Nothing Serious

Blandings Castle #7.5

by P.G. Wodehouse

Nothing Serious is Wodehouse's famous collection of ten stories in which many old friends reappear in deliciously absurd situations. Two lovers are united by their hatred of cricket. Bingo Little, editor of Wee Tots and husband of romantic novelist Rosie M. Banks, finds new solutions to his financial problems. Lord Emsworth becomes an encyclopedia salesman for a day. Rodney Spelvin, bad poet turned enthusiastic golfer, shows signs of reverting to type. And Ukridge for once emerges triumphant from the struggle with his fearsome Aunt Julia.

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

192 pages, Paperback

First published July 21, 1950

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

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nothing in literature is so calculated to put the reader in as good a frame of mind as a novel or collection of stories from the inimitable P. G. Wodehouse. Nothing Serious (1950), a collection of ten short stories, each featuring a different character, including a Lord Emsworth (without the Empress of Blandings, no less), Rodney Spelvin, Bingo Little, and Stanley Featherstonehaugh Ukridge and his terrible Aunt Julia.

As in Disney cartoons, the world of Wodehouse is populated with sticky uncles and formidable aunts, but virtually no mothers and fathers. There are, however, a lot of down-at-heels young men badly in need of a fiver for some impractical scheme or other, and usually involved in a proposed or trouble relationship with a pie-eyed young lady. Engagements are made and broken off with startling rapidity, for the most trivial of reasons. In "Tangled Hearts," the res involves differing attitudes toward golf; and, in "How's That, Umpire?" a young scamp gets hitched on the basis of finding a mischievous young woman who hated cricket as much as he did.

Although most of the stories are set in the United States, the characters and the setting are indistinguishable from the author's England. One has to shake off the notion that, although the place names are in the States, Wodehouse's head most certainly is not.

No matter. Be prepared to snicker, laugh, and perhaps even guffaw once or twice.

[QNPoohBear · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of Wodehouse's short stories from across the spectrum of his worlds. More than half the stories are golf stories as related by the Oldest Member. I do not like golf at all and I found these stories the most boring. I couldn't understand the characters' obsession with golf over everything. Golf satire is not really my thing. This world is populated with dumb women, ambitious women, idiotic men and men who love golf more than just about anything. One story, Rodney Has a Relapse seems to be a parody of A.A. Milne. I happen to love A.A. Milne's poetry so this story was not for me.

One story, Birth of a Salesman is about dear old Lord Emsworth from Blandings Castle. This time he's on a solo visit to New York for a wedding a few years after his son Freddy has married and become VP of Donaldson's Dog Joy. Freddy has taken to selling dog food like a duck to water but Lord Emsworth still worries about his son being a wastrel. The shoe is on the other foot now and it is now Freddy who patronizes his father for not being more productive in society. When Lord Emsworth meets a young saleswoman in need of money, he pitches in to help out and finds it's not as easy to be a salesman as he expected. Dear old Lord Emsworth! He's always so absentminded and charming. His adventures in selling sports encyclopedias are too funny. I always enjoy a story about the Threepwoods. I missed the Empress who is back in England. There's a Pekinese dog but he's nasty. All the Pekes in this collection are nasty ankle biters. I guess Wodehouse did not like the breed.

How's That, Umpire? is a cricket story but a love story about two people who hate cricket. This one is silly to the extreme. I didn't like either of the main characters.

Success Story is the lone story about Ukbridge and the funniest in the collection. The idle aristocrat trope is my favorite. Stanley Ukbridge will do anything for money and this time that includes getting a job. In order to get that job, however, he needs a suit and in order to get a suit, he needs money. How he goes about getting that money is morally wrong but oh so funny. The twist at the end had me smiling.

Yes critics in 1950, the world has changed and changed again and this time the fluffy world of P.G. Wodehouse is exactly what people need in 2020-early 2021. These stories are light escapism and a decent introduction into the world of Wodehouse. Blandings is still my favorite!

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review pending

[SheriC · Rating 1 out of 5]

Evidently, Wodehouse really found his voice with the Jeeves books. This is not a Jeeves book.

[G L · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another fun Wodehouse. I've not read so many Oldest Member stories in one sitting before. I didn't enjoy them as much as the Bingo Little entries, but they grew on me.

The audiobook was read by Simon Vance. I really do not think Vance's voice is best suited to Wodehouse. It helps that this reading is about 10 years old, and done at a time when Vance's voice was just becoming noticeably heavy and less nimble with age. I gritted my way through it, but I really don't think the stories were particularly well-served.

[Shreyas · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Nothing Serious' by P.G. Wodehouse.

Then my knowledge of the terrain stood me in good stead. I had spent a considerable amount of time as an inmate of this house— it rarely happens that my aunt kicks me out before the middle of the second week—and I was familiar with its workings. I knew, for instance, that behind the potting shed down by the kitchen garden, there was always kept a small but serviceable ladder. I was also aware that my aunt’s bedroom had French windows opening on a balcony. With the aid of this ladder and a chisel, I would be able to laugh at locksmiths.

Rating:
First Read [26th May to 27th May 2024]: Rating: 4.75/5. I have merely read the only short story involving Ukridge contained within this collection. I shall update the rating of the entire collection once I get acquainted with the other Wodehouse characters and decide to revisit this collection.





Review:
I had no intention of picking up another P.G Wodehouse book immediately after finishing his Ukridge collection – not because I didn't like his writing, but because I simply wanted to read something else and return to Wodehouse's works as a comfort read. But, as it turns out, I couldn't get enough of Ukridge's devious schemes! After learning that there were other short stories featuring Ukridge in Wodehouse's other books, the completionist within me wanted to devour them all at the earliest. And, thus, after diving through a host of other short story collections, I finally landed up on Nothing Serious.

'Success Story' is the only Ukridge short story that is featured in this collection. In this story, Ukridge narrates the events leading up to his rise of fortune while hosting his friend Corky to a dinner at a luxurious hotel in London. After the last two Ukridge stories (that I had read from the Eggs, Beans, and Crumpets collection) had a downer of an ending, I went into this short story with some apprehensions. At first, Ukridge's narration seemed too long-winded, but as the story went on, the absurdity of the events and the ensuing hilarity allayed all of these apprehensions. It was a wonderful story, and true to Wodehouse's comical storytelling, it had me chuckling out loud multiple times. It was one of the rare instances when things went well in favour of Ukridge (but alas, one can't say the same for poor Corky!).

As you can see, I had a great time reading 'Success Story', the only Ukridge short story featured in this collection. I do plan to get back to the rest of the stories contained within this collection once I get acquainted with the other Wodehouse characters.

[S. Suresh · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 1950 Herbert Jenkins First Edition of Nothing Serious is, appropriately, the 50th book by Wodehouse I’ve read. The title epitomizes what Wodehousean stories are all about: Nothing Serious, really. But that doesn’t take away from joy and fun they give its readers. The ten stories in this collection are no different. Five are golf stories narrated by the Oldest member, two from Drones Club, featuring Bingo Little in one, and Freddie Widgeon in the other. Lord Emsworth and Ukridge each enjoy success in their own way, while one on the game of Cricket rounds up this collection.

Everything I’ve learned about the game of golf is what I’ve gleaned from the Oldest member stories. And by now, it is substantial. Golf is, apparently, superior to tennis; or poetry; and is guaranteed to patch lover’s tiffs. Featuring recurring golf story characters, McMurdo-Flack duo and Spelvin-Bates duo, if the golf stories don’t get you chuckling with joy, then perhaps, Bingo Little contending with his nanny from childhood, or Freddie Widgeon getting entangled with substantial blondes while being engaged to Mavis ought to do the deed. Everything failing, Lord Emsworth finding his groove as a salesperson of encyclopedias for $5 a pop, in a foreign setting, across the Atlantic, away from his beloved Empress of Blandings and pig books in Shropshire, sure will.

[Arthur Pierce · Rating 4 out of 5]

The novels Wodehouse came out with in the first few years after WWII seem to me to be lacking the sparkle of his pre-war efforts. But I don't find that to be the case at all with his story collections. This one, in particular, is excellent, with a few of the stories really standing out. (Particularly his A.A. Milne parody, "Rodney Has a Relapse.")

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

Half of the ten stories in Nothing Serious are golf-centric and feature the Oldest Member and his Long Island golf club. Oldest Member tales haven’t done much for me in the past and they don’t here. In the remaining five stories it’s fun to visit with other familiar Wodehouse characters, including Bingo Little and Lord Emsworth. The final piece, “Success Story,” is a quality entry in the Ukridge canon.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always puts me in a good mood, reading a Wodehouse!

[Jeff Crompton · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all, the classification of this 1950 short story collection as part of the Blandings Castle series is kind of ridiculous. Lord Emsworth and his younger son Freddie appear only in one story, and that one is set at Freddie's house on Long Island, far from Blandings. For the record, this collection consists of:

Two Drones Club stories, one starring Bingo Little; the other featuring Freddie Widgeon;
Five golf stories, told by The Oldest Member;
The single story centered around Lord Emsworth mentioned above;
A one-off tale of love and cricket starring Conky Biddle;
One story featuring Ukridge, that semi-lovable scoundrel.

They're all good to excellent, in my opinion. I was particular amused by the fairly biting parodies of A.A. Milne's writing in "Rodney Has a Relapse." Milne was one of the harshest critics of Wodehouse's ill-conceived, but ultimately harmless broadcasts over German radio while in custody during World War II, and Wodehouse used this story to get in a few digs at Christopher Robin and his creator.

[Roxana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not Wodehouse's best. And oh my god I don't care about golf enough for this.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just what the doctor ordered!! I was looking for something humorous but not non- fiction in audiobook format in my library’s Libby collection. Not only did I find this Wodehouse but it was read by Simon Vance! I laughed throughout and will search for all the rest of the Blanding’s Castle group. Does it get any better than this?

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the joys of Wodehouse is that even if I think I'm not in the mood, I know that after reading half a page, I will be. I try not to go more than a year without reading a Wodehouse, and if I stick to that rationing system, I should be set for life.

He's one of the few authors for which I will willingly read a volume of short stories, which Nothing Serious is. I have to say that the title might be the most perfect choice for a Wodehouse book ever, and it serves to describe his entire body of work.

As this book was released in 1950, and many of the stories are set in the U.S., there were more characters with jobs in this volume than in nearly any other Wodehouse book I've read. It was refreshing to read about men who were not entirely dependent on the goodwill of a wealthy aunt for their living expenses. There were also at least three working women in the book-- two writers, and one door-to-door encyclopedia salesperson.

I bestow the Best Story in the Book award to "Rodney Has a Relapse", which made me laugh out loud more than once, and which encapsulates my feelings about most poetry perfectly. It's one of my favorite Wodehouse pieces so far.

This book would be a nice introduction to Wodehouse for a novice, especially if you don't want to dive into Jeeves and Wooster to start.

[Ian Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘Nothing Serious’ is a collection of ten stories from the pen of P G Wodehouse starting with those Eggs, Beans and Crumpets of the Drones Gentleman’s Club Bingo Little and Freddie Widgeon. Mrs Bingo engages Bingo’s old nanny to look after their issue much to Bingo’s displeasure in having his childish foibles exposed and worse still interfering with his endeavours on the turf. Freddie, as ever, is handed is portfolio by Mavis Peasemarch for whom the banns will possibly never be read.

Next up we had the Oldest Member regaling us with four stories of love and golf and love of golf which as ever feature Agnes Flack and Sidney McMurdo. We have a Blandings interlude with Lord Emsworth visiting second son Freddie in America and accidently becoming an encyclopaedia salesman on the Hollywood hills.

We then have a story from Conky Biddle whom shows he is not the Oldest member of the cricket world with the story ‘How’s that Umpire?’, in fact he despises the game and has fallen in love with an American girl of a similar disposition but will Conky’s cricket loving Uncle approve the fixture? Being a Wodehouse story love generally conquers all but will Conky’s Uncle get bowled over?

The climax of this collection is ‘Success Story’ in which Ukridge final gets at return on the investment of George Tuppy. Worth the price of admission alone, certainly a better return than the bulk of Ukridge’s schemes.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a bit of a mixed bag, not all the stories are what I'd call Wodehouse at his peak, but I've given it five stars none the less, purely on the strength of two of the stories: "Excelsior" and "Rodney Has A Relapse".

I particularly recommend the latter to fans of AA Milne - the hero of the story, Rodney Spelvin, is a poet who writes whimsical poems about his son, "Timothy Bobbin", a few of which are quoted in the story. A funnier or more accurate parody it is hard to imagine. Genius!

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wodehouse is always funny, but his story "Excelsior" had me rolling on the floor laughing. And I also read it aloud to my dad on a road trip years ago, and he thought it was hilarious as well. Horace Bewstridge has been ordered by his boss NOT to win at golf against the visiting business man, Sir George Copstone, because boss wants to do business with Sir George. But poor Horace wants to impress the girl he loves, so what is a golfer to do?

[Rickeclectic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Includes several golf stories framed by the Oldest Member, from teh Wodehouse bestiary as well as other short stories. Mixed, but some really good stories.

[Douglas Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lotta fun.

[Janice · Rating 5 out of 5]

A better than average Wodehouse collection. (And since Plum’s 'average' is sublimity incarnate, you know his 'better than average' is positively superhuman.) The golf stories are particularly good.

[Crystal Genes · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's worth the read for me, even just for those few amazing sentences every now and again that I just have to record to my memory. Love this lighthearted writing style.

[Darinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of short stories in the Blandings Castle series by P.G. Wodehouse. Delightful and humorous.

[Andrew Fish · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite being an established success with his novels, Wodehouse continued to write short stories throughout his career. Nothing Serious collects several which had previously been published in magazines with a handful written solely for the collection.

By this point, Wodehouse had several well-established canons in his short stories: we have a couple of stories in which Bingo Little is having problems with money and caring for his young child; a few rounds on the links with the Oldest Member; a trip to Blandings and a Ukridge scheme along with a standalone story revolving around cricket. Mostly these are a bit by the numbers – perfectly enjoyable, but not quite as brilliant as some of the earlier outings – but the Blandings story, in which Lord Emsworth tries to help a damsel in distress by selling encyclopaedias is absolutely charming and a tale in which Ukridge finally gets one over on his aunt Julia is a well-deserved hoorah for one of Plum’s most enjoyable characters.

Despite a little less sparkle than some earlier collections, I don’t think it would be fair to regard Wodehouse’s writing as formulaic here. Short stories by definition have limited scope for plot innovations, but what’s lacking is a certain sense of the absurd. The Oldest Member stories, which dominate the collection, are at their best when the characters are at their most obsessive – The Long Hole or The Purification of Rodney Spelvin are good examples here – and Bingo’s tales have never really been amongst my favourites. Blandings short stories have often struggled to live up to the deservedly-praised novels – the short form doesn’t lend itself to the dense farces in which we usually see the characters – but reducing the cast and giving Lord Emsworth a chance to shine outside his normal comfort zone works well.

Ultimately, if you enjoy Wodehouse this isn’t one to skip, but I wouldn’t recommend it as a starting point if you want to see the master at his best.

[William Leight · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goodreads thinks that this is volume 7.5 of the Blandings series, but it actually contains only one Blandings story, along with a couple of Drones Club stories, one featuring Bingo Little and one Freddie Widgeon (both of which I had read before in a different story collection); five golf stories; a miscellaneous story which rather resembles a Mulliner story, though not told by Mr. Mulliner himself; and, surprisingly, an Ukridge story. Most of the stories are from the late 40s or 1950: the exception is the Freddie Widgeon story, "Bramley Is So Bracing", which is from 1939 and is also, unsurprisingly, the best of the bunch. Still, the rest of the stories range from solid to quite good, the worst being the miscellaneous story: either it would be better if Wodehouse had gone whole hog and made it a Mulliner story, or Wodehouse felt that it wasn't good enough to be a Mulliner story and demoted it. Wodehouse continues to be the only person who can write about a golf match in such a way that I want to read about it, and he does fairly well with the Blandings story, which actually takes place in suburban Long Island, very effectively featuring Lord Emsworth as a fish-out-of-water. And though the Bingo Little story follows the same pattern of all the stories of Bingo's married life, at this point Wodehouse could still make his templates sing. Highly recommended to any Wodehouse fans.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

(This was a shared read-aloud with Donald, like all P.G. Wodehouse, Terry Pratchett, and 372-Pages books.)

We read this one in bits and pieces between books and reading assignments for the comedy podcast book club 372 Pages We'll Never Get Back. As always, P.G. Wodehouse doesn't let you down, and you feel happier after reading than you did before. (Well, I do, at least.) It's an uplifting, stress-busting soul-tonic in text form!

I believe our favorite story in this collection was "Birth of a Salesman", the one featuring Lord Emsworth, but I also particularly enjoyed "Success Story". The golf stories were better than I would've guessed, given that I know little about golf (and care even less). However, after a while, the gimmicks and framing device were wearing slightly thin, so I was glad that the last few stories moved on to other subjects. Still, on the whole they were good. (They really aren't "about" golf. You don't need to like or know much about the sport to appreciate them.)

I wouldn't say that this collection is Wodehouse's finest work, but they still hit the spot when you're in need of a little humor, and the title is a perfect description of his writing as a whole.

[Renee M · Rating 4 out of 5]

My father was an avid golfer, yet, in all my reading of Wodehouse, I had not come across any of his golfing stories. So it was with some considerable delight that I happened upon this collection, where nearly all of the stories resonate with the “golfing spirit.” I enjoyed each and every one of these stories, even the final one, centering on the repellent Ukbridge.

1. The Shadow Passes: Bingo Little must find a way to rid himself of his old Nanny.
2. Bramely is so Bracing: Freddie Widgeon loses at love and babysitting.
3. Up from the Depths: Golf vs Tennis in matters of the heart.
4. Feet of Clay: True love saved by the true golfing spirit.
5. Excelsior: Horace must choose between true love and the true golfing spirit. Or must he?
6. Rodney Has a Relapse: Sentimental Poetry versus the Competitive Drive
7. Tangled Hearts: Advice columnist learns that some advice is best not given.
8. Birth of a Salesman: Lord Emsworth tries his hand at door-to-door salesmanship.
9. How’s That, Umpire?: Conky Biddle and Clarissa find true love in their mutual dislike of cricket.
10. Success Story: Ukbridge seems in funds for once, after his money-making scheme goes awry… to his financial gain.


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[Raj · Rating 4 out of 5]

I generally feel confident when picking up a PG Wodehouse book that I'm going to enjoy it, and this was no exception. This collection was from after the War and most of the stories are set in the US (although a US full of the sorts of rich, independently wealthy sorts that populate the rest of Wodehouse's output). There's an awful lot of golf-related stories in the book, and while I'm not a great fan of the sport, it is a great setting to take the mickey out of the sorts of people who do enjoy it. There's a handful of favourites here, with Bingo Little having to deal with a heavy-handed nanny; Lord Emsworth turning his hand to door-to-door salesmanship; and Ukridge trying to get his hands on enough money to buy a second hand suit.

The book is full of people getting engaged and disengaged at the drop of a hat, formidable aunts and stuffy uncles and plenty of happy endings. Exactly what I want from a Wodehouse story. Maybe not classic (and a bit to sporty for my tastes) but still a warm cup of tea on a cold day.

[Chet Makoski · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book of ten short stories in the following order: Two about Dronesmen, one Bingo Little and one with Freddie Widgeon. Five golf stories. One Blandings Castle. One Conky Biddle on cricket. One Ukridge.

A couple of examples of Wodehouse's writing:

From "Rodney Has a Relapse": "This William was a substantial young man constructed rather on the lines of a lorry, and as a rule he shared that vehicle's placid and unruffled outlook on life. He lived mainly on chops and beer, and few things were able to disturb him. Yet, as he stood before me now, I could see that he was all of a twitter, as far as a fourteen-stone-six man full of beer and chops can be all of a twitter."

From "How's That, Umpire?": "Seeing him, she too gasped. This was apt to be the reaction of the other sex on first beholding Conky Biddle, for though his I.Q. was low his outer crust was rather sensational. He was, indeed, a dazzlingly good-looking young man, who out-Cared Grant and began where Gregory Peck left off."

[Phil Syphe · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection of ten stories is heavy on the golf theme. Parts of these I skipped over because – being unknowledgeable of golf – it was a little like reading code.

Still, some funny scenes do crop up in these tales, and I do like the way the hardened golfers are shocked and mortified when one of their associates would rather do something else than play golf. It's worse still if the diehard golfers meet someone who doesn’t even play their sport.

The one where a golf addict puts his clubs aside to write poetry about his son is particularly funny. The lines spoken by the child himself made me laugh more than anything else in the collection.

The stories not about golf are hit and miss. The Lord Emsworth tale is funny but could’ve been better. Lord Emsworth is my favourite of all Wodehouse characters, so it would’ve been nice to have seen more of the 9th Earl. Bless my soul, it would.

Ukridge is not a character I'm fond of. His rambling on and on irritates me. The Ukridge story included here I liked in parts, though on the whole it didn’t appeal to me.

In short, not a bad collection, but not vintage Wodehouse.

[Roz]

I'm not going to rate this as I am not in a position to do so. In fact, to be honest, I DNFed this with 1 and a half stories to go.

You see, I don't think this is the right place to start reading Wodehouse. I am gathering from the synopsis here that these are well-loved characters who are making reappearances. To me, they are just strangers - strangers who like playing A LOT of golf. There were parts where I chuckled - which I think was the point - and got into the story, only for it to change again.

Perhaps the other disadvantage is that I didn't know that this was a collection of short stories when I started... (I got a second hand and there is no dust jacket, hence, no information.)