Life with Jeeves (A Jeeves and Bertie Compendium) by P. G. Wodehouse (1983-09-29) Paperback

Jeeves #2, 4, 6

by P.G. Wodehouse

It is old Bertie Wooster's habit to land in the soup from time to time. To get into a spot of bother. Circumstances, aided and abetted by Aunt Agatha, Aunt Dahlia, Bingo Little, Tuppy, Sippy and others, seem to conspire against him, and a frightful muddle ensues.Enter Jeeves, the source of all solace. Jeeves of the infinite sagacity. Jeeves, that noiseless provider of deliverance from the hangover, a bird of the ripest intellect, calm and wise enough to rescue Bertie and his pals from the most fearful scrapes. Jeeves, that subtle master of prudence, good taste and ineffable composure. Where would that chump Bertie be without him?This omnibus edition will delight newcomers to Wodehouse as well as those already familiar with his sunny universe and his sparkling prose. It contains Right Ho, Jeeves; The Inimitable Jeeves; and Very Good, Jeeves.

Genres: Fiction, Humor, Classics, British Literature, Comedy, Short Stories, Historical Fiction

Paperback

First published September 29, 1983

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

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This particular compendium is special to me because it was the only English-language book I took with me when I went to spend a year in Germany in college. I suppose I chose it because I'd gotten it recently and it seemed like the perfect distillation of a certain kind of English-language humor. In fact, it would almost be worth speaking German for a whole month just to let the sparkling English of Wodehouse's wit prickle over your mind in contrast, like one of Jeeves's pick-me-ups.

I've been very busy and distracted the past few weeks, so this was the perfect light re-read. If you have never read any of these stories, this edition is a great way to start and you can pick it up on Amazon for $0.01.

[Jennifer de Guzman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, wow, these stories are such a delight to read! Light without being frothy or mindless, they were just the thing for me when I wanted to shake out some stress after finishing my thesis. I like a bath as much as Bertie Wooster, and this was perfect bathtub reading. It's been a while since I've laughed aloud while reading a book in any way other than a wry chuckle, so what fun to read Bertie's description of playing with a rubber duckie and just laughing outright!

Bertie's voice is so clear, by the time you get a few stories in, you feel he's your chum. His slang is catching. Two days into reading, and I was saying "Dash this" and "Dash that." The stories have predictable trajectories, but they never feel predictable in their details, and knowing the whole time that Bertie's schemes will fail and he will have to be rescued by the inimitable Jeeves made me feel part of this world of rich young men with silly nicknames and brash young women in country manors.

I was so sad to have to leave that world when I finished the book. Fortunately, there are more Jeeves and Wooster stories to read.

[Tosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perhaps the perfect work in English, that so happens stars the weatlhy f**k-up Bertie Wooster and his much smarter better-half aka his butler and valet Jeeves. Bertie Wooster is in a sense a grown up British version of Dennis The Menice. Always sure of himself, which means he is heading towards total failure - till the very last second his faithful butler Jeeves saves him.

I believe that Jeeves his a fantasy figure for middle-aged men, and no it is not really Lucy Lui, it's Jeeve that we want to watch over us to make sure we don't mess things up. And also the beautiful thing about Wodehouse is it doesn't really manner which Jeeves story to start with - all of them are excellent.

[Cindy]

I love this book! I only wish that when I started reading it I had also started a list of the delightful and/or unusual British words and phrases used. One example: "It is the eel's eyebrows." What in the world does that mean? And did people in England ever truly use that expression?!

Thanks for letting me borrow this book, Susan. It is just what the doctor ordered for a week in bed with the flu.

[Meredith McCaskey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aaah, Jeeves. Sometimes a spot of Jeeves is just what the doctor orders. Cheerio!

[Jesper Österstrom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Älskar Wodehouse. Läste inte den här utan någon svensk samling av blandade noveller som gavs ut på 50-talet ”Alla tiders Wodehouse”. Bästa verklighetsflykten, kanske ska vara en femma?

[Melody · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s the same thing over and over again. The slightly goofy, most certainly of only average or below intelligence, but unquestionably well mannered – or at least brought up to be well-mannered – Bertram Wooster – wishes to dress garishly or has a friend who gets into a bit of a spot – or decides to tackle a problem on his on – and he gets deeper into the briny swell while wearing purple socks or a cummerbund. And then Jeeves, the brilliant, composed, well-dressed, unshakable valet comes to the rescue, solves the problem, saves the day and burns the cummerbund or gives away the socks. But every dad gum time I roared with laughter. I had to learn the hard way there would be no drinking of any sort of liquid while reading Life with Jeeves or there would be spew.

This is actually 3 books in one. I'd give the first two books The Inimitable Jeeves and Very Good Jeeves 4 stars and the last one Right Ho, Jeeves a 3 star rating. And after writing this down I realize that I probably should rate the whole package a 4 stars - but somehow I just can't. It is very delightful and I intend to read every Wodehouse I can find and maybe that's the endorsement you need. But I am very selective with my stars.

[Sophie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had hilarious moments, but ultimately it felt a bit formulaic. In just about every story Bertie acquires some jacket or painting that the ultra-conservative Jeeves deplores, Bertie refuses to get rid of it (pride of the Woosters, after all!), some problem arises that Bertie tries to solve without Jeeves' help, disaster ensues, Jeeves swoops in at the last moment to save the day and in gratitude Bertie gets rid of whatever item caused the rift between them in the first place. Often quite funny, of course, but it got a little monotonous after a while. I still love Bertie, and The Mating Season is still one of the funniest books ever written, but this collection of stories didn't quite do it for me.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Life with Jeeves was the first Jeeves and Wooster book I read as an adult, and I was totally blown away by how good a writer P.G. Wodehouse is. It takes a lot of talent to write anything this funny, and yet not sacrifice the characters to the one-dimensional nature parody so often demands.

Bertie is a wonderful narrator, with his lovely grasp of language, and total lack of common sense. Jeeves is of course one of the greatest characters of the 20th century, and all the other characters that people the Jeeves and Wooster novels are marvels.

Life with Jeeves is a collection of three of the J & W books, the first two of which are earlier novels, the last of which is a later novel. Definitely a great collection, especially for the Bingo fan.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice collection for first time readers to Jeeves. Many laugh out lous moments.

But I would caution against reading it all in one go. There are two books of short stories and one novel in this collection. Read them back to back and Wodehouse's sparkling wit starts to feel a little flat. Also, I think that the short story is a much better genre for Jeeves than the novel. Less frustrating.

[matteo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wooster and Jeeves are fantastic. Hilarious. Witty. Entertaining. The dialogue is great. The stories are sweet and short. The scenarios and hijinks are amazing. You can't help but laugh out loud. I want to watch the BBC show with Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry.

[Faith-Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just can't get enough P.G. Wodehouse. He was a genius. Every book he wrote is a comic gem! I can't walk away from a Wodehouse novel upset.

[Kwoomac · Rating 4 out of 5]

An oft repeated read. Aside from Wodehouse’s talent with words, I quite enjoy not only the awkward situations Bertie finds himself stumbling into, but I love how easily Jeeves is able to resolve them. It really is quite satisfying to me to have life made simple. There’s a beginning, a middle, and an end. Nothing drags on. You don’t have to wonder what might happen in the future. I find this very comforting. Yes, there are times when I finish a book and I wonder what will happen to these characters. What will be the the long-term result of their choices. And I love this. But when I break open a Whodehouse novel, I know I will be entertained. Period. In fact, this was Whodehouse’s goal. In real life, serious, and often terrible things were going on in the world. Whodehouse chose not to address these issues, but to offer an idyllic place to escape. There will be nothing more serious to deal with than Bertie accidentally getting himself engaged. Again.

[Margot · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection largely circles around the tasks of Bertram Wooster and his butler Jeeves to help Wooster's friends find love, namely Bingo Little, Tuppy Glossop, and Gussie Fink-Nottle.

My reviews and ratings for the individual books in this collection:

*** The Inimitable Jeeves (#2) - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

** Very Good, Jeves (#4) - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

*** Right Ho, Jeeves (#6) - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Mary Catelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two collections and a novel. Review in its parts:
The Inimitable Jeeves
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Very Good, Jeeves!
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Right Ho, Jeeves
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute delight. The world Wodehouse paints is both perfectly idyllic and yet simultaneously full of small catastrophes for old Bertie Wooster. But place your faith in Jeeves, the gentleman's personal gentleman, and all will be well. A great both to curl up and read with a nice cup of tea.

[Mary Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much fun.

[Kate Koeze · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful stories

[Elisabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 *

[Sayali Deshmukh]

Another delightful read. Bertie as usual lands in a spot of bother and Jeeves in all his infinite wisdom is there to help him out.

[Kevin Gross · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable, but not the best of the Jeeves books.

[Alex Sexton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this a long time ago, but super good

[Joel Simon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I urge everyone who has even the slightest interest in British humor to read "Life With Jeeves" by P.G. Wodehouse. It is reeally three books in one and you won't be disappointed with any of it. Much of the Jeeves series is essentially a series of sketches about the mishaps of Bertie Wooster, an upper class young gentlemen who lives off the wealth of his rich aunts. Jeeves is Bertie's valet. Bertie tries to help his friends and relatives whenever they are in a jam, but something always goes wrong and it takes Jeeves to save the day. I was introduced to these stories by the British television series, Jeeves & Wooster when it aired on public television in NYC in the early 1990s. For those of you not familiar with the fabulous comedic actors in that show, it starred Stephen Fry as Jeeves and Hugh Laurie (who is now wildly famous from the TV show, "House") as Bertie Wooster. Fry and Laurie also acted together in the well-known British TV comedy series "Blackadder". Steven Fry (and to alesser extent Hugh Laurie) has a long list of roles to his name.

Anyway, back to the book. As good as the TV show was, the written versions of these stories are even better. P.G. Wodehouse is known for his great wit, and reading any one of the sketches immediately shows you why. They are well paced, well written and very funny. And you really feel like you know all the characters. In addition to Jeeves and Bertie, there are Bertie's two aunts, Aunt Agatha (the older, and less forgiving, aunt) and Aunt Dahlia (the more tolerant, but no less acerbic, aunt), Bertie's wacky friends Bingo Little, Tuppy Glossop and Gussie Fink-Nottle, and women whom Bertie is (or is not) fond of - Madeleine Bassett, Honoria Glossop and Bertie's cousin Angela. They are all remarkable supporting characters, each with their own quirks and nuances.

I particularly liked the way Jeeves expresses displeasure with certain clothing preferences of Bertie's and how he always manages to get Bertie to give them up. And I also enjoyed the way Jeeves can say just a word or two, such "Indeed sir" or simply, "Sir?" and Wodehouse can build a whole dialogue betwwen Jeeves and Bertie about those words and the way Jeeves says them.

Each chapter in the first sections ("The Inimitable Jeeves" and "Very Good Jeeves!") are individual sketches that stand on their own, but occasionally intertwne with or recall other sketches. The third section ("Right Ho Jeeves") however, is more like a book with a plot, involving three major story lines all of which take place in the same location involving most of the characters mentioned above.

An absolute delight, "Life With Jeeves is a book to dip into or to read in long stretches. Either way, it will have you laughing all the way and appreciating how good written humor can be -- and all without sex, foul language or violence.

[Carin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book took me forever to read. But for the best possible reason. It's such a hilarious laugh-out-loud book, that I put it aside on reserve for times in my life when I was feeling particularly bad, to help cheer me up. And I am happy to say it took me three years to read it! What finally made me finish (and I had only read 1/3 at this point) was wedding planning. That was the most stressful thing to happen to me in the last three years (and three years ago I was laid off!)

These darling stories about the lovable dingbat Bertie Wooster and his long-suffering butler Jeeves are just a delight! Bertie is a wealthy young playboy who both wants to be in love but not tied down, and who is surprisingly doted on by his family and friends, although to be honest most of them come to Bertie as a means to get advice from Jeeves (and a couple do dispense with that pretense altogether.) Bertie often resents their implication that he cannot come up with a good solution to the problem at hand and so he sometimes tries to force the person with the problem to try his idea instead of Jeeves, which never works out. Bertie drinks too much, has a penchant for gaudy clothes that Jeeves resents (and which usually have come to an unpleasant demise by the end of the story), and is a pretty upbeat and positive guy. I'm sure he's be wonderfully fun to have a drink with. But if you're life's gone down the crapper, Jeeves is your man.

Another reason it took me so long to read this is that it's awfully long, being three books compiled into one with a pretty darn small font. Still, when I was reading it, it was a very fast read. The first two books, "The Inimitable Jeeves" and "Very Good, Jeeves" are basically short story collections, although frequently the next story does begin in the last paragraph of the previous one. But the last book, "Right Ho, Jeeves," is a novel. Each chapter does have a new problem, but it is all of one situation, and it lasts so long due to Bertie being annoyed with Jeeves's constant correct advice and refusing to listen to it or let him give it to Bertie's suffering family and friends involved. Only when Bertie has completely mucked everything up and everyone hates him, does he finally let Jeeves step in to save the day.

It is a particularly British sense of humor, so if you are turned off by Monte Python or Fawlty Towers, this book might not be your cup of tea. But if you're even slightly enamored of England and would love a good laugh, you can't go wrong with Bertie and Jeeves.

[Rebekah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was loaned a collection of Jeeves stories under the title Life with Jeeves This is a collection of novels, The Inimitable Jeeves, Very Good, Jeeves!, and Right Ho, Jeeves. I have completed the first in the set and the first half of the second. Each of these novels being not novels, but more short story collections. Which is why I feel no problem stopping off just after completing chapter 9, knowing that the story will pick up again with some other crisis coming into the life of Bertie Wooster which will be solves by his butler Jeeves. Bertie has very little to recommend him, except being independently wealthy and employing a very, very cunning butler. His Aunts push him around as they see fit, he floats about as best he can and generally solves the problems of his mates by doing what Jeeves recommends. There were a few stories where Jeeves doesn’t even bother recommending plans to Bertie, but rather knowing Bertie would foul it up if he knew puts plans into action himself. Some of these make Bertie out to be a prankster or worse a mad man, but it always works out.
They are all for the most part set in London or the various country houses Bertie gets invited to. At times Bertie gets these invites and can’t get out of them other times he wrangles around for the invites and sometimes he is invited just so that Jeeves can come to the rescue of the host. At least Bertie does acknowledge Jeeves with extra money on occasion for solving these problems when the problem is most extreme, most of the time he simply gives in to whatever Jeeves has been angling after, the loss of a particular vase, a bad cummerbund, or the wrong color sock. They are fun to read, probably best as bathroom readings or something light for over breakfast or something. Due to their short self contained format they don’t lend themselves well to reading as a novel. I get frustrated with Bertie taking on his friends problems, and think Jeeves could go out on his own simply solving problems. I suppose that is the problem though. There is no job of problem solver, simply a need.
I will return this book to its rightful owner. I hate to borrow books for such long timespans. I can find the stories in the library should I find the time to see what problem Bingo gets himself into and how Bertie is foiled into solving it by way of Jeeves.

[Glenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an omnibus of three of P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves and Wooster books; Right Ho, Jeeves, The Inimitable Jeeves, and Very Good Jeeves The first is a novel, the other two are collections of short stories told in chronological order and linked by some common characters and events. Which is a very boring way for me to start a review of Wodehouse. I'll try again. What ho! Here are some jolly good stories about our favorite upper class twit and his preternaturally efficient valet. If you don't already know Bertie Wooster and his man the amazing Jeeves then you are poorer for the lack, but richer for the potential.

I tend to think of these stories as taking place in a fantasy realm. Yes, it is clearly identified as being England of the 1920s and 30s, but it isn't really that time and place. Bertie's world is a nearly idyllic neverland where breakfast is always served in bed, tragedy is unknown, and no matter what silly mess he gets into, in the end he will always end up just as he began, just tickety-boo. I should warn you that Bertie's use of the language will get into your head and start messing with the old vocab. The plot of these things doesn't matter. It's always something silly, like Bertie's friend Bingo is in love and needs help obtaining his father's approval. Some sort of insane scheme is developed. Everything goes ridiculously wrong and Bertie ends up in a jam, then Jeeves solves all his problems with his customary brilliance and aplomb. Meanwhile you just sit back and laugh yourself silly.

Perhaps the long form is not the best for Jeeves and Wooster, as I found Right Ho, Jeeves to be the least of the three books. In order for the convoluted plot to continue to wind itself out, Jeeves had to be prevented from actually helping for most of the story. I spent most of the book waiting for Jeeves to apply his great brain to the trouble. He does, of course, and the ending is fully satisfying. The two collections are little boxes of perfect literary confections. Beautiful, funny stuff. So then, that's all, cheerio, tinkery-tonk.

[Kitten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Around The Year In 52 Books 2022: A fiction or nonfiction book that is set during 1900 -1951.

[Mara Vertrees · Rating 4 out of 5]

As all Wodehouse books this book (actually three books in one) is a fun, laugh out loud, look at life of the leisurely gentleman, at a different time, almost a different world.

Most enjoyable is the clever, deadpan way, the author describes the blundering exploits of all the characters.

This book is a lovely refuge from worries and a reason to smile.

[Rajan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading Wodehouse is pure bliss. His writing style seems simple but it is not. Wodehouse is a genius and he painstakingly creates humor out of ordinary everyday situations. It is not slap stick, satire or comic. It is pure unadulterated humor. Reading Wodehouse is the best stress buster and anti-depressant. He doesn’t claim to very highly literary writing prowess. In his own words “I believe there are two ways of writing novels. One is making a sort of musical comedy without music and ignoring real life altogether; the other is going deep down into life and not caring a damn...”.

Wodehouse believed that one of the factors that made his stories humorous was his view of life, and he stated that "If you take life fairly easily, then you take a humorous view of things. It's probably because you were born that way."

"For a humorous novel you've got to have a scenario, and you've got to test it so that you know where the comedy comes in, where the situations come in … splitting it up into scenes (you can make a scene of almost anything) and have as little stuff in between as possible."

Bandings castle and its characters is one the best of his creations. All other charaters Jeevs, Ukridge, Bertram Wooster, Psimth, Mulliner, Clarence Threepwood, Sebastian Beach, Ashe Marson, Joan Valentine, J. Preston Peters, Aline Peters, Freddie Threepwood, Mrs. Twemlow, Mrs. Bell, Richard Jones, George Emerson, Lord Stockheath, Adams, Rupert J. Baxter, Thorne, George Threepwood, Ann Warblington, Merridew, James, Alfred, Mildred Mant, Horace Mant, Judson, Algernon Wooster, Bishop of Godalming, Billy, Muriel, Dr. Bird, Slingsby, Chester, Ferris, Miss Willoughby etc are highly likable.

I think there will not be a single person who cannot like Wodehouse.

[Faith Justice · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the perfect "bedside" book. The first two books in the omnibus were short stories, so I could finish one or two each night before turning out the lights. The third book was a continuous story, but in Wodehouse's inimitable style, each chapter seemed self-contained. I go to sleep with a smile and no nagging questions to keep me awake. I read a lot of Wodehouse years ago and probably read one or more of these books then, but I've also watched the BBC series with Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry, so I often confuse what I've watched with what I've read.

Bottom line - rib-tickling funny! Wodehouse has the perfect blend of language, clueless narrator, slap-stick action, and unforgettable characters. I always wonder how Jeeves will pull his young charge out of what ever mess he (or his friends) get themselves into. I'm sure people can analyze these stories about deeper issues like economics and class, but I prefer to read them for the laughs. They deliver!