Publishers Weekly
Martin Jarvis brings the madcap world of Bertie Wooster and his brilliant valet Jeeves to life with canny comedic timing and wildly varied voices that capture the essence of each of the many characters. In P.G. Wodehouse's classic stories about a gentleman and his gentleman's gentleman, we follow the hapless but lovable Bertie from one misadventure to the next-accidental engagements, calamitous lunches with the terrifying Aunt Agatha, clashes with noted nerve specialists and run-ins with bizarre political parties-each imbroglio neatly put right in the end by the faithful Jeeves. Jarvis perfectly conveys the spirit and sheer joy of these beloved stories in an audio book that will delight both Wodehouse fanatics and newcomers to the author's work. An Overlook hardcover.(Apr.)
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Library Journal
It's getting harder and harder to find mediocre recordings of Wodehouse's "Jeeves" novels, and this new one merely adds to what is already an embarrassment of riches. First published in 1923, this book contains ten loosely connected stories that retain their vigor and hilarity nearly 80 years later. Among the wonderful characters introduced are Bertie's perpetually love-struck pal, Bingo Little, and the latter's eventual bride, Rosie M. Banks, author of such sentimental slops as A Red, Red Summer Rose. Best of all, however, are "The Great Sermon Handicap" and "The Purity of the Turf"--unforgettable tales about unlikely gambling competitions, in which Jeeves--as always--comes out on top. Frederick Davidson's reading of Wodehouse is getting even better--if that's possible--making any library's purchase of this audiobook as near a "cert" as a flutter on the Rev. Heppenstall's sermon on "Brotherly Love."--Kent Rasmussen, Thousand Oaks, CA Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.
The New York Times - Hernan Diaz
"Oh, how I love Wodehouse! Ever-surprising in his repetitiousness, never failing to delight, always making us safe in his breezy world. It is paradoxical that Wodehouse should give me so much comfort when he also makes me feel how mean and shabby my life is each time I emerge from one of his novels."
From the Publisher
- "We Woosters do not lightly forget. At least, we do - some things - appointments, and people's birthdays, and letters to post, and all that - but not an absolutely bally insult like the above."
- "Warm-hearted! I should think he has to wear asbestos vests!"
- "I suppose he must have taken about a nine or something in hats. Shows what a rotten thing it is to let your brain develop too much."
― P.G. Wodehouse, The Inimitable Jeeves
Lynne Truss
You should read Wodehouse when you’re well, and when you’re poorly; when you’re travelling, and when you’re not; when you’re feeling clever, and when you’re feeling utterly dim. Wodehouse always lifts your spirits, no matter how high they happen to be already.
Evelyn Waugh
Wodehouse’s idyllic world can never stale. He will continue to release future generations from captivity that may be more irksome than our own. He has made a world for us to live in and delight in.
The New Yorker
Wodehouse is the funniest writer—that is, the most resourceful and unflagging deliverer of fun—that the human race, a glum crowd, has yet produced.
Stephen Fry
You don’t analyze such sunlit perfection, you just bask in its warmth and splendor.
JUNE 2009 - AudioFile
Martin Jarvis is enchanting in his portrayal of a full cast of characters in this set of stories featuring protagonist Bertie Wooster, a wealthy, somewhat dim, but well-intentioned young man, and Wooster's butler, Jeeves, who saves the day time and time again when Wooster's ill-advised plans go awry. Jarvis narrates Wooster's character with the right measure of panache and gives Jeeves a delightfully superior air. As Wooster's love-prone friend Bingo Little, Jarvis strikes a tone that sounds somewhat like a weakling, which seems an odd choice, but he still manages to make it work. A versatile narrator, Jarvis brings THE INIMITABLE JEEVES to life with ease. S.E.G. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine
