Aunts Aren't Gentlemen

Jeeves #15

by P.G. Wodehouse

A Jeeves and Wooster novel

Bertie Wooster has been overdoing metropolitan life a bit, and the doctor orders fresh air in the depths of the country. But after moving with Jeeves to his cottage at Maiden Eggesford, Bertie soon finds himself surrounded by aunts - not only his redoubtable Aunt Dahlia but an aunt of Jeeves's too. Add a hyper-sensitive racehorse, a very important cat and a decidedly bossy fiancée - and all the ingredients are present for a plot in which aunts can exert their terrible authority. But Jeeves, of course, can cope with everything - even aunts, and even the country. The final Jeeves and Wooster novel shows P.G. Wodehouse still able to delight, well into his nineties.

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

192 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1974

About the author

Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, KBE, was a comic writer who enjoyed enormous popular success during a career of more than seventy years and continues to be widely read over 40 years after his death. Despite the political and social upheavals that occurred during his life, much of which was spent in France and the United States, Wodehouse's main canvas remained that of prewar English upper-class society, reflecting his birth, education, and youthful writing career.

An acknowledged master of English prose, Wodehouse has been admired both by contemporaries such as Hilaire Belloc, Evelyn Waugh and Rudyard Kipling and by more recent writers such as Douglas Adams, Salman Rushdie and Terry Pratchett. Sean O'Casey famously called him "English literature's performing flea", a description that Wodehouse used as the title of a collection of his letters to a friend, Bill Townend.

Best known today for the Jeeves and Blandings Castle novels and short stories, Wodehouse was also a talented playwright and lyricist who was part author and writer of fifteen plays and of 250 lyrics for some thirty musical comedies. He worked with Cole Porter on the musical Anything Goes (1934) and frequently collaborated with Jerome Kern and Guy Bolton. He wrote the lyrics for the hit song Bill in Kern's Show Boat (1927), wrote the lyrics for the Gershwin/Romberg musical Rosalie (1928), and collaborated with Rudolf Friml on a musical version of The Three Musketeers (1928).

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was hilarious and easily one that I will add to the re-listen-to pile.
The gist is that Bertie visits his aunt in the country because he had some pink spots, saw a doctor, and the doctor thought he needed rest.
He does not get rest.



Why? Bertie's favorite aged relative, Aunt Dahlia, has stolen a good-luck cat known as Potato Chip.
Why? Because she's bet far too much money on a horse race. Again.



What does this have to do with a cat named Potato Chip?
Well, this particular cat is the best friend of the horse that is the direct competition of the horse she's bet the farm on, and without his feline pal in tow, this steed won't run.



Bertie's attempts to do the right thing and return the cat lead to one hysterical mishap after another, until Jeeves eventually steps in to save the day.
The end result is a much-needed vacation (no, of course, they aren't running away!) across the ocean to New York.



I wasn't expecting so much charm 15 books into the series, but Wodehouse really delivered!
Recommended for fans of Bertie and Jeeves.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I for one had been corn before his sickle, as the expression went."

Love Jeeves and Aunt Dahlia. Bertie is growing on me slowly like a fungus.

[Trevor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aunts aren’t gentlemen

I think it is really important to have someone, a writer someone obviously, that you can turn to when the world is getting a bit out of hand. For me that someone is Mr Wodehouse and in particular his Jeeves and Wooster novels. It is hard to explain just how much I enjoy these stories. Look, I can understand that some people might find them over-the-top and even a bit silly, perhaps even a lot silly – but I love the worlds Wodehouse creates, the worlds he brings me to when I read him. In many ways the books are all very similar to one another. There is a complication (or rather, a series of complications) that generally involves a relationship between a couple on the verge of marriage. The complication is always to do with them being kept apart or a misunderstanding that leads to an argument or some other standard device from romantic comedy. Then there are some other complications – often to do with a country fair or a horse race or a stolen painting that needs to be returned or any one of a dozen such concerns. Of course, these concerns are never about anything serious – nothing like cancer for example – they are always about things that can be fixed and will be fixed by the book’s end. And that is the point and that is the joy.

I was talking to a friend about the books the other day and told her that the thing I love most about them is that Wooster has one of the greatest voices in literature. It is hard to say just why that might be the case. It is a bit like Dr Watson being the right person to tell the Holmes stories. The only one told by Holmes himself simply doesn’t work, as far as I’m concerned. I’ve read some short stories that are told by Jeeves and they didn’t have the same power or humour about them either. Wooster, you see, isn’t the smartest man in the world and he generally knows this – but he is rich and so he feels that he ought to assert himself for time to time. The problem is that Jeeves is a bit like Holmes, he is insanely clever (and so leaves Wooster trailing in his dust) but Wooster still needs to assert himself and when he does this invariably leads him and the story to the point of disaster. The point being that Jeeves then needs to come to the rescue, but only after leaving poor Wooster dangling over the abyss so that he understands the full implications of his rescue. Naturally, once ‘rescued’ Wooster is both infinitely grateful and nearly dumbfounded by the simplicity with which he has been extricated from what had just seemed utter catastrophe.

There are running jokes, of course. Some of my favourites involve Shakespeare and in this novel Shakespeare appears frequently and at random. The best of these jokes involve Wooster either thinking something is a quote from Shakespeare that clearly is not (‘I love little pussy, her coat is so warm…’) or thinking that a quote from Shakespeare is actually something made up on the spot by the person speaking.

There are remarkably clever lines in this book, lines that I wanted to remember and quote to you here and use as witty asides – but I have forgotten them all as the next laugh comes along.

This is the last of this series of novels and one with all of the best elements of a good Wodehouse about it. It is impossible to be unhappy while reading a Wodehouse. They should prescribe him rather than anti-depressants, if you ask me. And of course, you didn’t.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this 15th book in the 'Bertie Wooster/Jeeves' series, Bertie abducts a cat to rig a horserace. The book can be read as a standalone.

*****

I listened to the audio book and the narrator - using different voices and accents for the various characters - added even more fun to this humorous story.

The story: Bertie Wooster, advised by his doctor to get a rest, rents a cottage in the country.



As it turns out, all manner of Bertie's former acquaintances, most of whom he'd rather not see, are in the area. These include: Vanessa Cook - a strong-minded girl who turned down Bertie's marriage proposal;



Orlo Porter, Vanessa's current boyfriend - who's ready to throttle Bertie over Vanessa;



Captain Plank - a hot-tempered hunter who thinks Bertie is the notorious thief Alpine Joe; and more.



Bertie's Aunt Dahlia is also vacationing in the area and - having received a tip on a horse race - bet every cent she has on Simla.



Too late, Aunt Dahlia learns that Simla has a worthy opponent named Potato Chip. As it happens Potato Chip has fallen in love with a local cat who sleeps in his stall, and the consensus is that Potato Chip will lose the race if the cat disappears.



So Aunt Dahlia and other interested parties hatch up a scheme to kidnap and hide the cat until the race is over.

Bertie, against his moral code and better judgement, is drawn into this scheme. Of course the various attempts at cat-napping and then cat-returning cause all manner of hilarious problems.



Through it all Bertie's valet/butler Jeeves - who barely raises an eyebrow even when he finds Bertie tied up and gagged - keeps a straight face and a stiff upper lip.



This is a fun story filled with cases of mistaken identity, misunderstood intentions, shifting marriage engagements, and a cat with a mind of his own. Wodehouse has a gift for comedic writing and every scene in the book draws at least a smile. Wodehouse's Bertie Wooster/Jeeves books are just what you need when you're in the mood for a light read. Highly recommended.

You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot....

[Jason Koivu · Rating 4 out of 5]

A case of pink spots on Bertie's chest (maybe it's a touch of malaria, who's to say?) sends him to the country on doctor's orders to rest and relax. Rest and relax? If you've ever read a Wodehouse, you know that's not bloody likely.

Troublesome aunts, daffy explorers, strong-willed dames along with their ardent suitors, crusty landlords, and charming cats all conspire against poor old Bertie Wooster. His butler Jeeves seems to be his only ally in this perpetually-yet-vaguely 1920s, god-help-us world.

Wodehouse did it again! Well into his Jeeves & Wooster series, the insanely prolific writer of the early-to-mid 20th century churned out another quality book replete with a finely paced plot, delightfully nutty characters and enough laughs to fill The Laugh Factory with wall-to-wall guffaws.

At this point, I'm predisposed to enjoy anything by Wodehouse, so perhaps The Cat-Nappers has received a gratuitous star in the ratings from me. If you're already a fan, this will crank your chucklebox. If you're new to Wodehouse, I might suggest -NAY!- I would suggest starting with something else. Go ahead, ask me. I'm full of suggestions!


READER'S NOTE: The Cat-Nappers is alternately titled Aunts Aren't Gentlemen.

[Nandakishore Mridula · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a person who has been blessed (?) with a lot of aunts, and I agree heartily with Bertie. They may be terrifying (like Aunt Agatha) or genuine good eggs (like Aunt Dahlia) - but as a class, they are definitely not gentlemen!

[Jason Koivu · Rating 4 out of 5]

A spotty chest sends Bertie off to the country on doctor's orders to rest and relax. Rest and relax? If you've ever read a Wodehouse, you know that's not bloody likely.

Troublesome aunts, daffy explorers, strong-willed dames along with their ardent suitors, curmudgeonly fathers, and charming cats all conspire against poor old Bertie Wooster. His butler Jeeves seems to be his only ally in this vaguely 1920s, god-help-us world.

Wodehouse did it again! Well into his Jeeves & Wooster series, the insanely prolific writer of the early-to-mid 20th century churned out another quality book replete with a finely paced plot, delightfully nutty characters and enough laughs to fill The Laugh Factory with wall-to-wall laughs, which is a lot of laughs!

At this point, I'm predisposed to enjoy anything by Wodehouse, so perhaps Aunts Aren't Gentlemen has received a gratuitous star in the ratings from me. But honesty, I think this one is quite good! If you're already a Wodehouse fan, Aunts Aren't Gentlemen will crank your chucklebox. If you're new to the man, I might suggest -NAY!- I would suggest starting with something else. Go ahead, ask me. I'm full of suggestions!


READER'S NOTE: Aunts Aren't Gentlemen is alternately titled The Cat-Nappers.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published in 1974, when P.G. was 92 (!) - that's a masterstroke in itself! ''AAG' was Wodehouse's last completed novel - and it's fitting that he finished his work in the world of Bertie Wooster & Jeeves (as opposed, for example, to one of his Blandings offshoots).

The author passed away the following year.

Some have said this was not P.G at his best. Well, phooey! True, it is not among the most accomplished in the W / J series. Some of the best in the series are immensely complex and 'AAG' is 'merely' sufficiently complex. Nevertheless, there's no flagging in the entertainment department.

The structure is sound, relationships are typically prickly and the infectious lilt in the language flows as it ever does when P.G. is at the wheel. It's freewheeling!

It seems that, to the end, Bertie Wooster (like Wodehouse himself) remained a satirical Superman. To quote Bertie near the end of 'AAG':

It was a dilemma which might well have baffled a lesser man, but the whole point about the Woosters is that they are not lesser men.

[W · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was the last Jeeves and Wooster novel penned by Wodehouse.In fact,it was his last completed novel.

He was in his 90s by then.I see a lot of rave reviews,but reading it this time,I found it rather ordinary.But then,you can't write your best when you're past 90.

But I read it first when I was 19 and the sheer novelty of the Wodehouse methods appealed a great deal to me,back then.

Now,the novelty is gone and it's more a case of deja vu.Bertie Wooster goes to the town of Maiden Eggsford when spots appear on his chest.

Aunt Dahlia wants to kidnap a cat to win a wager,and Vanessa Cook,whom Bertie had once proposed to,offers to be his wife.She is,however,involved with Orlo Potter.

Familiar elements,the odd chuckle here and there but rather forgettable stuff.

[Nigeyb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve noticed some readers suggest 'Aunts Aren't Gentlemen' (1974), a latter day Jeeves and Wooster novel, is a little sub par. I must respectfully demur. This is chock full of the requisite Wodehousian bon mots and amusing set pieces.

Only Bertie could endure such an incident strewn break in Maiden Eggesford. Maiden Eggesford being an impossibly quiet Somerset village to which Bertie retreats on the advice of a specialist he has consulted following an outbreak of pink spots on his chest. Said specialist, E. Jimpson Murgatroyd, advises him that too much fast living is responsible for the spots and thus Bertie needs rest, recuperation, a healthy lifestyle and clean country air.

Sadly for Bertie, but to the delight of anyone with the good sense to read 'Aunts Aren't Gentlemen' a quiet life is the last thing he finds. Awaiting him are an unwelcome ex girlfriend, her jealous beau, a nemesis from a previous tale - Major Plank, a friendly cat, and other memorable characters. Bertie blunders from thorny problem to brilliant buffoonery.

Whilst not up there with the very best of this series, it will make you smile, chuckle and laugh, and generally feel good about life. How P.G. Wodehouse maintained his supreme level of quality is one of the great mysteries of literature, however, even at the tail end of the Jeeves and Wooster series, he kept the magic up at the familiar levels of brilliance.

4/5

[Cindy Rollins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic Jeeves and Wooster

[F.R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A small extract for you:

“For one thing,” she said, “you smoke too much. You must give that up when we are married. Smoking is just a habit. Tolstoy,” she said, mentioning someone I had not met, “says that just as much pleasure can be got from twirling the fingers.”
My impulse was to tell her Tolstoy was off his onion, but I choked down the heated words.

Okay then, here’s another:

“Let’s haggle,” I said.
But when I suggested twenty-five, a nicer-looking sort of number than thirty, he shook his grey head regretfully, so we went on haggling, and he haggled better than me, so that we eventually settled on thirty-five.
It wasn’t one of my best haggling days.

So that even at the end – and this is the final Jeeves & Wooster novel, as well as the final novel Wodehouse completed in his long and prolific life – we have moments of gold. Yes, this isn’t prime Wodehouse, nor is it prime Jeeves and Wooster, but even if it doesn’t reach those highest of high standards (and frankly those are daunting and almost impossibly high standards) then it’s still one of the most charming and amusing novels you’re ever likely to read. And what makes that even more incredible is that the first appearance by Jeeves & Wooster was a whole fifty-nine years earlier. Really, is there another series of tales remotely comparable? Is there another series which achieves such consistency of quality for such a duration under the same author? Yes, Hercule Poirot has a rather impressive fifty-five year stretch, but I’d argue that Christie is phoning in a lot of those later stories. Simply put: for hitting a certain quality threshold (with only a single actual dud), Wodehouse more than wins out.

Yes, there’s very little innovative here. Wodehouse knows his formula and he wheels through it with the grand self-awareness that he can make it once again fresh and charming. Bertie finds himself in the country: there are comic confusions, an unwanted engagement and a cat which keeps popping up at simply the most inconvenient moments. It’s not perfect, it’s not the best thing he ever wrote – but it will make you laugh out loud, smile from ear to ear, and generally put you in a more kindly frame of mind towards the world. And what more do you really want from a comic novel?

[Cecily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not one of the best Wodehouse novels, but still an amusing romp.

This particular story is actually narrated by Bertie Wooster and the slightly modern setting is disconcerting on the rare occasions it impinges. Anyway, Bertie gets pink spots on his chest and his doctor prescribes a restful spell in the country. Of course, life in a quiet English village is anything but quiet.

It has many of the aspects of classic Wodehouse: feuding neighbours, plots to purloin/borrow/kidnap/nobble, an absent-minded old buffer, animals (cats and horses), aunts, mistaken identity and romantic entanglements changing by the hour.

Although the trademark metaphors are not as numerous or elegant in some of his other works, they are still there:
* "If she ever turned into a werewolf, it would be one of those jolly breezy werewolves whom it is a pleasure to know."
* Of Jeeves, "he betrayed no emotion, continuing to look as if he'd been stuffed by a good taxidermist"
* Jeeves' aunt stays with a friend whose address is "Balmoral, Mafeking Road" in an English village!
* "I thought at first that my guardian angel, who had been noticeably lethargic up to this point, had taken a stiff shot of vitamin something and had become the ball of fire he ought to have been right along".
* After falling, clothed, into a swimming pool, "It was with mixed emotions that I rose to the surface. Surprise was one of them."

Readers might also find it useful to know the Latin phrase rem acu tetegisti (and variants thereof) means "you have touched the matter with a needle; you have described it accurately".

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

After finding some spots on his chest, Wooster heads to the country town of Maiden Eggesford for some relaxation in tow. Too bad Aunt Dahlia wants him to steal a cat in order to win a horse race and Orlo Porter things Bertie is in town to woo Vanessa Cook out from under him...

My Jeeves novels reread is complete with Aunts Aren't Gentlemen, aka The Cat-Nappers. This, the last ever Jeeves book penned by Wodehouse during his lifetime, is kind of slim at 140 pages in the edition I've now read twice. Still, old Plum crammed a lot of twists into this one. It's a little odd having Wooster encounter protesters in the early 1970s, though, since he's been a man about town for around 50 years at this point. The ending wasn't that great either but Plum was into his 90s when he wrote it so I'll cut him some slack.

[Spencer Orey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not quite as tight or funny as some of the others in the series but still great. But still really funny overall.

[Tarinee · Rating 4 out of 5]

2,3,4 star ratings on GR are really confusing .good but how good ? bad but how bad ? I mean what's the reference ? So I am proposing a new review system .

suppose you have never read a P G Wodehouse novel before and after coming across a raving review about one of Wodehouse's novel ,God bless reviewer's soul,you decide "so here is an author I must read next and added few of W.'s works into your TBR list in that moment of euphoria,or whatever the proper word is for your feelings at that time.This book in my humble opinion is a must add .

But suppose fate has other plans.

At that very Columbus moment of yours of discovering Wodehouse, NASA announces that a big meteorite is going to hit earth and it has run out of means to prevent it .This is the end for us all .No hope.

A P. G. Wodehouse novel ?

Great choice . ( Rote hue ate hain sab hasta hua tu jaega :P)

This one ?

Time is of essence here friend .How many days before the meteorite hit earth ?

A day or two ?

Right Ho, Jeeves ,The Code of the Woosters my recommendation .

can manage one or two more being one of those impossibly fast readers ? or the meteorite being due not in a couple of days,instead a week ?

Add Leave It to Psmith and Pigs Have Wings.

But suppose you are in luck thanks to some miscalculation on the part of Nasa .I mean the end of earth still inevitable but instead of a week it's actually a month before the 'earth+rock=puff' event .so ?


No second thought about it . Aunts Aren't Gentlemen it is :)


So goodreads ,how about adding this new rating system ?

N.B.

those who are of the opinion that this idea is pathetic and want to throw eggs at me please refrain yourself .I am vegetarian .so tomato is ok .eggs not ok.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I love little pussy; her coat is so warm; And if I don't hurt her, she'll do me no harm."

One morning Bertie wakes up with spots on his chest. On the recommendation of a doctor ,who thinks he's "a typical young man about town", drinking and smoking too much, he decides to spend some time in the country to get some fresh air. He decides to stay in a cottage in Maiden Eggesford, organised for him by his Aunt Dahlia, and in a typical Bertie style finds himself involved in a racing horse knobbling farce.

As per every Jeeves and Worster book that I've read Bertie is imposed upon by bossy young women and an overbearing aunt, he gets into and tries to escape matrimonial entanglements, is attacked by a jealous young man who think he’s stealing his girlfriend and a disapproving father.

I must admit that I love Wodehouse's writing style and his gentle, quirky sense of humour. His books are always quick reads, he is such a clever word-smith and whilst his books aren't laugh out loud funny Bertie’s tangled explanations, coupled with Jeeves’s deadpan replies are a joy. If I had one complaint with this book is that Jeeve's barely features but I enjoyed it all the same.

[Girish · Rating 4 out of 5]

The last book to feature Bertie and Jeeves is a polished comedy with a dose of new references. New setting, new characters same Bertie and Jeeves!

A case of pink spots has a worrying Bertie retire to the nice quiet English village of Eggsford. But as we know, there is nothing called a nice quiet English Village. The cast of characters include Orlo Porter - a communist insurance agent similar to Spode in his will to beat Bertie to a pulp. His sweetheart Vanessa who in a lovers tiff becomes briefly betrothed to Bertie. A cat that turns up everywhere and his favourite Aunt Dahlia who is risking Uncle Tom's digestion by betting all her life savings on a race.

Though the book had all elements of a typical Jeeves book - it misses something. Probably that part where it doesn't require too much intervention from Jeeves - I can't be sure. Has some refreshing take on communism and some friends of Vanessa (Tolstoy, Churchill et all) and a part of first person adventure that is so typically Bertie.

Definitely lot of laugh out loud moments! Aunts aren't gentlemen..

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious. Published in 1974 a year before Wodehouse died. A funny rib tickling story with Bertie once again trying to escape marriage, a cat who is needed to win a horse race and the requisite hilarity that ensues. In these troubling times PG Wodehouse is the escapism one needs.

Aunt Dalhia once again getting Bertie into trouble and Jeeves there to get him out of the soup. How the quintessentially English village of Maiden Egghead where Bertie goes for health reasons can turn into a horror. Aunts aren’t Gentlemen is an accurate title.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bertie Wooster, caught up in the fast life of the Gentleman About Town, has developed spots! His doctor recommends a season in the countryside, rusticating. Early to bed, wholesome food, reading a book by the fire, Ah! And so Bertie retires to Maiden Eggesford and a cottage called Wee Nook.

Of course, his doctor didn't count on Aunt Dahlia being in residence in the same neighborhood, nor of her asking Bertie to steal a cat in order to rig a horserace. Not to mention the reappearance of Bertie's ex-fiancee, her new lover (a communist insurance agent), and a rather trying big game hunter who is convinced that Bertie is a hardened criminal! It's a wonder the spots don't come back!

[Steven R. Kraaijeveld · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I found him in the private bar having a gin and ginger ale. His face, never much to write home about, was rendered even less of a feast for the eye by a dark scowl. His spirits were plainly at their lowest ebb, as so often happens when Sundered Heart A is feeling that the odds against his clicking with Sundered Heart B cannot be quoted at better than a hundred to eight." (70)

Aunts Aren't Gentemen is the last book in the Jeeves and Wooster series, which I have now (sadly—but also with such joy) completed. I'll be moving on to Blandings Castle with considerable speed.

[Aarathi Burki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wooster nailed it in this novel.... Bertie and Jeeves the best combination of Wodehouse continue to keep entertaining us and add couple of jilted lovers, an aunt and few tricky situations for Bertie and you know there's humour written all over..... thoroughly enjoyed it..... and yes a cute cat which keeps popping out of nowhere....

[Ellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

"If she ever turned into a werewolf, it would be one of those jolly breezy werewolves whom it is a pleasure to know."

And then my personal favorite: "Oh, that was my man Jeeves. He imitates cats."

[Kuszma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ha olvastam egyáltalán Wodehouse-regényt, az csak hamvas gyíktojás koromban lehetett, mert nem emlékszem rá. De most jó volt kézbe venni, és elrötyörészni Bertie és Jeeves marhaságain. A történet nyilván nem a komplexitásából építkezik – azért van benne egyebek mellett macska, lóverseny, határozott nőszemély és egy félelmetes lovaglópálca –, aminek következtében azt hiszem, öt év múlva már ismét az újdonság erejével hatna, ha megint nekiülnék (ez megmagyarázza azt is, hogy ha olvastam valaha, miért felejtettem el ivarérett lábatlan gyík koromra), de hát ezt is a javára kell írnom. Mert így pazar kikapcsolódás lehet akár másodszorra is.

Mivel magvas filozófiai kérdések nincsenek benne, ezért volt módom közben elmélkedni a Wodehouse-t és Rejtőt elválasztó/összekötő jellegzetességeken. Mindketten amolyan gyógyító jellegű írók, akiket receptre kéne felírni, ám W. kifejezetten az angol nemzetkarakterológiára játszik rá központi párosával. Itt van egyrészt a Spinozá-t olvasgató, Kiplinget és Shakespeare-t idézgető Jeeves, aki a hiperhűvös komornyik non plus ultrája, némi Sherlock Holmes-beütéssel. És ne feledjük az üdítően nyakatekert elbeszélőt, Bertram Wooster-t se, aki az Etonban végzett szerencsétlen, de elbűvölően butuska úrifiú megtestesítője – nyilván az sem véletlen, hogy W. igen gyakran halakat tartalmazó hasonlatokkal utal rá. (Vö.: „ütődött lepényhal”) Legfőbb humorforrása az, amikor ők túl angolosan viselkednek, vagy épp ellenkezőleg: olyan szituációba keverednek, ami legkevésbé sem illik a modoros brit viszonyok közé. Mindenesetre akár így, akár úgy a dolgok „angolsága” központi motívum. Rejtő ezzel szemben kozmopolita író – imádnivaló semmirekellői nemcsak hogy nem magyarok, de többnyire annyira nemzetköziek, amennyire az csak lehetséges, és úgy ugrálnak Monte Carlo és Fekete-Afrika, a sivatag és egy batáviai kikötői kocsma között, mintha egyáltalán nem lenne hazájuk. Ilyen értelemben talán különös, hogy mi itt értjük Wodehouse-t, de hogy ott értik-e Rejtőt… azt mondjuk nem tudom. Mindenesetre szerencsére nem kell igazságot hirdetni kettejük között – lehet egyszerre is szeretni őket.

[Mauro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr Wooster ha delle macchie sulla pelle e il dottore gli consiglia un periodo di riposo in un luogo tranquilo. Si trasferisce in campagna, in una piccola contea in cui soggiorna una sua zia e in cui incontrerà anche altre vecchie conoscenze. Una serie di avvenimenti, coincidenze e fraintendimenti movimenta quello che doveva essere un soggiorno rilassante. Wooster, più cerca di risolvere situazioni ingarbugliate, più finisce nei pasticci. Fortuna che c’è Jeeves, il fido maggiordomo dotato di cultura e intelligenza senza eguali, sempre pronto a soccorrere il suo padrone ed a toglierlo dai guai. L’umorismo di Wodehouse è irresistibile. I dialoghi, le situazioni, i ragionamenti di Mr Wooster, che è la voce narrante, mi hanno fatto ridere dalla prima all’ultima pagina. La scrittura è piacevolissima, i tempi sono perfetti. Probabilmente, nel suo genere, è il mio libro preferito

[Ben Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

It doesn't seem humanly possible to include so many turns of phrase and hilarious witticisms in such a small package. The Jeeves stories by Wodehouse do not disappoint.

[Pieter · Rating 4 out of 5]

The final Jeeves and Wooster novel, in which it once again becomes clear that aunts are absolutely not gentlemen. But of course, we already knew that. Once again, tremendously funny, maintaining the same high quality as all the previous Jeeves and Wooster books.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

2020 relisten: Such fun!
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2018 review:
I borrowed this audiobook from the library this morning, thinking it would last me several days. Wrong! Once again the magic of Wodehouse as narrated by Jonathan Cecil entrapped me and I found myself listening to the entire book in one day. Those of you who share my weakness for this duo will understand without further explanation...

[Alysa · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I would gladly have continued our conversation, but I knew he must be wanting to get back to his Spinoza. No doubt I had interrupted him just as Spinoza was on the point of solving the mystery of the headless body on the library floor."

Three words: I love Wodehouse.

[Dominika]

Delightful. Laughed every time there was a mention of Bertie's guardian angel being in top form and every time he referenced the scripture prize he won back in his private school days.