are not nearly as well done as in his works to come. The result is a very decent effort, much better than the previous works, but far from his best.

[Spiros · Rating 2 out of 5]

I consider myself a devoted Wodehousean: this is the earliest example of the Great Man's work which I have read. In a sense, it is salutory to realize that Wodehouse's genius did not, in fact, emerge fully formed, like Athena from the forehead of Zeus, but was developed, with great effort, over the course of time.
These three tales of schoolboy sporting escapades reveal occasional glimpses of Wodehouse's brilliance; every so often one is afforded a glimmering of an embryonic Psmith and Jackson. But the plotting, which in Wodehouse's mature work would appear to be so effortless, is somewhat shambolic in these pieces. Of course, if I knew more of the world of Prefects and Fags, of Cricket and Footer (Rugby, amongst these toffs), I might have derived more enjoyment out of these stories; which is just another way of saying that the Classic Wodehouse has a universal appeal, whereas these stories were written for a particular market.

[Richard Hannay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Obtuve este libro como parte de una recopilación de novelas de Wodehouse. No pensaba leerlo porque las primeras páginas parecían indicar una novela deportiva, como así es, y lo unico mas aburrido que ver un partido de cricket me parece leer una novela sobre cricket (rugby, en realidad) pero como suele ocurrir con las cerezas una vez acabadas las mas gordas, rojas y brillantes es harto difícil no continuar con las pequeñas.
Y como siempre Wodehouse no decepciona. Me lo he pasado tan bien siguiendo las pequeñas aventuras de Trevor y O'Hara en su lucha contra "La Liga" que casi me parece mal haberlo leido en Cuaresma. Wodehouse es, simplemente, una maravilla.

[Illiterate · Rating 1 out of 5]

Better crafted than The Pothunters, but lacking the satirical flourishes of St Austin’s.

[Ian Wood · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Gold Bat was P G Wodehouse’s third novel and third to be the story of a collection of School boys. This time the school is Wrykyn rather than St Austin’s of his ‘The Pothunters’ debut but apart from the new location and new names the action and the plot are very similar. Wrykyn was to become the most important of all the Wodehouse schools with Mike of ‘Mike and Psmith’ fame and many later Wodehouse creations would site Wrykyn as their school. Fortunately Wodehouse’s publishers declined his Tales of Wrykyn which was to have mined the same seem as Tales of St Austin’s.

The Gold Bat of the title is a Watch chain ornament belonging to Trevor, captain of the cricket team, which he lent O’Hara who unfortunately lost it whilst engaged in the well worn school days prank of Tarring and Feathering a statue of the local MP. The boys must retrieve the bat from the crime scene before it is discovered and used as evidence to have O’Hara ‘sent down’ or worse have Trevor ‘sent down’ as being a topping chap he would have to take the blame rather than break the school boy code of ‘ratting’ on a ‘fellow’.

The moral, like the book, is very old fashioned and in these cynical days the dilemma facing the boys gets a hearty ‘who cares?’ however as a historical document charting Wodehouse’s development it cannot be ignored. Very little of the charm of Wodehouse’s later work is on display here but it is a much better novel than its predecessor ‘The Pothunters’. At least the boys are behaving like boys rather than saints, the boy’s of St Austin’s would never have dreamt up tarring and feathering a statue, it would be considered as low as smoking or talking to girls.

[Joe Stevens · Rating 2 out of 5]

As I go along my not-so-merry way in the early days of reading chronologically through the works of PG Wodehouse I've managed to digest five school boy books. The Gold Bat is the best of the lot so far. This is the first of the novels with sufficient plot to hand a novel on, though it is far from plots that will be crafted in The Master's heyday. The characters feel somewhat less two dimensional and the reader might have some interest in their lives. Surprisingly there are few comedic touches. While far from a must read, the plotting and characterization point to an improving author as Wodehouse is moving along into his twenties and has more professional experience behind him.

[Tommy Verhaegen · Rating 4 out of 5]

In his beginning years P.G. Wodehouse wrote a series of books on public school events. A bit in the tradition of Enid Blyton but then for older youth and about boys in stead of girls.
This story plays at Wrykin as do several others. On the cover we see a couple of youngsters box.
And indeed, the sports Wodehouse seems to favour are boxing, football (rugby) and cricket. Extremely English and especially the latter completely impossible to understand for the non-English.
Of course at the time the author was still living in England and hadn't moved to the US yet.
The plot is not very complex, a sports trophy that has only can be shown off by the winner for a year and then has to be returned for the winner of next season, a gold bat, has been lost in dire circumstances. The statue of a local politician has been smeared with tar and feathers and the lost bat will form a direct lead to the culprits. Expulsion will be the expected punishment.
Several youngsters, globally divided in lower grades who are hardly worth mentioning by name and described as an unruly bunch who have very good reason to fear the swagger-stick, higher grades not in possession of an own study and the ones who do own a study with on top the elite, the school prefects. Of course there are the teachers of whom some are house masters and the school principal but mostly those are not involved in student's business.
Wodehouse focuses on a few main characters and let's them interact while their life revolves around searching for the lost bat, house competitions in some sports, personal likes and dislikes, ragging and the consequences or avoidance of those.
In all, as mentioned at the start, it reads like an adult version of one of Blytons' stories with many more characters than the famous five.
It may be clear that this line of books has been discontinued in its own while at the same time finding a follow-up series in the Psmith series of books. Reading these in order shows the progress of the author in his mastership of the "funny books" which will end with the marvels of Bertie Wooster with Jeeves and Lord Emsworth at Blandings Castle.

[Gláucia Renata · Rating 3 out of 5]

Publicado em 1904 é o livro 4 que perfaz as “School Stories”.
Segue a linha dos anteriores, jovens estudantes de uma escola pública britânica e toda sua hierarquia e regras que os alunos sempre estão dando um jeito de quebrar sem serem punidos.
O esporte nesse meio é muito valorizado e a trama gira em torno de campeonatos de críquete e um pequeno objeto desaparecido: um taco em miniatura feito de ouro e nas complicações que essa perda pode acarretar ao seu dono, o respeitado capitão do time Trevor.
Ainda não se reconhece seu maravilhoso senso de humor caricaturando a aristocracia inglesa mas se percebe um ou outro toque ali. Em estado embrionário nesses seus primeiros trabalhos.



Histórico de leitura
26/04/2020

"- Outside! - Don’t be an idiot, man. I bagged it first."

[வானதி வானதி · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was difficult to start this book and have put it down a couple of times to take up something else. However in the end, these are just feel-good stories written at the start of the career by P.G.W. The Wodehousian wit is sadly missing and the story telling gets a little tedious in between but I liked the stories and was able to finish them up. And was interesting to read about early 2oth century English school life and sports. I coudn't but wonder how much of it is still copied in the Indian English schools (The houses, the sports between them without the strong loyalty factor shown in these stories). Overall, a bit tedious, but still good read.

[Sudhir Pai · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are familiar with some of the most celebrated works of PG Wodehouse, you are bound to judge some of his earlier novels unfairly. The Gold Bat, plum's third novel, probably suffers this ignominy of a poor rating on account of a reader's familiarity with Jeeves, Psmith, Blandings or even the Golf series.

The Gold Bat is a story about a bunch of jocks studying in a fictional boarding school called Wrykyn. Boasting of a great culture of sports, the characters in this story measure their own progress in school on the strength of their performances outside the classroom. So much so that in the few mentions of classrooms that occupy a spattering of paras in the entire novel, our protagonists are found celebrating the prospect of being thrown out by their teachers.

Trevor, a school prefect and the rugby team captain, finds himself in earth-shattering crisis( at least by high school standards) when his prestigious 'Gold Bat' - earned by captain of the winning cricket team - is lost by his friend and in-house bum, O'Hara. Turns out, guilty party had dropped it at a scene of crime while he was defacing a public property in a nearby town. To add to Trevor's chaos, the dreaded 'League', a secret brotherhood of boarding school crimes, have resurfaced and have sworn to put a spanner in Trevor's efforts at building a winning Rugby team for his house.

With this seemingly innocuous plot, a young Wodehouse shows early signs of his mastery which would entertain millions of readers decades later. Like all his celebrated work, Wodehouse limits his entire storyline within a highly protected world that seems completely oblivious of the world outside. Not for Wodehouse a reflection of the times during which the novel was written. That's perhaps what makes a Wodehouse novel timeless.

If this wasn't a Wodehouse novel, I may have rated it higher. But being pampered by Plum's lofty standards, The Gold Bat just falls short of being a 4/5.

[Phil Syphe · Rating 2 out of 5]

First published in 1904, this was P. G. Wodehouse’s fourth book. Like the three before it, this one is set in an all-boys’ school. Unlike the others, however, this has a more cohesive plot. Compared to the others, I prefer this to his first and third offering, but rate his second book – “A Prefect’s Uncle” – the best of the bunch.

Despite the title, this volume does not focus on cricket, but rather on rugby and a little on football. I’m not into either sport, so skipped the descriptive game paragraphs. The gold bat is in fact an inch-long replica of a cricket bat made from gold.

Although I’ve only awarded this book 2 stars, there were certain parts that featured classic Wodehouse moments. I’ve written one of my favourite quotes below:

“It had been privily agreed upon beforehand amongst the members of the class that at a quarter past ten every one was to sneeze simultaneously.”

[Tim Julian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first met Wodehouse at the age of 10 or 11 through "Mike", which was republished in the late sixties as two paperbacks, Mike and Wrykyn and Mike and Psmith, (with some of the cricketing references gently updated). Those two books were among my favourites as a lad and led naturally to me discovering the delights of Jeeves, Blandings Castle and the rest.
This was first published in 1904 when Wodehouse was just setting out and it's fair to say it doesn't give much indication of the masterpieces which were to follow. It's a school story, many pages of which are dedicated to descriptions of rugby matches, with only the most rudimentary attempt at characterisation or plot. That said, Wodehouse could never be dull and I read this slim tale in a sitting. 3 stars and one for the completist only.

[Sahil Khatkar · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of the first few books by the literary wizard that is Wodehouse, The Gold Bat does have its moments of ingenuity, albeit too few and not quite so frequent. It describes the tryst of one Trevor (house prefect, cricket & rugby team captain) with the resurgent covert organization, known only as the League, as his fellow school mates undertake one misadventure after the other (tar a statue, feed some ferrets, sprain an ankle, et al). Part humor (O' Hara, get out of the class!), part mystery (Who is sending these dastardly notes?), it is but a light read meant for one of those drab days in our oh-so-monotonous lives.

[Larry Shackley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This third schoolboy book by PGW shows a continued improvement over the previous two. This time, there are not just (boring) details about games (which is the obsession of the British schoolboy), but a mystery involving a theft and acts of vandalism. PGW's plotting ability is starting to take shape, and his trademark humor is budding. However, the book is still so deep in late-19th century British schoolboy culture that it will be difficult for the casual 21st century reader to follow. A glossary and short guide to school life would be a helpful companion to these six early novels.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite enjoyable with some chuckles; standard Wodehouse in that respect. There were a lot of slang and soccer terms that I did not quite get and couldn't find definitions for. I think this is because it's an early one and possibly not written or edited for readers other than the British, who would have more familiarity with early 20th century boys' schools. It didn't hinder my enjoyment in the least but it did knock the stars down to 3 instead of the 4 I might otherwise give to Wodehouse.

[Brian G · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Gold Bat
Again set at a private boarding school the students get up to all sorts of mischief - from smoking to trashing each others dorm rooms and Tarring and feathering a statue.
Interspersed with all this are a few games of Rugby
A better plotted book from Wodehouse as he finds his style for intricate stories

[Drinkinwookie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's PG Wodehouse so by rights it should get five stars. It's a very early book of his and an interesting read for a Wodehouse fan in that its a bit different than the last 200 or so odd novels he published. It pours on the english schoolboy slang a bit thicker but lacks a lot of the masterful polish he achieved with a little more practice.

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have a great and longstanding love of all things P.G. Wodehouse, but this is simply not his finest effort.

[Farseer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most reviewers have read this book because it's written by P.G. Wodehouse, and they judge it by comparing with latter books of that author. I have read it because I'm interested in Victorian/Edwardian British boarding school fiction, and I'm judging it in the context of that genre.

This novel, originally serialized in a magazine for boys, is set in a school called Wrykyn. It was published before the novel The White Feather, also set in that school a year later. The stories are independent, and in fact feature different characters, for most of the main characters here are Sixth Form boys (i.e. seniors) who have already graduated in The White Feather. Still, some of them made cameos in the latter novel, and it was nice seeing them here.

The story follows Trevor, the Captain of the first fifteen (the rugby team of the school), as he tries to organize the team and beat their arch-rivals from Ripton School. There is a lot of focus on sports, but also on many other things and characters. There's a plot involving a small golden ornament (the gold cricket bat of the title), awarded to Trevor as captain of the cricket team of his school house, for winning the school cup last year. It's due to be returned this year, but Trevor lent it to a colorful but good-hearted slacker called O'Hara, who lost it in the "crime scene" when he was tarring and feathering the statue of a local politician who had offended Irish people. This situation has the potential to land them in serious trouble. There's also a mystery involving a secret student organization that seems to be sabotaging Trevor's efforts to build a winning rugby team. There's sport injuries, boxing, school studies being vandalized, a couple of younger boys secretly caring for baby ferrets, rivalries between the different houses of the school...

I enjoyed this story, but I enjoyed The White Feather more because it had a more focused plot and it was more dramatic as an underdog story. The plot here is enjoyable but a bit all over the place. It does have a few more witty moments than The White Feather, but don't expect the witticism that later Wodehouse books are famous for.

[Angie Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, goodness, I laughed so hard over this book!

I'm fortunate in having some experience with other books set in boys' schools--British or otherwise--so I was familiar with at least parts of the atmosphere and could pretend I was keeping up with who and what was going on. Be warned that there's not much defining of terms or explanation beyond what a British schoolboy would need, so I picked up what I could from context and just let the rest of it go. Even with that, though, I literally laughed myself to tears.

It's not that the plot or the characters stand out from a typical schoolboy story--although they weren't below the average either--but the humor was absolutely priceless! Ordinary bits of everyday life with no other purpose than to move the plot along became the most brilliant parts of the story. For example: Next day, while the form was wrestling with the moderately exciting account of Caesar’s doings in Gaul, Master Cook produced from his pocket a newspaper cutting. This, having previously planted a forcible blow in his friend’s ribs with an elbow to attract the latter’s attention, he handed to Knight, and in dumb show requested him to peruse the same. Which Knight, feeling no interest whatever in Caesar’s doings in Gaul, and having, in consequence, a good deal of time on his hands, proceeded to do. And that's nothing to the way that actual calamities are described; the bit with the frying pan and the fireplace--oh, dear!

I admit to having a hard time keeping up with which character was whom (aside from a few main ones) and to not being able to follow the football (rugby) matches at all, but I really didn't care. The plot was fine, the characters were likable, the dialogue was great, and the commentary was hilarious! I'll definitely be reading it again. 4.5 stars

Content--references to various instances of rule-breaking/disrespect to teachers; boys caught smoking; some violence; usual issues of schoolboy honor in not telling on a classmate; "fag" in the British schoolboy sense and "ass" in the older sense as an insult

[JamieS · Rating 4 out of 5]

The School Stories are often hard to rate because the vast majority of PGW fans visit them after enjoying the ‘classics’ - Jeeves, Blandings, Psmith etc. In addition, it is hard to be objective about them if, like most people especially outside the UK, the very specific school jargon and world is completely foreign (and these days pretty much ridiculed). I had a very watered down version of Wrykyn education, so I knew of 95% of that culture, and I like the early works, but can completely understand a Plum fan not in this situation would pretty much dismiss the school stuff.
It’s worth a try, though. Recognize that this is a young genius learning his craft, writing about what he knew of the world (who did not do that?!). Remember also: this was 1903. You may think this is rather wooden, but compared to other authors doing school procedurals (not many) up to time, it was hot stuff. It’s interesting to see young Plum already showing occasional flashes of the wit that would later blossom, as well as other subversive trademarks: his immediate superiors are usually respected (the headmaster) but titled folk are lampooned (Sir Eustace).
I would say The Gold Bat would be a good intro to this world – at least there is a decent whodunnit plot of sorts, and while there are still tedious play-by-plays of the games (even I, who understand cricket and rugby, find I skip some of these parts), it’s still a fun romp. If you like it, then consider the earlier stories. If you want to see the “Bilbo finds the One Ring” moment when this school world starts to take a backseat to Plums more famous world, it is in Mike (1909) when Mike walks in and gets his first view of Psmith....

[Darcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title of this novel is in reference to a trinket that is handed out to the players of the top Cricket team at Wrykyn School. The players receive silver bats and the Captain of the team gets a gold bat. It is the fact that this item is accidently dropped at the scene of a little extra-curricular activity that could result in expulsion that lends it's name to the title of the book. However, this is a minor subplot to the story that explores the goings on at the school.

Most of the exposition revolves around a secret society that is attempting to upset the inclusion of a boy into the top rugby team at the exclusion of another. It is the attempt to uncover the members of this conspiracy while at the same time winning the competition that moves this story along. This is a light tale without any clues to the culprits, and is more concerned with the day to day activities of these young men. The plot is better constructed than Wodehouse's other early works, but without the humor and grand denouement usually associated with him.

Airy, amusing and a good look at school life a hundred years ago. The novel stands on its own, but still a developing author looking for his niche.

[Niklas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Luin Wodehousea suurin odotuksin, mutta ainakin The Gold Bat oli siihen verrattuna pettymys. Dialogi on sujuvaa ja hauskaa, ja se viljelee kosolti yllättävän modernin tuntuista ironiaa. Välillä tuntui kuin olisi lukenut omien kavereiden välistä ironista sanailua. Tarina ei ole pääosassa, mutta on eräänlainen dekkari ilman etsivää. Lopussa kaikki selviää, mutta ei sillä tunnu olleen hirveästi väliä. Nykylukijan on hyvin vaikea seurata brittiläisen sisäoppilaitoksen meininkiä, minulle ei esim. selvinnyt kuin vasta loppua kohden että pelattava peli on rugby eikä kriketti. Kirja toisin sanoen olettaa että lukija tuntee sen tapahtumaympäristön ja erilaiset peribrittiläiset hahmot ja tavat. Jos näin ei ole, menee suuri osa kirjan hyvyydestä sivu suun. Olin myös huomaavinani aikamoista elitismiä ja snobismia kaikkea muuta kuin yläluokkaista sisäoppilaitosmeininkiä kohtaan, josta lähtee myös pisteitä.

[Shannon Cooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now this is what I’m talking about. With The Gold Bat, Wodehouse finally hits his stride as a comic writer. It improves the scattered, chaotic nature of The Pothunters, with a story that has a definite through-line and clear protagonists. There are a few odd little excursions and distractions, but for the most part the story stays on track.

In fact, the central mystery was one that got me hooked, even though the stakes were pretty low in an absolute sense. That’s just fine, given the schoolboy setting. I only wish that the ending had not been so accidental, and that the resolution were not quite so violent. But that’s from the POV of a modern reader, and I’m sure it made perfect sense at the time.

Overall, a great early work that shows how Wodehouse’s skills of plotting and scenecraft were developing.

—

Objective Worth: Medium
Enjoyability: High
Rereadability: High
Recommended: To Wodehouse fans specifically

[Andrew Fish · Rating 3 out of 5]

By the time Wodehouse came to write The Gold Bat he'd been producing school stories for a couple of years. Clearly, his enthusiasm for them was waning, because The Gold Bat is much drier and more formulaic than some of the earlier outings. The plot, a fairly standard mystery concerning a league which "rags" people's studies, a boy promoted to a school team over his elders and self-supposed betters and a missing trophy - the titular gold bat - is told straight, without the witty observation and literary allusion which had peppered previous volumes. Sporting events are still relayed with a degree of passion, but it feels as if Wodehouse was telegramming this volume in, perhaps even as he brewed the ideas for what would become his breakthrough novel - Love Among the Chickens. One for completists or school-story fanatics only.

[Royce · Rating 2 out of 5]

Over a quarter century ago, someone found this book discarded by the library and gave it to me, knowing I was a PG Wodehouse fan. I twice tried to read it, and twice couldn't get past the first few chapters, it being that dull.
All this time later, I have become quite a cricket fan, and given the title and the picture of people playing cricket on the cover, I thought I'd give it another go.
"The Gold Bat," unfortunately for me, is almost entirely about rugby. But I still slogged through. The plots of all three stories are largely uninteresting. What I DID find interesting is the depection of turn-of-the-century (19th) public (private) English schools. Having the story take place in England actually changes "Lord of the Flies" very little, as it turns out! The only flash of the Wodehouse genius we know and love is in some of his delightful wordplay and sentence structure.

[Harry · Rating 3 out of 5]

At the turn of the twentieth century and 25 years or so before Jeeves and Wooster, PG Wodehouse was writing school stories of which this is the third. This lead onto his character PSmith and onto Blandings Castle and so on.

The British Public School system has given rise to a great deal of literature and even in the present day what is Harry Potter but a series of stories based around a school?

The enjoyment of this novel is predicated on a knowledge of what is called Football in the book but is now known as Rugby Union. Also in this period the scoring system in the game was different. But it’s still possible to enjoy this book without a detailed knowledge of the game.

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

He wrote better books than this but then he wrote better books than just about everybody else. This is basically a very well written (and very funny) Boys’ Own tale, or something out of a comic. Like Molesworth I forgive it its Public Schoolness. Like Molesworth it serves a subversive purpose.

The main reason to enjoy it is the writing and the second reason is the pure escapism it. I don’t think about the serious matters of the world when reading a Wodehouse. This world is not as complete and all-embracing as the world of Bertie Wooster or of Blandings, but it’s good enough for a damp March in the North of England.