Wodehouse, P.G. "Ring for Jeeves" (US Title: The Return of Jeeves) - 1953
After reading "Right Ho, Jeeves", I was eager to read the next Jeeves and Wooster novel and when I came across this book, I had to get it right away. Little did I know that P.G. Wodehouse had also written books that are just about Jeeves. Jeeves without Wooster? That's almost a sacrilege! It's like Adam without Eve, Romeo without Juliet, Stan without Laurel etc. etc.
So, Jeeves has a different "gentleman" while Bertie Wooster is away teaching something, he has absolutely no idea about - how to fend for oneself. Bill Belfry, Ninth Earl of Rowcester, however, is in no way inferior to Bertie, he gets from one calamity into the next and there's only one person to save him: Jeeves.
If you have read anything about Jeeves, you can imagine that he does this with the utmost respect and lots of humour. Even though I missed Wooster, it was a good story.
From the back cover:
"Captain Biggar, big-game hunter and all round tough guy, should make short work of the two bookies who have absconded with his winnings after a freak double made him a fortune. But on this occasion Honest Patch Perkins and his clerk are not as they seem. In fact they're not bookies at all, but the impoverished Bill Belfry, Ninth Earl of Rowcester and his temporary butler, Jeeves.
Bertie Wooster has gone away to a special school teaching the aristocracy to fend for itself 'in case the social revolution sets in with even greater severity'. But Jeeves will prove just as resourceful without his young master, and brilliant brainwork may yet square the impossible circle for all concerned."
I have not read any of the Jeeves books. Glad you enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteI did. Quite a few friends have recommended them and then one of them finally convinced me to give it a go. We then found all the Jeeves and Wooster episodes with Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie on Youtube - I prefer to buy the DVDs but if they are not available, we do resort to the internet, LOL.
DeleteThey are hilarious.