The Thumbnail Book Reviews
by John Q McDonald --- 23 October 2006
by P. G. Wodehouse
The enormous appeal of P. G. Wodehouse's appalling creation Bertie Wooster, and his long-suffering valet Jeeves, of course, lies in the astoundingly intricate, literate, and witty British language that fills these books. The stories are almost improbably funny, with Wodehouse's beautifully crafted combination of the Queen's English and a sort of well-schooled upper-crust slang that spills out of Bertie's mind and on to the page in a crazy and usually hilarious tumble. It almost doesn't matter what the plot is in this particular book. Wodehouse sustained his wit through countless stories and novels, many of which fit into a particular pattern of nuttiness. Here, Bertie's mousy friend Gussie Fink-Nottle is smitten by a pretty woman of their acquaintance. Bertie, and Jeeves, chip in to make the match a done deal. This takes them down to Bertie's aunt Dahlia's country estate, and into a mire of misunderstandings, almost all of which originate in Bertie's blithe bumbling. The book is a light entertainment, and lends itself well to reading aloud. Despite its fluffiness, however, the reader can revel in the appreciation of language for the sake of language and language for the sake of amusement.
Also by Wodehouse: [Laughing Gas]