The Inimitable Jeeves

Written by P.G. Wodehouse

Narrated by Deaver Brown

A hilarious romp from start to finish, with a Lord and his man having a rollicking good time with subtlety of all kinds.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simply Magazine Inc.
• Release date: Jan 1, 2019
• ISBN: 9781614966050

P.G. Wodehouse

Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse (1881-1975) was an English author. Though he was named after his godfather, the author was not a fan of his name and more commonly went by P.G Wodehouse. Known for his comedic work, Wodehouse created reoccurring characters that became a beloved staple of his literature. Though most of his work was set in London, Wodehouse also spent a fair amount of time in the United States. Much of his work was converted into an “American” version, and he wrote a series of Broadway musicals that helped lead to the development of the American musical. P.G Wodehouse’s eclectic and prolific canon of work both in Europe and America developed him to be one of the most widely read humorists of the 20th century.

Reviews for The Inimitable Jeeves

[debbie13410 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Bertie Wooster (30ish) is part of the titled class with inherited money, no profession and idleness. His valet is Jeeves. From what I can tell Jeeves is hired to adult sit Bertie. Jeeves dresses, feeds and looks out for Bertie's wellbeing. Bertie and his friends aren't too bright but at the end of the day Jeeves always manages to save them from themselves. I could see it as a sitcom tv show. The 1920s slang is rummy. I don't need to read anymore books in this series. It was fun while it lasted but it was starting to irk me.

[themulhern · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The very first Jeeves book. Episodic, but in parts quite funny.

[therebelprince · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Inimitable Jeeves is a collection of early Jeeves and Wooster short stories - all published individually between 1918 and 1922 - which form an episodic novel. (The seams are well hidden, but each story can really stand alone.)

If you're keen to read the Jeeves stories in order, I recommend the omnibus The World of Jeeves which collects all the short stories, and includes these in their "definitive" versions, which include some reworking.

It's worth noting that Wodehouse was past 40 when this collection was published - and he still had another 50 years of writing Jeeves stories to go! Bertie's narrative voice, Jeeves' exquisite manner, and the gallery of grotesques and incompetents who surround them - they're all fully formed this early in the game. It's a satisfying collection, however I strongly believe that Wodehouse is at his best in novel form. The short stories can begin to tire if read in excess - Wodehouse is, after all, like eating a packet of sweets or drinking an entire bottle of fine wine. The pitch-perfect conjunction of interlaced plots would be the hallmark of this series, once he started writing long-form versions in the 1930s.

Still, rather marvelous.

[steve02476 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Some good parts, but not my favorite Jeeves & Bertie book. Kind of repetitive.

Listened to audiobook.

[wyclif-371215 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

One of Wodehouse's best. Given my current knowledge of the canon, I'd say it's in his top five books. Come for the laughs, stay for the metaphors!

[addunn3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

One of the best Jeeves novels.

[breic-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Largely missing Wodehouses's usual brilliant writing. I wasn't compelled to highlight much at all. > I suppose every chappie in the world has black periods in his life to which he can't look back without the smoldering eye and the silent shudder. Some coves, if you can judge by the novels you read nowadays, have them practically all the time; but, what with enjoying a sizable private income and a topping digestion, I'm bound to say it isn't very often I find my own existence getting a flat tire. That's why this particular epoch is one that I don't think about more often than I can help.

[muumuumousie · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This one is lots of fun. Poor Bertie, it must be hard for such a nice guy to have such awfully demanding friends. And Jeeves, of course, is a wonder. Can his shrewd, calculating brain save Bertie again? This series’ humor is pitch perfect, and it continues to delight.

[maydacat_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This collection of Bertie’s antics are sure to amuse readers. One wonders how Bertie managed to get out of his many fixes before Jeeves was there to rescue him from his antics. The humor in these pages never seems dated and is just as funny as when they were first penned.

[hopeevey · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I enjoy the narration as much, if not more, than the story itself.

I've been listening to these wildly out of order - it was fun to hear the backstory for some of the shenanigans in books I'd already heard :)

[krazy4katz · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I can't believe this but I must be the only person in the WORLD (well maybe there is one more person) who doesn't like P.G. Wodehouse. This is the second one I have read and I just find them dull. Wish I liked them!

[lydia1879 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I usually read Wodehouse's Wooster and Jeeves when I'm in a reading slump. The warm, sunny prose sets me right after a chapter and then I go off and read whatever I fancy.

This time, however, I decided to finish the entire book. And I did enjoy it! It was so witty and if there's ever a man to write proper British banter, it would be Wodehouse. However, after some time, I found Bertie Wooster to be seriously irritating. I found myself rolling my eyes a lot at his general incompetence, which I know is the point, but some of the chapters were difficult to finish.

I did appreciate the writing and how neatly Jeeves managed to wrap up everyone's loose ends by the end of each chapter but I need a little break from Wooster's gentlemanly exploits, bets and trifles.

I think I'll save my next Wodehouse for a rainy day, when I don't know what to read. But I'll probably only read a chapter at a time. c:

3.5 stars

[chazzifrazz · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Once again, Bertie Wooster's bacon is saved by his valet Jeeves.

Due to a healthy inheritance, Bertie is able to enjoy the good life, spending time at the clubs or various country homes or just going about town to all the good places. That is unless his Aunt Agatha commands he appearance/participation in some sort of event while trying to marry this confirmed bachelor off. Or when his good friend Bingo needs help with his latest love, which are ever changing. Or when Claude and Eustace, the twins, need watching.

Jeeves' connections and talent for creative solutions come into play to resolve the current fix that has bound his master up. Even if Jeeves doesn't approve of the purple socks or the old Etonian Spats that Bertie has added to his sartorial style. Jeeves also prefers the quiet life.

Good for smiles and laughs in the style of 1923 when Wodehouse wrote the series. A good, fun read.

[philsyphe · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Jeeves is arguably P. G. Wodehouse’s greatest character creation. In this volume Jeeves hovers around in the background until brought forth by Bertie Wooster to help him or a friend out of a tight spot.This isn’t a novel in the strictest sense but more of a chronology of short stories with running themes and reoccurring characters. Some chapters work better than others. The best ones feature some top quality humour.A dashed good read.

[ctpress_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

“How does he look, Jeeves?""Sir?""What does Mr Bassington-Bassington look like?""It is hardly my place, sir, to criticize the facial peculiarities of your friends.”Another fresh breeze from the wonderland of Wodehouse. The best of the Jeeves and Wooster-short story collections I have read so far. Bertie and Jeeves again and again have to help love-struck Bingo Little out of scrapes as he continues to fall in love at first sight. However the most funny story is not about Bingo Little, but “The Great Sermon Handicap” as Wooster and his friends tries to predict which priest will deliver the longest sermon on a given sunday. Of course there’s a lot of foul play - and Jeeves outsmarts them all. Hilarious.“What are the chances of a cobra biting Harold, Jeeves?""Slight, I should imagine, sir. And in such an event, knowing the boy as intimately as I do, my anxiety would be entirely for the snake.”Honoria, you see, is one of those robust, dynamic girls with the muscles of a welter-weight and a laugh like a squadron of cavalary charging over a tin bridge.

[thornton37814 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I found this first installment of Bertie and Jeeves to be rather tiresome. The adventures sometimes featured Aunt Agatha, a friend named Bingo who had an uncle that also figure prominently, and a string of female acquaintances of Bingo's. I wonder if part of the reason I grew tired of it is the similarity in plot of several of the stories that loosely belong sequentially together and the continued "introduction" to some of the characters. It was first serialized and later put into book form. Jeeves does have a way of handling most any situation. I listened to the audio version of the book. I suspect others might enjoy it more than I did. I'm not much into gambling, and that was central to several stories.

[bookson23rd · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Bertie Wooster and his manservant, Jeeves, embark on many adventures involving family and friends. Its guaranteed that hilarity will ensue. While Bertie is enmeshed in some crazy scheme, Jeeves undoubtedly will go behind the scenes to save the day. One never knows what sort of silly situation Bertie or his friends will end up in.

Well-off Bertie is not exactly like anyone I’ve ever known. I did know a man who didn’t bother working as he had enough money to live on but he had a rather more modern lifestyle than Bertie does. After all, these stories were published around 1920.

There is no comparison with the jaunty, succinct exchanges between Bertie and Jeeves. They are hilarious in that they convey so much with so few words.

‘Steggles is a bad man. From now on, Jeeves, we must watch Harold like hawks.’
‘Undoubtedly, sir.’
‘Ceaseless vigilance, what?’
‘Precisely, sir.’
‘You wouldn’t care to sleep in his room, Jeeves?’
‘No, sir, I should not.’
‘No, nor would I, if it comes to that. But dash it all,’ I said, ‘we’re letting ourselves get rattled! We’re losing our nerve. This won’t do. How can Steggles possibly get at Harold, even if he wants to?’
There was no cheering young Bingo up. He’s one of those birds who simply leap at the morbid view, if you give them half a chance.
‘There are all sorts of ways of nobbling favourites,’ he said, in a sort of death-bed voice. ‘You ought to read some of these racing novels. In Pipped on the Post, Lord Jasper Mauleverer as near as a toucher outed Bonny Betsy by bribing the head lad to slip a cobra into her stable the night before the Derby!’
‘What are the chances of a cobra biting Harold, Jeeves?’
‘Slight, I should imagine, sir. And in such an event, knowing the boy as intimately as I do, my anxiety would be entirely for the snake.’
‘Still, unceasing vigilance, Jeeves.’
‘Most certainly, sir.’

My favorite story in this collection is The Metropolitan Touch. Bertie’s friend Bingo Little thinks he’s in love and will do just about anything to make himself look worthy to the young lady of his affection. This includes taking over the directing of a Christmas play in a rural community. Of course he has no experience at directing plays. Absolutely brilliant! I seriously laughed out loud throughout the performance part.

Even though Jeeves always saves the day, my favorite character is Bertie. I love his exasperation and his chirpy colloquialisms. “What the deuce?” “a corking reward,” and “it will be a frost” are just three examples.

I’ve previously read Jeeves in the Morning and Carry On, Jeeves and while I love them both, I think I love this book even more! Do read this book if you enjoy old-style British humor.

[ashishg_50 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I will not be able to do justice to this work as my binge reading of Wodehouse is damping my humour nerve due to my increased acquaintance with his methods and limiting plot twists. That said, book is not bad, and even had me laughing 4-5 places in whole, though with Wodehouse I have come to expect to be thrown in fits every other page. Forced circumstances contrived to bring out strange occurrences and and infallibility of Jeeves can get on nerve. In fact, by the end I was treating less like humour fiction and more like being in personal competition with Jeeves in solving the soup in which author inevitably falls. I am easily imagine story to be really cliched and yet funny motion picture.

[mickyfine · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Bertie Wooster's life of aristocratic ease in 1920s London is constantly being overturned by the antics and whims of his nearest and dearest. Whether it's Bingo Little falling in love with girl after girl, Bertie's Aunt Agatha making demands on Bertie's life and person, or the escapades of his cousins, Claude and Eustace, Bertie's life is a series of scrapes from which he is often rescued by his dear valet, Jeeves. Unless, of course, Bertie and Jeeves are currently having a spat over some poorly chosen accessories.Wodehouse is one of those authors I've been meaning to get to for ages. I knew I would love him and find the books a delight and I'm glad I finally succumbed to the charms of Jeeves and Bertie. With plenty of madcap plans, near disasters, and a brilliant dash of dry humour, the book was fun from start to finish. If you enjoy the period and British humour, these books should be picked up as quickly as possible.

[leslie398 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This early Jeeves book is more of a collection of short stories, most involving Bertie Wooster's pal Bingo Little, than a novel. While highly amusing, it isn't quite as hilarious as "The Code of the Woosters" or "Jeeves in the Morning". However, I think it is a good introduction to the world of Jeeves & Wooster.Jonathan Cecil continues to delight me with his narration of Jeeves, Bertie, and the rest. I was a little taken aback at first by his voice for Bingo, which has the slightest trace of a lisp, but I quickly got used to it.

[russellbittner · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I’ve said it before (in my 3/21/14 review of My Man Jeeves, to be specific), and I’ll say it again: the prose of P. G. Wodehouse is delísh … the bee’s knees … or if “hell-brew” (p. 67) is your choice for metaphor, good to the last drop! How he does it, how he nails it with every word and never grows stale or hackneyed remains a complete mystery to me. I can only imagine what it must’ve cost him to remain so piquantly original in his wit—not just line after line, but book after book.

In the vernacular peculiar to Wodehouse, people don’t just drop in for a spot of tea or a chat, they “toddle round” to the same end and “have a dash at it” (both on p. 11). They also “curvet” (p. 83); “scud off” (p. 84); “pop off” (p. 86); “whizz for” (p. 88); “pour [silently] in” (p. 89); “sally forth (p. 97); and “trickle round” (p. 210). One of Wodehouse’s characters doesn’t just look a bit down on his luck, but rather resembles “a sheep with a secret sorrow” (p. 30). When Bertie — the principal character, along with Jeeves, of almost all of Wodehouse’s books — himself runs into a little unexpected luck, the right words to express his pleasure come roiling out: “Well, then, dash it, I’m on velvet. Absolutely reclining on the good old plush!” (p. 36). And if you should happen to visit the same archly conservative Senior Liberal Club where Bingo and Bertie decide to meet one day, you may also conclude — if somewhat less colorfully — that it is indeed “the eel’s eyebrows” (p. 205).

I could easily strike up the band all day with P. G.’s metaphors and similes, but I’d prefer to leave that little surprise to you, a possible reader of The Inimitable Jeeves (just for starters). Instead, I’ll strike up that same band with the opening paragraph of Chapter 10 (“Startling Dressiness of a Lift Attendant”):

“The part which old George had written for the chump Cyril took up about two pages of typescript; bit it might have been Hamlet, the way that poor, misguided pinhead worked himself to the bone over it. I suppose, if I heard him read his lines once I did it a dozen times in the first couple of days. He seemed to think that my only feeling about the whole affair was one of enthusiastic admiration, and that he could rely on my support and sympathy. What with trying to imagine how Aunt Agatha was going to take this thing, and being woken up out of the dreamless in the small hours every other night to give my opinion of some new bit of business which Cyril had invented, I became more or less the good old shadow. And all the time Jeeves remained still pretty cold and distant about the purple socks. It’s this sort of thing that ages a chappie, don’t you know, and makes his youthful joie-de-vivre go a bit groggy in the knees” (p. 87).

If I had to venture a guess as to what it is (other than his choice of vocabulary – or ‘vocab,’ as P. G. would no doubt have it) that Wodehouse employs in the way of literary device to achieve his comedic effect, I’d have to say that it’s his peculiar combination, often in close proximity if not in precise juxtaposition, of hyperbole and typical British understatement. This combination is a source of constant titillation to whatever cluster of sympathetic ganglia rides herd from a reader’s eye, via the brain, clear down to that same reader’s funny-bone.

It takes a true master, however, to do this and not overdo it — and P. G. Wodehouse is just such a master.

And as Wodehouse would no doubt write if he were reading this claptrap that passes for a review: “‘Sorry to interrupt the feast of reason and flow of soul and so forth, but—’” (p. 88).

RRB
04/18/14
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.A.

[iamjonlarson · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Thoroughly enjoyed it. The plot barely matters, its P.G. Wodehouse's way with words. I would rate it higher but this is my first stroll with Wodehouse and I want to leave room for his even better stuff.

[jen6e6moore · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The adventures of Bingo Little, who just cannot help falling in love with pretty much every woman he meets. This one reads more like a series of connected short stories than a single novel, which probably contributes to me forgetting what it's about every time I put it down.

[mahallett · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

reader good. story very frothy.

[ncgraham_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is my second Wodehouse book, but my first foray into the world of Jeeves and Wooster, and I have to say ... I'm a bit disappointed.My first Wodehouse was Leave it to Psmith, and I'm trying to figure out why I loved that and not The Inimitable Jeeves. Perhaps it's because The Inimitable Jeeves is a short story collection. I like short stories, but after one story after another of Bingo Little falling in love, he and Bertie getting into a scrape, and Jeeves helping them out of it, it all got a little tired and redundant. Perhaps reading them separately rather than back to back would have helped: they originally appeared serially. But then I miss the wonderful, crazy, interwoven plot lines in Leave it to Psmith, so perhaps I should just stick to Wodehouse's novels. There are bits of Psmith I remember to this day: his hilarious advertisement, his bungled meeting with Freddie Threepwood, his proposal to Eve, Baxter and his flowerpots. The Inimitable Jeeves, while funny, had nothing on that level of comic brilliance, in my opinion.Of course, The Inimitable Jeeves was not only my introduction to Bertie and co., but the world's as well. Maybe they got better as they went along. I certainly hope so.

[ecw0647 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Wodehouse is truly a classic, and if you ever need a lift and want something funny to read, you cannot fail by choosing any Jeeves novel. Jeeves is Bertie’s butler. Bertie is the stereotypical British upper crust, living on inherited money, avoiding work at all costs, who thinks he’s brilliant, but really is dumber than a post, and who needs Jeeves to get him out of all sorts of bizarre scrapes. The common thread in this series of vignettes is Bertie’s friend Bingo, who manages to fall in love with every woman he meets, declaring each is perfect and the love of his life. My favorite is the time Bingo fell for the daughter of a revolutionary radical. In order to ingratiate himself with the girl and her family, Bingo bought a beard and disguised himself as a fellow comrade, denouncing his uncle, old Lord Bittlesham, in public. Of course, had Bingo actually married the girl, he would have been disinherited and forced to go to work, an unconscionable outcome. So in typical Jeeves fashion, the butler just mentions to a jealous suitor that Bingo is not what he appears to be. “I fear I may carelessly have disclosed Mr. Little’s (Bingo) identity to Mr. Butt (jealous suitor) . . .Indeed, now that I recall the incident, sir, I distinctly remember saying that Mr. Little’s work for the Cause really seemed to me to deserve something in the nature of public recognition.” The public unmasking that resulted led to the termination of the relationship between Bingo and the young lady. Bingo continues to make a fool of himself, requiring the assistance of Bertie (for money) and Jeeves (for intelligence). I find the series to be a savage indictment of the British upper crust who can’t seem to do anything without their butlers, far superior in ability, but who regardless think they are smarter than anyone, positive drones on society.

[charlottejones952 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is a collection of stories revolving around Bertie Wooster and the mishaps that happen in his life. I have previously watched and enjoyed the television series starring Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry and felt obliged to read at least one of the books that Jeeves and Wooster is based on.

The plot was interesting throughout as the chapters were each separate stories but continued on from each other so you could easily read this in one session. It is only 253 pages long so I managed to read this in a day and was drawn in by the various events that take place.

The characters were my favourite part of this book. Wooster, the protagonist, was a bit annoying to be honest, mostly because he seemed to just go along with everything that he was told, but Jeeves was definitely intriguing and held the reader's interest. I found him mysterious and funny in parts and felt that he interacted well with all of the side characters and added a lot to the development of the characters and plots.

This book was originally published in 1923 and this is evident by the type of language that is used throughout. I found it difficult to get used to but got into it eventually and couldn't put it down! The individual stories tied together really well but I feel they could also be read separately.

Overall I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars as I found the writing style difficult in parts and it was not as funny as I thought it would be, but this was an enjoyable read and I will definitely pick up some of the others in this series at some point.

[mamzel_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Jeeves is the perfect butler. He is always in the background fulfilling his master's needs and ensuring he maintains a proper wardrobe. Bertie Wooster is lucky to have such a man since he needs the help dealing with his aunt who is bent on getting him married and his friends who are always imposing on him to participate in betting pools and intervening between them and their families. Whenever Bertie finds himself in trouble, Jeeves always manages to head off disaster.I listened to this in audio form and the reader had the perfect posh British accent to voice the characters. A smashing time!

[nodosaurus · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Another collection of stories about Bertie Wooster and Reginald Jeeves. It is enjoyable to watch Jeeves master every situation that Bertie can get into, whether due to his own bumbling or the machinations of his relatives. In this case, Aunt Agatha who is trying to set Bertie up for matrimony. Of course this would destroy Bertie's character and may even require him to fire Jeeves. In story after story, Jeeves executes the most unexpected solution to a seemingly impossible problem. The book got off to a slow start, but did provide the expected surprises and humor to make for an enjoyable read. This book, unlike the other stories (that I've read) is a novel as opposed to a collection of short stories, but feels like short stories with recurrent and common themes. As with the others, this book is a light read and fairly quick, and worth the time.

[shabacus · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Some of the best Jeeves is also some of the earliest.Full disclosure--I am a huge fan of P.G. Wodehouse, and my default rating in four stars.Originally written as short stories, this collection has been reworked as a novel and holds up very well in that form. Although this book very much defines the relationship between Bertie and Jeeves, there are a few surprising elements (Jeeves was engaged? Insulting his master behind his back?) that don't quite gel with later writings. As much as Bertie and Jeeves were negotiating their relationship so was Wodehouse discovering the dynamic between his most famous characters.This book is also Bingo Little's story, and I'm only sorry that Wodehouse had so little to do for his heroes after they were married, because I would have liked to see Bingo more in the annals of Jeeves and Wooster. (He makes an occasional appearance in a short story here and there, but never reaches the same starring role again.)Several of the chapters in this collection are my favorite in all of Wodehouse, such as the Great Sermon Handicap and its immediate sequel, the Purity of the Turf. To me, these encapsulate the spirit of early Wodehouse, the boundless optimism and the penchant for mischief.Recommendation: A great place to start reading about Bertie and Jeeves, and highly recommended to anyone who wants a good laugh in a light, easy-to-swallow package.