Another Love Scheme Gone Wrong at Totliegh Towers
Author: P.G. Wodehouse
Coming back from Chattanooga through a ten hour drive, it was time to load up on double shot expressos and some good reading. Having picked up Stiff Upper Lip Jeeves at the library before our mini-vacation road trip/visiting spree, I was excited to introduce the boyfriend to the wonderfully wacky world of P.G. Wodehouse. I’d recently finished Code of the Woosters and when I saw the mention of Totleigh Towers on the back cover blurb, I knew I had found my next guilty pleasure. As a matter of fact Stiff Upper Lip Jeeves functions as a continuation, or a part two, of the Madeline and Gussie engagement woes, with Bertie called to his least favorite place to help mend a rift between two aching hearts before he’s forced to step into the breach as rebound fiancé. Stiffy Bing and her reckless pastor fiancé, Reverend “Stinker” Pinker, are back with the dog Bartholomew and Bertie’s unfortunate reputation as a thief (plus the haunting memory of his last stay) have Pop Basset and Sir Roderick Spode in fits of terror. Only Jeeves has a hope of sorting it all out!
While Stiff Upper Lip Jeeves is an amusing read, coming on the wake of my personal favorite, Code of the Woosters, the story rides the coat tails of greatness without quite achieving that original verve and uniqueness. Gussie, Madeline, Stiffy, and crew are still amusing and lamentably insane, yet the pranks just cannot live up to our first round at Totleigh towers and, specifically, Gussie’s missing insult diary. Not to say that the story isn’t inspired Wooster all-the-way through; I mean, it is the real stuff complete with some accidental thieving, the skulking Alpine Joe, more jail time, and love lorn suitors striking romance in favor of some rather good cooking. As an introduction to Jeeves, however, it probably wasn’t the best choice, especially since some knowledge of the first tale and the Madeline/Gussie/Bertie triangle helps to flesh out the stakes and keep the laughs coming.
Short and snappy, there is less action and more stage setting in this go around, making the first several CDs a slow start, especially when a certain someone (read, me) is just dying to make another convert to the Wodehouse world. When the action does get going, however, there is plenty of energy and absurdist situations. The snappy language and the interactions between our braindead aristocrats and the ever wise Jeeves are fresh and resplendent, and Jeeves is up for a good scheme once again (that may or may not involve Bertie ditching his latest hat). Most importantly, the dog Bartholomew is back and ready to sink his teeth into some tweed clad legs. It’s British humor at its best, oscillating between sarcasm and slapstick. I’ve missed Bertie’s world!
While Stiff Upper Lip Jeeves isn’t my favorite of Bertie’s adventures to the dreaded towers, it is another grade A edition to the series and its rambunctious nature is sure to keep readers entertained and wanting more. Recommended.
*A Note on Audio Book Edition: I listened to the version read by Jonathon Cecil and highly recommend this narrator. His tones capture the stiff, upper-class twit aura, the enigma of Jeeves’ intellect, and the preposterous notions and swaying emotions of the drama. It’s a downright addicting reading and made for a pleasant roadtrip.
- Frances Carden
