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Uncle Fred #1-3
Uncle Fred: An Omnibus
Pig snatching and the eminent destruction of Blandings Castle makes for a rollicking story with Uncle Fred, at his shining best in the springtime, right at the center of it.
Contains "Uncle Fred in the Springtime", "Uncle Dynamite" and "Cocktail Time".
Contains "Uncle Fred in the Springtime", "Uncle Dynamite" and "Cocktail Time".
768 pages, Paperback
First published May 11, 1992
4 people are currently reading
165 people want to read
About the author
P.G. Wodehouse
1,709 books6,966 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 - 12 of 12 reviews
September 30, 2020
Imagine you had an uncle who was an esteemed member of an English aristocratic society abundant with country houses that had Lords and Ladies, Dukes and Duchesses, and their butlers, maids and secretaries; where there were lovelorn lovers (you could be one!), dimwit coppers who were assaulted every now and then, bonny babies with ambitious mums competing in fetes to win coveted titles; and where it was perfectly normal to hatch schemes to kidnap pet pigs or throw eggs on unknown persons singing in your host's garden or use a cosh as the weapon of choice to silence the man in front or win bets in a bar by flinging Brazilian nuts at the top of hats of overbearing dishpots across the street.
Piffle!
Now imagine that in this wonderful, lively society your uncle dons his wild avatar in the absence of his beloved better-half and makes the most of his independence - crossing all lines of what you consider legitimate fun while claiming to spread sweetness and light around him (never mind that joy and light evades you - on the contrary!). What matters is that his non-conventional approach is for the greater common good and you've just got to play along and be a sport - a little embarrassment or the occasional arrest be damned! You'll just have to pitch in to lie, beg, borrow, steal, lie some more, run, hide, sprint, jump, lie again and perfect the art of becoming an impostor! Haa!
Would you consider yourself fortunate to be blessed with such an uncle? An uncle with a rather interesting name to match his colorful personality. Just like the one PG Wodehouse created - Lord Ickenham Frederick Altamont Cornwallis Twistleton, Fifth Earl of Ickenham, better known as Uncle Fred. With a flair for inducing romance in his selfless quest for matchmaking or breaking engagements as the situation demands and solving a variety of personal problems that are no less than grave worldly matters, Uncle Fred steps in eagerly and consistently to flawlessly play the role of anyone and everyone and rise to the occasion to save the day. You would be surrounded by characters with rather funny names and your name would be no exception. Even the pigs have exotic names in this part of the world. What, Ho!
I was introduced to Uncle Fred thanks to a generous friend who loaned me three books from his collection as a surprise when he visited me at home. I read this one which happened to be a favorite of my friend's late father. I didn't know there could be a PG Wodehouse without Jeeves, but boy was I floored. There are three stories in this collection: Uncle Fred in the Springtime, Uncle Dynamite and Cocktail Time. The first two are based in Blandings Castle. One of my favorite characters ended up being the grumpy barrister Sir Raymand Bastable in Cocktail Time, with his seriously funny quips. The overbearing female relatives tend to be a bit - well, overbearing, but I'm not judging this as sexist.
Wodehouse is a brilliant writer, he uses a delightful play of words, his sentences have plenty of metaphors and similes, and the comedic dialogues are simply genius. It was indeed a treat to read such fine English, who cares about the plot with such beautiful language which combined with balmy characters and their antics create a highly entertaining experience? Please don't analyze this work as a literary piece though, just enjoy its perfection and soak in the mirth it creates as you swim in it. It will conjure up chuckles and guffaws as it did for me - it was certainly a great distraction at the end of a tiring day. I am thankful to Uncle Fred for that. I wish I had him in my life - not sure what chaos he would cause, but I have no doubt he'd look out for me and assist me in dealing with ahem problematic characters.
For all his uninhibited nuttiness, I really admire Uncle Fred for his eternal optimism - even when he's being threatened or cornered with questions on his identity, he remains so calm and uses his grey cells to come up with a solution. Such a problem solver, and a people's person - would love to have him mentor me at work.
Now imagine that in this wonderful, lively society your uncle dons his wild avatar in the absence of his beloved better-half and makes the most of his independence - crossing all lines of what you consider legitimate fun while claiming to spread sweetness and light around him (never mind that joy and light evades you - on the contrary!). What matters is that his non-conventional approach is for the greater common good and you've just got to play along and be a sport - a little embarrassment or the occasional arrest be damned! You'll just have to pitch in to lie, beg, borrow, steal, lie some more, run, hide, sprint, jump, lie again and perfect the art of becoming an impostor! Haa!
Would you consider yourself fortunate to be blessed with such an uncle? An uncle with a rather interesting name to match his colorful personality. Just like the one PG Wodehouse created - Lord Ickenham Frederick Altamont Cornwallis Twistleton, Fifth Earl of Ickenham, better known as Uncle Fred. With a flair for inducing romance in his selfless quest for matchmaking or breaking engagements as the situation demands and solving a variety of personal problems that are no less than grave worldly matters, Uncle Fred steps in eagerly and consistently to flawlessly play the role of anyone and everyone and rise to the occasion to save the day. You would be surrounded by characters with rather funny names and your name would be no exception. Even the pigs have exotic names in this part of the world. What, Ho!
I was introduced to Uncle Fred thanks to a generous friend who loaned me three books from his collection as a surprise when he visited me at home. I read this one which happened to be a favorite of my friend's late father. I didn't know there could be a PG Wodehouse without Jeeves, but boy was I floored. There are three stories in this collection: Uncle Fred in the Springtime, Uncle Dynamite and Cocktail Time. The first two are based in Blandings Castle. One of my favorite characters ended up being the grumpy barrister Sir Raymand Bastable in Cocktail Time, with his seriously funny quips. The overbearing female relatives tend to be a bit - well, overbearing, but I'm not judging this as sexist.
Wodehouse is a brilliant writer, he uses a delightful play of words, his sentences have plenty of metaphors and similes, and the comedic dialogues are simply genius. It was indeed a treat to read such fine English, who cares about the plot with such beautiful language which combined with balmy characters and their antics create a highly entertaining experience? Please don't analyze this work as a literary piece though, just enjoy its perfection and soak in the mirth it creates as you swim in it. It will conjure up chuckles and guffaws as it did for me - it was certainly a great distraction at the end of a tiring day. I am thankful to Uncle Fred for that. I wish I had him in my life - not sure what chaos he would cause, but I have no doubt he'd look out for me and assist me in dealing with ahem problematic characters.
For all his uninhibited nuttiness, I really admire Uncle Fred for his eternal optimism - even when he's being threatened or cornered with questions on his identity, he remains so calm and uses his grey cells to come up with a solution. Such a problem solver, and a people's person - would love to have him mentor me at work.
January 8, 2014
So happy to be ending 2013 with three back-to-back Uncle Fred novels. Wodehouse is wonderful.
December 21, 2018
Uncle Fred is a cool guy in the style of a subdued Galahad. Slightly hampered by a wife who usually keeps him under control but when he escapes his abilities are endless. With the aim of spreading light and happiness Uncle Fred is an excellent read and 'Cocktail Time' an interesting insight into the fortunes of writers from the past. We can but dream to have such problems.
February 9, 2026
The hilarious "Uncle Fred" stories from humorist P.G. Wodehouse (4 stars)
Of all the characters invented by humorist P.G. Wodehouse, my favorites are Psmith and Uncle Fred, both of whom create mayhem when they are in peak form. It's been well said that where Jeeves uses deduction and reasoning to get Bertie out of jams, Uncle Fred weaves tapestry upon tapestry of lies.
Uncle Fred features in four of Wodehouse’s novels, including two that are set at Blandings Castle. There’s also a short story in the collection “Young Men in Spats” (1936) in which he is a main character. A Wodehouse society once this story - "Uncle Fred Flits By" - as his all-time top short story, and I'm inclined to agree. It’s hilarious!
In the first novel, “Uncle Fred in the Springtime” (four stars), Uncle Fred arrives at Blandings Castle in the guise of Sir Roderick Glossop, with Pongo serving as his secretary. There are quite a few characters posing as others, and it can get confusing at times. The plot complications also increase because Uncle Fred needs to come up with cunning new schemes as old ones fail. So ideally this book is best enjoyed when read in just one or two sittings to help keep track of it all. But despite the potential for some confusion, the further you get into the book, the better it gets.
In the second book, "Uncle Dynamite" (five stars), Uncle Fred masquerades as the famed explorer Major Brabazon-Plank. It's a bit easier to follow than its predecessor, and is hilarious all round, with constant comedic mayhem, including chaos around Lord Emsworth’s prize pig. Brilliant all round!
This third book, “Cocktail Time” (three stars), is probably the weakest in the series. The fourth and final book, “Service With a Smile” (four stars), returns to the Blandings Castle setting, with plenty of hanky panky involving Lord Emsworth’s prize-winning pig, and is on par with “Uncle Fred in the Springtime”.
I found myself thoroughly entertained with the situational comedy of constant shenanigans and farce, and these novels are proof positive of Wodehouse's ability to produce a stream of hilarity like few other writers can.
Of all the characters invented by humorist P.G. Wodehouse, my favorites are Psmith and Uncle Fred, both of whom create mayhem when they are in peak form. It's been well said that where Jeeves uses deduction and reasoning to get Bertie out of jams, Uncle Fred weaves tapestry upon tapestry of lies.
Uncle Fred features in four of Wodehouse’s novels, including two that are set at Blandings Castle. There’s also a short story in the collection “Young Men in Spats” (1936) in which he is a main character. A Wodehouse society once this story - "Uncle Fred Flits By" - as his all-time top short story, and I'm inclined to agree. It’s hilarious!
In the first novel, “Uncle Fred in the Springtime” (four stars), Uncle Fred arrives at Blandings Castle in the guise of Sir Roderick Glossop, with Pongo serving as his secretary. There are quite a few characters posing as others, and it can get confusing at times. The plot complications also increase because Uncle Fred needs to come up with cunning new schemes as old ones fail. So ideally this book is best enjoyed when read in just one or two sittings to help keep track of it all. But despite the potential for some confusion, the further you get into the book, the better it gets.
In the second book, "Uncle Dynamite" (five stars), Uncle Fred masquerades as the famed explorer Major Brabazon-Plank. It's a bit easier to follow than its predecessor, and is hilarious all round, with constant comedic mayhem, including chaos around Lord Emsworth’s prize pig. Brilliant all round!
This third book, “Cocktail Time” (three stars), is probably the weakest in the series. The fourth and final book, “Service With a Smile” (four stars), returns to the Blandings Castle setting, with plenty of hanky panky involving Lord Emsworth’s prize-winning pig, and is on par with “Uncle Fred in the Springtime”.
I found myself thoroughly entertained with the situational comedy of constant shenanigans and farce, and these novels are proof positive of Wodehouse's ability to produce a stream of hilarity like few other writers can.
January 30, 2024
Oh what would I give to have an uncle Fred in my life who only spreads sweetness and light! This book is hilarious. I've never read a book before that made my cheeks hurt by smiling! Feeling so happy after reading it. Recommend to everybody!
August 13, 2007
Just when you think there can't possibly be another plot twist, something else goes wrong. Silly old Uncle Fred.
October 22, 2007
Jeeves may be the most famous, but for me Uncle Fred is far and away my favorite Wodehouse character. A good role model, taking life in "leaps and bounds."
December 4, 2009
Top-drawer Wodehouse! Uncle Fred in the Springtime is one of my favourite Wodehouse novels, but all three in this omnibus edition are a delight.
January 4, 2011
Best of the master of humor!
March 2, 2016
Wodehouse is fantastic and this was just another example.
November 28, 2015
The good uncle can easily lay claim to being the best, not to mention the most effective characters in the Wodehousian universe..
June 25, 2014
Perspicaciously quick-witted!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews