The World of Jeeves:

by P.G. Wodehouse

Genres: Fiction

Paperback

Published October 2, 2008

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

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

The World of Jeeves is a delightfully humorous read, brimming with Wodehouse's signature dad humour, clever satire, and light-hearted critique of the British class system. What makes it special is how it manages to poke fun at the world of the idle rich while making you wish you were part of it—silly escapades, quirky characters, and all.

That said, I’m giving it 3 stars, not because I didn’t enjoy it (I really did), but because this is an omnibus edition. With so many stories packed together, it can feel a bit overwhelming. At first, the sheer volume was a lot to take in, and it wasn’t until halfway through that I really got into the rhythm and found myself loving it.

In all honesty, I’d recommend skipping this mammoth collection and opting for the individual books instead. The stories shine more when you can savour them in smaller doses, and I think you'll appreciate Wodehouse’s wit all the more that way.

[Mari · Rating 5 out of 5]

God I loved this. You’d think it’d be boring, given there’s about 6 plot elements that get shoved in a blender and reused every time, but it doesn’t. Bertie is ridiculous and Wodehouse has so much fun with his voice, with the way he uses language. Even now, over 100 years on, he sounds like what you’d picture every Eton boy sounding like. He doesn’t say gap-yah, but you can picture him doing it just the same.

[Cathal Boylan · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first foray in to the world of Jeeves and Wooster - and it might be my last. Nicely written, safe, of their time, some gentle laughs, but very predictable. Hmmm.

[Rohit Tandekar · Rating 5 out of 5]

How can anyone give anything less than 5 stars to a Wodehouse book, especially the one with chronicles of Betram Wooster and Jeeves? And how can one not be tempted to sit and finish off all stories in one go! I had to control myself and read this book sparingly - a story or two, every now and then, just so that the magic of Wodehouse lingered on for just a while longer. Alas, my annual reading goals didn't allow the luxury to last a little while longer.

For wit, humour and to improve your vocabulary (although that may not be your aim at the outset, it definitely will change for the better) - pick this book (or any of the hundreds of omnibuses/novels on Jeeves) and get going immediately. You will not regret it. It's difficult to pinpoint a favourite from this book - but I absolutely love it when admired/despised characters make reappearances and the author refreshes the reader's memory. Like a child sitting in a magic show for the upteenth time - you know something special is going to be served to you, you sit anticipating the magic, you try to guess the trick in advance (albeit unsuccessfully) and end the book amazed with Jeeves nevertheless (and Wodehouse of course). Every Single Time.

[John Spencer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of short stories you can did into at any time. They all have the same plot; upper-class twit Bertie charmingly gets himself into a bit of bother because he is a bear of very little brain. Jeeves rescues him. That's it really. In this omnibus edition this happens 34 times. Every time it is endearing and chuckle-worthy. Wodehouse created a world that didn't really exist so it doesn't have any satirical bite but that's not the point. It's comfort reading of the highest order.

[PointyH · Rating 4 out of 5]

This compilation of Jeeves and Wooster has many stories that will keep you glued to your seat in rapturous laughter. The stories follow each other in a logical order as you delve further and further into Bertie's life, as later stories reference and build of stories that appear earlier. Unfortunately, it doesn't contain all Jeeves and Wooster, so some arcs end up incomplete and others make reference to events that haven't happened in this book, which confused me a bit.

[Pallavi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. Grown up reading Wodehouse but not read one for a long time. Was a bit apprehensive that I might not like it as I am much older now but enjoyed it thoroughly. The language , the humor everything is perfect. Made me laugh so hard at times. A literary treat which has rekindled my interest in Wodehouse . Will be rereading a few of his novels again.

[MaryAnn Lockey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish more people enjoyed the classics. The clever conversations and character descriptions just can’t be compared. Very close storylines but Wodehouse makes each one uniquely funny.

[Venkat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bury me with this book.