Trust me on this one - if you are looking for something to bring a smile to your lips and drive away the dark clouds of doubt, disappointment or gloom, there is no better way to do it than to reach for the nearest Wodehouse offering, possibly one containing the duo of Bertie and Jeeves.
For the record, I wasn't looking to fight any dark clouds but I had, for once, had enough of both philosophical and crime genres. No harm in checking out what Bertie and Jeeves were up to. As usual, the plot is thick with characters - each one as eccentric a specimen as God could make of a human being. So there's Aunt Dahlia, always looking for faults in and never one to shy away from pointing them to her nephew Bertie. Then there is her husband, Bertie's uncle Tom, who is sore because another collector, not to mention his arch-rival, Sir Watkyn Bassett, has managed to secure an antique statuette at bargain basement price. The household of Sir Watkyn, Totleigh Towers, is crowded with equal, if not more, number of characters. There is his daughter Madeline, who owing to a previous episode is laboring under the misunderstanding that Bertie is in head over heels in love with her. Bertie, therefore, is always in danger of finding himself walking up the aisle at a moment's notice - especially if her engagement to Gussie Fink-Nottle falls apart for any reason. Stiffy Byng, Sir Watkyn's niece, is engaged to be married to Rev. H.P. ("Stinker") Pinker, the local curate. Bertie is forever suspicious about any suggestions made by Stiffy because they have landed him, on more occasions than one, in a tureen of soup. Stinker is after the vicarage that Sir Watkyn can bestow upon him. Then there is Roderick Spode, who has always loved Madeline but never dared to tell her this. Bertie's friend Emerald Stoker, who is the younger daughter of an American Millionaire and plans to visit Totleigh Towers for a month and Sir Watkyn's dog Bartholomew complete the cast.
If you can manage to keep the who-is-who straight, this book is a laugh-riot that is guaranteed to keep you in splits. Bertie is told that all is not well between Madeline and Gussie Fink-Nottle. Feeling the noose tightening around his neck, he hastens to Totleigh Towers, with Jeeves in tow (of course!), against his better judgement. Weighing on his mind is another thing that his Aunt Dahlia has told him - that Sir Watkyn would stoop to any level to recruit Jeeves. As if this wasn't enough, Rev. H.P. ("Stinker") Pinker informs him that Stiffy has a job in mind for him. Needless to say, owing to the prior disastrous experience of hosting him at his mansion, Sir Watkyn is not happy to see him at his doorstep and under his roof. Madeline mistakenly assumes that he has come there to check if he still has a chance to lure her away from her fiance. Roderick Spode practically threatens to break his neck if he causes Madeline any grief. And as if to make sure that Bertie's cup of woes is full to the point of overflowing, Gussie Fink-Nottle falls in love with Emerald Stoker.
If you want to know if Bertie and Jeeves emerge unscathed from this madhouse, you have to read 'Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves'. :-)
For the record, I wasn't looking to fight any dark clouds but I had, for once, had enough of both philosophical and crime genres. No harm in checking out what Bertie and Jeeves were up to. As usual, the plot is thick with characters - each one as eccentric a specimen as God could make of a human being. So there's Aunt Dahlia, always looking for faults in and never one to shy away from pointing them to her nephew Bertie. Then there is her husband, Bertie's uncle Tom, who is sore because another collector, not to mention his arch-rival, Sir Watkyn Bassett, has managed to secure an antique statuette at bargain basement price. The household of Sir Watkyn, Totleigh Towers, is crowded with equal, if not more, number of characters. There is his daughter Madeline, who owing to a previous episode is laboring under the misunderstanding that Bertie is in head over heels in love with her. Bertie, therefore, is always in danger of finding himself walking up the aisle at a moment's notice - especially if her engagement to Gussie Fink-Nottle falls apart for any reason. Stiffy Byng, Sir Watkyn's niece, is engaged to be married to Rev. H.P. ("Stinker") Pinker, the local curate. Bertie is forever suspicious about any suggestions made by Stiffy because they have landed him, on more occasions than one, in a tureen of soup. Stinker is after the vicarage that Sir Watkyn can bestow upon him. Then there is Roderick Spode, who has always loved Madeline but never dared to tell her this. Bertie's friend Emerald Stoker, who is the younger daughter of an American Millionaire and plans to visit Totleigh Towers for a month and Sir Watkyn's dog Bartholomew complete the cast.
If you can manage to keep the who-is-who straight, this book is a laugh-riot that is guaranteed to keep you in splits. Bertie is told that all is not well between Madeline and Gussie Fink-Nottle. Feeling the noose tightening around his neck, he hastens to Totleigh Towers, with Jeeves in tow (of course!), against his better judgement. Weighing on his mind is another thing that his Aunt Dahlia has told him - that Sir Watkyn would stoop to any level to recruit Jeeves. As if this wasn't enough, Rev. H.P. ("Stinker") Pinker informs him that Stiffy has a job in mind for him. Needless to say, owing to the prior disastrous experience of hosting him at his mansion, Sir Watkyn is not happy to see him at his doorstep and under his roof. Madeline mistakenly assumes that he has come there to check if he still has a chance to lure her away from her fiance. Roderick Spode practically threatens to break his neck if he causes Madeline any grief. And as if to make sure that Bertie's cup of woes is full to the point of overflowing, Gussie Fink-Nottle falls in love with Emerald Stoker.
If you want to know if Bertie and Jeeves emerge unscathed from this madhouse, you have to read 'Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves'. :-)
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