Bill the Conqueror

by P.G. Wodehouse

The expected humour, warmth and sparkle is here, in every line of this new Everyman Library edition of Bill The Conqueror

Genres: Humor, Fiction, Audiobook, British Literature, 20th Century, Comedy, Classics

368 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1924

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

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Felicia Sheridan is in love with Bill West but engaged to Roderick Pyke. Bill, meanwhile, is engaged to Alice Coker and is dragging her brother Judson to London to keep him out of trouble while he checks on his uncle's holdings. Bill's wealthy uncle Cooley Paradene has had the misfortune of adopting a young son who's in league with criminals intending to rob him. Let's see Wodehouse resolve all those plot threads and bring Bill and Felicia together...

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say this is my favorite non-series Wodehouse book. It as all the Wodehouse trademarks: overbearing relatives, shiftless layabouts, imposters, engagements, alcohol, and dry British wit. This one is longish for a Wodehouse story and fills that extra bit with last minute plot twists. You get phony kidnappings, blackmail, swindles, and lots of witty banter, all crammed into less than 400 pages of hilarious prose.

The only recurring Wodehouse character, that slime ball Percy Pilbeam, is in fine form, though he doesn't do as much as he does in later appearances. Bill West is a typical Wodehouse hero; not too handsome or smart but able to get the job done. Felicia, or Flick, as she is sometimes called, is feisty and has more than her share of the funny lines, although my favorite comes from Judson Coker. "You look like a Sunday in Pittsburgh," or something to that affect.

If you like your books humorous, you can't go wrong with Wodehouse and this book would be a good intro to his work. Every romantic comedy ever made could justifiably give P.G. 1% of the gross. He's still the master of the genre 35 years after his death.

[Watermarked Pages · Rating 4 out of 5]

I mean, it’s PG Wodehouse. Do I even need to say that I loved it?

It definitely has a different feel than the Jeeves & Wooster books. It’s still funny, but has more tenderness and romance than slapstick Bertie Wooster could handle. And Wodehouse lets Bill be a lot more of the dashing strong hero than he ever lets poor, lovable, bumbling Bertie be.

Flick is a great heroine. It was interesting to read a Wodehouse book where the women aren’t mainly there to torment Bertie. Sometimes Wodehouse can come off a bit anti-woman as Bertie flees from engagements and overbearing aunts, but I’ve always felt like he plays that up for the humor of tormenting Bertie, not because he has anything against women. This book (and some of Wodehouse’s own letters to his beloved daughter) have helped confirm that to me.

The audiobook is read by Simon Vance, who I absolutely love reading Dickens. But no one—NO ONE—can surpass the sheer sparkling perfection of Jonathan Cecil reading Wodehouse. It’s actually hard for me to decide whether this book is more serious than Wodehouse’s other books, or if it just felt that way because of Vance’s more somber narration.

[Douglas Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wodehouse is the guy.

[Iva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Типова, але від того і ідеальна вудгаузівська повість із не чесними бізнесменами, плутаниною із закохонастями, купою цитат і каламбурів а також, звісно, другом, що надто спраглий світського життя.
Для цих бурих, ні на що не схожих місяців - те, що треба.

[Illiterate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I believe it was a psychoanalytic critic, Jack LaCant, who showed Wodehouse’s plots jump between UK & US suggesting he had a fear of commitment.

[Ian Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sir George Pyke, founder of the Mammoth Publishing Company, is keen for his son, Roderick, to marry his sister’s husband’s niece, Felicia who is ‘sprightly enough to put the stuffing into any man’. Unfortunately Roderick is in love with the stenographer from ‘Society Spice’, which Roderick edits with Wodehouse staple Percy Pilbeam, whilst Felicia holds a candle for her childhood sweetheart Bill West, the titular conqueror.

Meanwhile Bill has been sent to England to investigate by his Uncle, Cooley Paradene, why his London office, managed by Wilfred Slingsby, is failing to make a profit. Bill is accompanied by Judson Corker at the bequest of Alice Corker, sister to Judson and fiancée to Bill. Confused? You should be!

Only Wodehouse could right these and other wrongs in a story spanning the Atlantic, involving theft, kidnap, embezzlement and deceit of ever possible flavour. Wodehouse, Bill and true love conquers all.

[Chet Makoski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Example of P.G. Wodehouse's brilliant use of language: on page 347 - "Placid, stolid, wrapped up in its own affairs and titanically indifferent to all else, London went about its daily business. From Putney to Sloane Square, from Cricklewood to Regent Street, from Sydenham Hill to the Strand, from everywhere to everywhere, red, yellow and maroon omnibuses clattered without ceasing. Policemen guarded the peace, stockbrokers dealt in stocks, beggars begged, hatters sold hats, loafers loafed, spatters sold spats, motors rolled in the Park, paper-boys hawked the three-o'clock editions of the evening papers, and retired colonels sat spaciously in the club-windows fronting on Piccadilly and Pall Mall, dreaming of lunch."

[S Prakash · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bill the conqueror is one of the early works of Wodehouse. Though this work isn't brewed by the regular rib ticklers such as Wooster, Jeeves and PSmith; yet it gets you intoxicated. Going by the plot of people getting engaged to wrong persons and trying to get disentangled; plot having its fair share of characters of extreme behaviours; irritating aunts and squeamish uncles popping up at regular intervals, looks like this work was work in progress for getting the template right for the signature blockbusters of Wodehouse. Once again, a thoroughly light and enjoyable fare.

[Laura Tillem · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audible versions especially fun for Wodehouse

[QNPoohBear · Rating 3 out of 5]

More than 3 stars less than 4 -- maybe 3.25?

Sir George Pyke, magazine publisher, wishes his won Roderick was more like his senior editor Percy Pilbeam. Roderick is good for nothing. It's a shame Pyke's soon-to-be-conferred title has to pass to his worthless son in future. Pyke's sister, Mrs. Hammond, comes up with the perfect thing for Roderick to do. Roderick will marry her niece (by marriage), Felicia. Flick is not in love with Roderick, she has a crush on a man she met only once, when he saved her from drowning when she was a teenager, but he is in New York so she might as well marry Roderick. Back in New York, the man of Flick's affections, Bill, is tired of his hard-partying lifestyle. He wants to marry his boozy buddy Judson's sister Alice, but in order to do that he needs a job. He hits upon the scheme of applying to his Uncle Cooley for a job in the paper and pulp business, but before he can spring his plan, Alice has another plan for him and Uncle Cooley has a big surprise! Uncle Cooley does have a job for Bill, though, he wants Bill to go to London to find out why the business isn't making as much money as it should. Can Bill pull off his promise to Alice in London and make Uncle Cooley proud?

This early Wodehouse novel seems to be a prototype for the Blandings Castle novels and his other romantic comedies. It's easy to tell that Wodehouse wrote for the stage. I can almost see the stage directions written out and the pacing of the story sounds like a play. Perhaps Wodehouse was still perfecting his craft. The story doesn't have the big screwball moment I love but it does have some very funny scenes, especially the train station towards the end.

The characters are pretty typical of Wodehouse novels. Bill is a good, decent guy. He's not terribly bright but he's likeable. His pal Judson is a lot like Bertie Wooster. He's very funny. Flick is a typical lovelorn Wodehouse heroine. I like her because she's nice and she's normal, despite her awful relatives. Plus, she is owned by a terrier, Bob, who needed more page time. Her family is almost a carbon copy of the Threepwoods in the Blandings Castle saga. Pyke is a most awful, nasty fellow. Pilbeam is not in this one much but he's such a suck up that he manages to make himself hated by everyone. Roderick is a sweet boy. He's not in the story much but his character growth is excellent. It's subtle because he's not really in the story except for a few key scenes so you don't know what he's thinking or feeling until it happens and you see what kind of man he is. The villains are really comical. Some are like right out of a bad gangster film of the period and one is just odd.

This isn't a must-read Wodehouse but I needed something light and fun after the trauma of my last book.

[Joe Stevens · Rating 4 out of 5]

If life were in the third person, which might not be a bad idea, the phrase 'He rather liked it." would be the description of my couple of hours spend with Bill. In these little alleged reviews of mine which no one reads and even fewer look at, I mentioned that I'm working my way through the complete words of PG Wodehouse in chronological order. Having survived the schoolboy and experimental works, I've often been forced to read through passable romantic comedies that hold no real interest for me being spiritually closer to Wooster or would it be Jeeves in my view of marriage. Not a romantic I and born with an unfortunate face, I avoid all the frothy romances of Sandra B and that French fellow with the big hooter, not DeGaul the other one.

On cracking open what I assumed would be another in this series of Wodehouse rom-coms separating me from my destiny of lodging at Blandings Castle or sharing an adventure with J&W, I settled down for another 'I must read this to mark it off the list' read. Instead I found a quite enjoyable tale with many chuckles and characters I quite enjoyed. I would go so far as to say that I was rooting for Bill & Flick quite as seriously as the Empress of Blandings roots for an obstinate turnip.

[Shashwat · Rating 5 out of 5]

After a long-ish hiatus, I finally picked up a Wodehouse again. And, boy, did I miss the quintessential British wit, and the beautifully depicted situational comedy Wodehouse writes.

This is an early work of Wodehouse, and one can see the humour isn't as polished/present as his later works, but his situational storytelling is spot-on, and you can see the genius that carries forward from this book to his classic later works.

Additionally, the copy I read had a preface by Wodehouse himself, comparing it with his later works, which was a wonderful and interesting read!

[Gregory Moses · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was surprised by how much I disliked this novel; Wodehouse wasn’t at his peak by the time he wrote this, but he was a mature author, having already written two Blandings novels. The writing is charming enough, I guess, without being really funny in the way that Wodehouse’s writing usually is, but the action is incredibly limp; the edition I have weighs in at over 300 pages, and for the first 250 pages or so, it feels like Wodehouse keeps having ideas for stories, then deciding he doesn’t feel like doing much of anything with them.

Bill is sent to London by his Uncle to try to figure out why his business is flagging. He meets the branch manager who is obviously (to the reader) some sort of embezzler … but then he gives up on the business, and that plot point isn’t touched again for over a hundred pages.

Bill is accompanied by Judson, the alcoholic brother of the woman he loves, with the goal of making him go cold turkey. There ought to be some kind of conflict, given that the brother emphatically doesn’t want to do that … but there isn’t. I did like Judson as a character.

Bill’s female friend/love interest Flick gets a job with the crooked manager to investigate him … but external forces cause her to have to quit within a chapter, having literally never interacted with him on-screen. Pointless.

Flick, like many a Wodehouse heroine before and since, is being forced into a marriage she doesn’t want by overbearing relatives. She eventually leaves the country for America to get away from them … then instantly comes back, having done nothing of interest.

Bill’s uncle has adopted a child as part of some sort of eugenics program, but the child is part of a criminal gang who’s out to rob him. Cool. Bill and his uncle are sort of on the outs and having them make up after Bill keeps him from being robbed is very Wodehouse-ian. But Bill’s uncle is also being robbed by his business manager, making this plot thread totally superfluous. In fact, it was taken from a musical that Wodehouse co-wrote (in the same year this novel was published), Sitting Pretty, and grafted onto this novel. Very strange. Having said that, it’s much more developed than the stuff with the manager. It feels like Wodehouse meant to replace the manager subplot with this one, but forgot to totally get rid of it.

The main romantic tension of the novel is that Bill and Flick are “friends,” but in fact Flick is in love with Bill, and Bill is in love with a woman named Alice, while Flick’s relatives want her to marry a man named Roderick. Typical Wodehouse. But usually, these situations cause drama; comic drama, of course, but people fight, and break engagements, and *do stuff*. Here, it’s resolved in the least interesting possible way: Alice, who appears in a single scene at the beginning of the novel, gets engaged to someone else off-screen and Bill realizes he loves Flick, problem solved, why did this take 250 pages to happen? The next 50 pages are mostly devoted to the “Flick’s relatives want her to marry Roderick” part of the plot, and I regret to inform you that Judson, Alice’s brother, solves that completely off-screen, with no input from the alleged romantic leads. Wodehouse throws in a perfunctory misunderstanding towards the end as well, to no good effect

Wodehouse was certainly not perfect, but the specific weaknesses of this novel are very atypical of him. It has some very minor historical interest in that it introduces a few recurring characters (Lord Tilbury and Pilbream will appear in a few Wodehouse novels, including some Blandings books), but you could just read those books; they're better, and don't rely on you having any foreknowledge of the characters.

[Andrew Fish · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Bill is sent to London to investigate the poor performance of his Uncle Cooley’s business there he little realises the complex web of affairs into which it will plunge him. Judson Coker, sent with Bill in order to quell his drinking habits, immediately plunges him into the complex world of publishing, taking issue with a factual error in the magazine Society Spice, which in turn brings him into contact with George Pyke, whose adoptive son is actually the inside man for a planned crime against him. And Bill is also reunited with childhood friend Flick, a girl who still secretly adores him.

Throughout his career, Wodehouse often wrote books like Bill the Conqueror. Revolving around one-off characters who inhabit the fringes of what could be called the Wodehouse Shared Universe (some minor characters will appear again in Blandings stories), these stories are complex, multithreaded comedies, whose disparate plot threads weave their way through the novel before coming together in a satisfying conclusion. Given that these books were generally written as serials, they constitute an impressive feat of planning, not quite on the level of Dickens, but running him close.

Bill is a good example of the genre. The characters are fun, albeit not quite as larger than life in Wodehouse’s best, and once the pieces are set up on the board, the plot rattles along at an engaging pace. One feels the odd qualm – say that the story of child-crook Horace is given shorter shrift – but it all serves to prevent the book overstaying its welcome.

Bill makes an engaging hero, and whilst his own well-being never really seems at risk, it is easy to be pleased for him when things resolve, even if most of the heavy-lifting has been done by the supporting cast. A solid effort, if a little anti-climactic, coming as it does in close proximity to a couple of early Jeeves outings.

[S. Suresh · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Wodehouse wrote Bill the Conqueror in 1924, he was still finetuning the perfect recipe that became his formula for success in a long writing career. Yes, there are couples who are infatuated or engaged to the wrong partner – in this case, Bill West with his infatuation toward Alice Coker, and Felicia “Flick” Sheridan engaged to Roderick Pyke, the wimpy son of the media moghul Sir George Pyke. Yes, there are crooks impersonating in order to swindle something of value, in this case, Horace, the boy thief under the tutelage Appleby, eyeing the valuable book collection of Cooley Paradene, Bill West’s rich uncle. George Pyke’s sister, Frances Hammond plays the role of the overbearing aunt, her husband, Sinclair Hammond that of understanding and sympathetic uncle to Flick. Percy Pilbeam, a regular investigator in many of Wodehouse’s stories, especially in conjunction with Lord Tilbury – the title Sir George Pyke assumes after his peerage - makes his first appearance in this story.

Despite the presence of many of the ingredients in Wodehouse’s recipe, Bill the Conqueror falls short in the crispness of the language, sharpness of wit and depth of characters. That said, reading this story was especially gratifying for me, having been fortunate to lay my hands on a 98-year-old U.S. Edition of the book, titled Bill the Conqueror: His Invasion of England in Springtime, something that I handled with both reverence and awe.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

He who tires of Wodehouse is tired of laughing and life. How affirming to read about young people who aren't wringing their hands over microaggressions or sulking in Starbucks trying to finish their screenplays about the quest for social justice. While this isn't as good as any of the Jeeves books (because we don't have Bertie's narration), it's great fun to read and light in the best sense of the word. It's a musical comedy where the reader supplies his own songs or, rather, where the PGW touch on many of the sentences supplies them for him. It includes the Wodehouse staples of imperious aunts, eggheaded academics, cute girls with hearts all a-flutter, deadly hangovers, and a plot more complicated than that of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. The title character is what the criminals in The Friends of Eddie Coyle call "stand up." I had a million things to do this morning but put them off so I could finish the last 100 pages in one sitting. I'm glad I read this as a tonic to the depressing news of the world.

[Lynette · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, but it was pretty slow-going at times. Wodehouse tends to repeat himself quite a bit (not afraid to use a plot device over and over, and the boy-meets-girl plots themselves are same old, same old) and he uses plenty of cliches as well, but what keeps me coming back is his expert use of language. Many readers don't like the way he is so precise with his words, drawing out into a paragraph what could otherwise be said in one simple sentence, but for me, that's where the best writers shine. One doesn't read PGW for his plots. Bill the Conqueror is very typical in its love triangle plot and all comes out right in the end. The book was written in a sweeter, more genteel era, so that is part of the draw. The print in this particular copy was tiny (mine is the same edition as that pictured above) making these old eyes strain, but I was in the mood for my once-a-month light comedy and this title served as entertainment for the week.

[Carol Bakker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm breaking my own rule: "Never read Wodehouse back to back."

However, when I saw "included until 5/03" next to many Simon Vance's narrations of Wodehouse books — all bets were off.

I don't read Wodehouse for the plot or the story.

I read him for humor, for vocabulary, for word play, for names, for English idioms, What ho?

Speaking of names, it seems so delightfully Wodehousian to shorten Felicia to Flick.

Simon Vance did his usual superlative job of narration. Sadly, when I listen, I intend to remember the zingers, but almost never do. With apologies to my friends in Pittsburgh here's a laugh aloud:
Judson had accused him of being like a wet Sunday in Pittsburgh. Quite justly. He had been like a wet Sunday in Pittsburgh.

[Aurora · Rating 2 out of 5]

Speravo in una lettura esilarante che mi potesse strappare quanto meno un sorriso, ma niente, profonda delusione. Un romanzo fiacco, scialbo, e i personaggi piatti e privi di spessore, neanche sull'aspetto romantico non è stato neanche un momento travolgente, era tutto fin troppo prevedibile e non c'era chissà quale gran gioco di equivoci. Una lettura spensierata insoddisfacente, eppure è un peccato perché lo scrittore aveva un suo modo singolare di descrivere e narrare che poteva anche potenzialmente coinvolgere, però non c'era assolutamente suspence, da apparire quasi privo di contenuti e di trama.

[Larry Shackley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of PGW's non-series books from the post-WW1 era are duds, but this one is a hit. There are a couple of familiar names from other books (Percy Pilbeam, Lord Tilbury) but the plot is focused on a new set of characters. The book focuses mainly on a couple of the usual on-again, off-again romances, inheritances, country houses, etc., but has sidelines into some of PGW's other favorite topics (publishing, the theatre). There are lots of fun situations and a satisfactory conclusion. One distraction is that PGW started plot lines in both the US and the UK which seldom mesh well. IMHO he would have been better off keeping the whole book in England.

[Tricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

While not side-splittingly funny (although definitely chuckle-worthy in parts), this Wodehouse book is worth the read, IMHO. Improbable timing and coincidences try to bring together two young folks, as well as set friend Judson on the teetotaling wagon, set the uncle's business in order, and show the dear uncle that Bill isn't as worthless as he seems.

The LibriVox edition is read by an American, who does a very good job of it as well as evidently enjoying the book she's reading. Bravo!

[hjgh · Rating 5 out of 5]

More complicated plot, with multiple moving storylines, compared to most Wodehouse, but quite delightful. The romance is fuzzy feeling, tender in many ways, and delightful.

The writing and turn of phrase are distinctly Wodehouse's. Lots of chuckles over simple descriptives

My only complaints are that some of the plot lines are resolved off stage without the main characters and the book is out of print and hard to find.

[Louise Culmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable story about an American in an England, with all the usual romantic complications, crooks and confusions that you find in a typical Wodehouse novel. Although entertaining enough, this is not one of his most brilliant books. In publication order it comes between two of my favourites - Leave it to Psmith (1923) and Sam the Sudden (1925) and suffers by comparison, being not nearly as funny as either of those two.

[Ruthie · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of Wodehouse’s better stand alone books. Longer than most but full of substance. Really good for one of his earlier works, for sure. Bill isn’t one of his typical male protagonist but he does have the “man on the make” flavor that Wodehouse seems to have enjoyed writing about. There didn’t seem to be as much slang in this one so someone new to Wodehouse wouldn’t have too difficult a time keeping up.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another wonderful bit of farcically tangled froth from the master. He keeps the plates spinning throughout with his usual gloriously light use of language - if there is one minor disappointment it's that the ending is tied up as quickly as it is (everything seems to fall into place in the last two or three pages). That's not a big enough problem to dock it a star, though. Bravo!

[Maura Roo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alan Jacobs has said that his wife will not allow him to read Wodehouse books in bed, because he always laughs so much she can't sleep through it. My sister has just placed the same restriction on me.

[Ali Miremadi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heaven

[Waleed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful. Possibly Wodehouse's best non-series novel of the 1920s

[Orangeflo · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up. maybe it's a problem of the Italian translation, but it felt a little bit repetitive.

[Elisa Nolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute fluffy funny and mindless.