The Inimitable Frederick Davidson

I've always thought Bertie Wooster, so often characterized as a "dim-witted aristocrat", is actually wiser than he seems--both to his Aunt Agatha and to many readers. While not a genius like Thomas Hardy or Jeeves, Bertie has a cagey sense of self-preservation and, what's more, lives up to Madeline Basset's assessment of him as "one of the only truly chivalrous men" she knows.

As a reader, Fredrick Davidson expresses that innate shrewdness in Bertie's character. Just listen to his intonation as Bertie sizes up Bingo Little's latest girlfriend, describes the unspeakable Honoria Glossop or counters the machinations of the vile Rupert Steggles. Then there is his good-heartedness: the lengths he goes to make every one of Bingo's romances come off, though knowing the effort is probably doomed.

All this is important because it transforms Bertie Wooster from the fool with a silver spoon in his mouth to a character--albeit comic--who you actually get to know, like and care about. If Bertie were only a class-warfare stereotype I doubt the allure of the Jeeves-Wooster axis would have lasted as long as it has. And it's this side of the otherwise goofy, slow-witted Bertie that Davidson understood and expressed to a nicety.

This book happens to be one of Davidson's and Wodehouse's best efforts. The stories can be read or listened to individually, but they all link together as chapters in an ongoing story. And that story is simply one of Wodehouse's most delightful and entertaining.

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10 persone l'hanno trovata utile

Brilliant!

Beautifully narrated and superb Wodehouse prose - just a delight. I can't wait to download more - and to re-listen to this one.

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5 persone l'hanno trovata utile

Hilarious High Jinx Among the British Idle Rich

The Inimitable Jeeves is the funniest audiobook I've listened to. Bertie Wooster is a consummately idle idle rich chappie, rather foolish and none too intelligent and prone to getting into absurd fixes regarding women, betting (what he calls sporting), or relatives. Bertie's laconic "genius" valet Jeeves relies on his network of connections among the upper crust's servants and cooks and butlers and his knowledge of human nature and of Bertie's foibles to fish Bertie "out of the soup" or even to solve Bertie's mooching friend Bingo Little's serial love troubles. If all that weren't enough, Jeeves prepares the perfect cup of tea and is a reliable (though severe) arbiter of fashion.

The chapters tell a linked set of amusing and suspenseful stories with colorful characters and perfect, comical payoffs. All are narrated by Bertie in the first person, so that the reader is treated to a plethora of colorful similes ("He lugged them out of the drawer as if he were a vegetarian fishing a caterpillar out of the salad") and slang. Influenced by Bertie, I now find myself "biffing" about saying things like "the rummy thing" and "eh, what?" and "ripping fine day" and "simply topping" and "what's the sitch" (situation)" and "cove" (guy) and and "right-o" and "he's got a goodish pile" (money) and "rather" and "What the deuce" and "Dash it all." At one point Bertie asks Jeeves, "Did you put that pie-faced infant up to bally-ragging Mr. Basington-Basington?" Another time he asks Jeeves if some "chappie is not a blighter or an excrescence." I could go on and on quoting the exquisite Bertie-isms!

And the reader, Frederick Davidson, is perfect, making Bertie sound so refined and buffoonish and sophisticated and ignorant, and Jeeves so terse and superior. Even if you didn't usually like Davidson's manner, you couldn't resist his Bertie!

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3 persone l'hanno trovata utile

Bertie Wooster read well.

Some people don't like Frederick Davidson (aka David Case) but I really think he was cut out for reading Bertie Wooster. I enjoyed every minute of this.

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3 persone l'hanno trovata utile

excellent listening

If you love Jeeves and Bertie Wooster you will absolutley love this recording. The characters come alive in humor and drama with Frederick Davidson giving them voice and as always Blackstone's recording is top notch. Well worth the 6 hours of listening.

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2 persone l'hanno trovata utile

HYSTERICALLY FUNNY

Hilarious adventures of a young toff and his mates in Edwardian England. His faithful manservant, Jeeves is the brains of the operation. I am saving this one to re-listen to during long stressful drives and boring lectures

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2 persone l'hanno trovata utile

Funny, Funny, Funny

Another great Jeeves book.

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2 persone l'hanno trovata utile

Humorous

These are nuttiest short stories. I should really try to find the film version of these books.

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1 persona l'ha trovata utile

Great Book

I have been reading PG Wodehouse for quite some time; he never, ever disappoints me.

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Trivial fun

Jeeves may be an acquired taste. Fun and light-hearted stories of an ordinary upper-class wastrel and his savvy and sassy butler, who saves his master from disaster by his wise interventions. A satire of the idle British upper class. Still fun, but not as amusing to me now as it was many years ago.

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