The Return of Jeeves: A Jeeves and Bertie Novel

by P.G. Wodehouse

Book Overview

P. G. Wodehouse's collection Ring for Jeeves is "the very definition of British humor"(Entertainment Weekly) as the daft idler Bertie Wooster stumbles into one misadventure after another only to be... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060965029
• ISBN13: 9780060965020
• Release Date: January 1990
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

I dabbled in it to a certain extent, m'lord.

"Ring for Jeeves" was first published in 1953 in the UK, though was first published in the US under the name "The Return of Jeeves". However, unusually for a Jeeves book, Bertie Wooster is absent. (The Second World War has been and gone, and the effects haven't been good for the aristocracy. The peasants are revolting, and many of the upper classes have actually had to start working for a living. Bertie's back at school, being taught how to fend for himself - just in case the proletariat become even more troublesome. Luckily, it's just a precaution, as his finances remain quite sound. In the meantime. Jeeves is on temporary assignment as the butler of Rowcester Abbey). However, it's a while before either Jeeves or his new employer - Bill Belfry, the ninth Earl of Rowcester - make an appearance. Instead, the book opens at the Goose and Gherkin, where Rosalinda "Rosie" Spottsworth is taking a break from her journey to the Abbey. Having out-lasted two exceptionally rich husbands, she's now exceptionally rich herself...and Bill's sister, Monica, has nearly convinced her to buy the stately home. (The pair had met in New York, though Bill hasn't quite been informed yet. However, he isn't remotely upset with the news - given that he is a member of the "new" aristocracy, he is very strapped for cash). Quite by chance, Rosie is soon joined by an old friend - Captain Biggar, the legendary big-game hunter. (Mr Spottsworth had been on a hunting expedition with the Captain when Rosie went from being Mrs Spottsworth to the Widow Spottsworth). Although more used to chasing down lions and rhinos, the Captain is again on the hunt - having backed an unlikely double at Epsom, he was due to collect about £3000 from his bookie. Unfortunately, the bookie in question - Honest Patch Perkins - and his clerk ran off without paying up. All the same, Biggar he knows he's on the right track - although his car has broken down, he's tailed them this far...and it's only a matter of time before he picks up the scent again. Unfortunately, Honest Patch Perkins is really a thinly-disguised (and totally broke) Bill...while his clerk was none other than Jeeves. Naturally, there are also major problems for the characters' romances. Biggar and the Widow Spottsworth have their sights set on one another, but the Great Hunter is being badly hampered by his code of honour. (He won't feel worthy of the Rosie until he has a fortune of his own...which makes him even more determined to get his hands on his winnings). In a typically Wodehousian twist, things are further complicated by Rosie's previous form with Bill - the pair had, briefly, taken moonlit strolls along the seafront in Cannes. (She was between husbands at the time). Poor Bill has to lay it on thick with Rosie, in an attempt to smooth the sale of the Abbey...which causes his fiancée, Jill, no end of anguish and sparks waves of jealousy and contempt from Biggar. Jeeves' difficulties are compounded by Monica's husband, Rory C

A strong entry in the Wodehouse canon

Thirty years or so ago, I wandered into a pharmacy in Peabody, Massachusets during a lunch break from a new job. I picked up Full Moon by Wodehouse for a dollar and began reading. That was one of those small turning points in life which can change and enrich all that comes afterwards. According to the Wodehouse website, "Plum" has written 99 books. That is about 2 to read per year for your adult life. They can come to resemble each other so closely that after 50 or so, you begin to suspect that you have already read the one you are about to finish sometime 5 or 10 years earlier. But it doesn't matter. What is important is the immersion into the world of Wodehouse characterized by quiet contentment, eccentric but likeable people, harmless foils and genuinely absurd twists of plot. Above all is the Wodehouse use of language. No one writes or ever will write humorous dialogue better. I don't ordinarily read books of humor because, due to a likely but undetectable character defect, I do not find them funny. (The reviewer on the back cover describes knee-slapping hilarity. I work to muster a smile.) But I find the best of Wodehouse universally funny and the worst of Wodehouse forgiveable and still worth the time. Ring for Jeeves is missing Wooster but it is fun to see Jeeves as the straight man to someone else. The humor is often provided by the red faced Captain Biggar who can't quite make the transition from equatorial African safari to English country house. In this post Victorian world of England in decline but seemingly untouched by continental wars, the ninth Earl of Rowcester is trying to sell his crumbling castle to a rich American. The path to inevitable happiness is less than smooth. If you have finished most of the Jeeves and Blandings books but have yet to wade into earlier Wodehouse efforts, pick up this book. Written in 1953 (his 74th effort) near the height of his powers, Ring for Jeeves is unlikely to disappoint.

Was This Written As A Stage Play?

I concur with mrliteral (below) that this isn't top-tier Jeeves, due to his estrangement from Bertie in this tale. It's full of the typical Wodehousery and wordplay, and you're sure to enjoy, but it's not quite up to the heights of the very best. Another question: was this written as a theatre piece? With the exception of an opening at a pub, the entire narrative takes place at Bill's mansion, and frequently in one room. I imagine this may have been written for the stage and then retrofitted as a novel. No matter-- still much fun. As always, Wodehouse satisfies.

Jeeves & (No) Wooster

Sometimes when you read a novel, you want a searing look at the human condition or a sprawling epic crossing generations. At other times, you want complete fluff, light entertainment that makes you feel good while offering little real substance. In this field of whimsical words, few can outshine P.G. Wodehouse, and rarely is Wodehouse better than when he writes of Bertie Wooster, the dim but well-meaning member of the idle rich, and his omniscient valet Jeeves. Ring for Jeeves is the only Jeeves and Wooster story without Bertie (who is off getting an education in independence and is only referred to occasionally). Instead, Jeeves is temporarily attending to William Belfry, a poor member of the nobility who has landed himself in the soup. In an effort to raise funds to properly marry his fiancée Jill, he has adopted a second identity as a bookie; this works great until an erstwhile great white hunter Biggar wins a long shot; Bill welshes on the bet (intending to pay when he has the funds) and flees to his estate, Biggar in hot pursuit. There is hope, however, with a beautiful, wealthy widow who wants to buy the estate and give Bill more than enough money. But with this hope comes complications. She is secretly in love with Biggar, who is in turn secretly in love with her; as he is also impoverished, he feels it wrong to marry her when it would be assumed he was after her money. She is also Bill's ex-lover, causing a potential rift with Jill. There are also complications regarding a diamond pendant and an upcoming horse race. In the middle of all this is Jeeves, the calm port in the storm of troubles, who offers various solutions, some of which are more effective than others. This is in many ways an atypical novel, hampered by Bertie's absence. Told in the third person instead of with Bertie's usually delightful narration, something is lost. In addition, Jeeves is at his best when he is at his most all-knowing; here, he seems less brilliant than usual, although still clever enough. These problems are sufficient to reduce this to a four-star effort. This is still a good book, but not a good introduction to Wodehouse or the Jeeves & Wooster stories; I recommend reading others in the series first (such as Right Ho, Jeeves; Carry On, Jeeves or Thank You, Jeeves).

Jeeves without Bertie?

It seems impossible, but here is Jeeves serving the young lord and master, and .... it's not Bertie Wooster! Instead it's Lord Rowcester -- Jeeves has been lent out while Bertie is off to school learning to be more self reliant.The plot is typical Wodehouse, fast and convoluted, but it's the wonderful reading by Nigel Lambert that prompts me to write this review. I consider myself a most excellent reader, but now I know I'm not worthy to fill the great man's water glass. He is superb! I didn't realize anyone could 'voice' characters that way, even the female ones! Nigel makes the book come alive, and I suspect, though I'm loathe to admit it, that it's better having Nigel read a book to you than to read it for yourself.