Bertie, ( Mr.Bertram Wooster), the victim, is enjoying quiet days in his London flat, a man about town, but not for long though, trouble appears above the horizon, always does, he can smell it. Informed by his butler Jeeves, the magnificent, that Zenobia, the delightful, a charming, sweet girl, just twenty,( Nobby Hopwood ), his uncle Percy's ward, had paid a visit, in the morning, while he snoozed. His long time widowed Aunt Agatha's, the fearsome, new husband, is Lord Worplesdon, the terrible, an intimidating shipping magnate. She needs help, ( I mean Nobby)), a romance is not going smoothly with her fiance, Boko Fittleworth, the nitwit, a very successful young English playwright, but a fathead, who is despised by Uncle Percy, she needs her guardian's permission to marry. Uncle Percy wants some advise from Jeeves, a delicate business meeting, in secret, has to be arraigned, only Jeeves can accomplish this. After finding out that Aunt Agatha is only passing through, to take care of a sick boy, with mumps, a relative, Bertie begins to feel better, that too, will evaporate soon. He will not go to Steeple Bumpleigh, where his aunt lives, the ex -fiancee Florence, Lord Worplesdon daughter, and her little brother Edwin, the demon, a boy scout, that terrorizes the whole neighborhood, simply thinking about the place gives Mr.Wooster the shakes.The clever Jeeves loves fishing in the Steeple Bumpleigh's river, and will not give up the idea, poor Bertie hasn't a chance. Bertram is a nice fellow, and to soften his butler's disappointment, asks him if he wants a small gift, yes, a book, the works of the philosopher Spinoza. Arriving at the book store, he encounters Florence Craye, the pushy, an awkward situation, still more , he had picked up an unknown novel, (written by Florence!), waiting to see if they the store, had Spinoza,(of course not), Miss Craye, his former fiancee, is flattered , and signs the book. Looks at him in a different way, could he be smarter than he seems , loves the Dutch philosopher, says Mr. Wooster, not very truthfully. Why ? Bertie likes to make people happy. Leaving as fast as good manners allows, he next sees another of his old school friends, P. D'Arcy "Stilton" Cheesewright, the huge, ( a noble name), nervously entering a jewelry shop. Later discovering that he is the new fiance of Florence, there have been many others. Force by circumstances, the very reluctant, Bertie, trembling, travels to the picturesque village in the calm countryside, Aunt Agatha is not home, but the deluge commences immediately, Stilton is the local , jealous, policeman, the last person on Earth he wants here, is Bertie ... Another very amusing book from the lives of Bertie and Jeeves, two men who will always be friends, one gets into complications, the other gets him out of them...
This was my first Wodehouse (apparently pronounced “Woodhouse”). Since the guy published over ninety books during his lifetime, I just randomly picked one off of my library’s shelves. I must say that I picked pretty well. Joy in the Morning is part of the Wooster and Jeeves saga. Jeeves, Wooster’s butler, has apparently become the standard for stereotypical butlers. It was nice to meet the original.Bertie Wooster is manipulated into visiting Steeple Bumpleigh to help out his Uncle Percy, who once chased him around for a mile brandishing a riding crop. Mishaps and setbacks follow upon disasters and misunderstandings. Jeeves is ever clever and ever relied on for solutions to the plethora of problems. While Jeeves is the brains of the outfit, Wooster is definitely the actions. Wooster, the innocent dupe, is called upon to perform unpleasant task after unpleasant task in the service of his relatives and friends. Comedy, of course, ensues and, in the end, all ends well.I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this reading experience. It was don’t-drink-milk-whilst-reading-this hilarious. I read it in a restaurant at lunch and laughed out loud. (Great for my public image.) All of the names in the book were hilarious and perfect: Steeple Bumpliegh, Boko Fiddleworth, Percy Lord Worplesdon. One of the best characters was Edwin, a ten-year-old boy scout who had a “kink in his psychology which made him such a menace to society.” The writing is clearly informed by great artists. Wooster is always incompletely or incorrectly citing great literature and poetry. Jeeves then fills in the correct quote. This added high brow touch as well as opening up opportunities for comedy what with Wooster constantly belittling Shakespeare. There are also a satisfying number of “Tally hos!” The only disappointing thing about this book (which I feel I must point out however slight) was the minimal character development. However, this is easily overlooked. The wit constantly boils over. I’m happy that this was only one of ninety or so of P.G.’s books. I’ll be picking up another one or ten.
What do You think about Joy In The Morning (2011)?
In these rough and tumble days don't you sometimes just want to sit down and have a healthy helping of P.G. Woodhouse? That was me this weekend and I turned to Jeeves in the Morning for my fix. Loved it, loved it, loved it. I often realize that I'm about as obtuse as Bertie Wooster and I know that I need a Jeeves. Then, I also realize, that I have many people around me who, each in a small way, smooth my path as efficiently as Jeeves does for Bertie and those around him. Thanks to all of you who act as a Jeeves to me. You know who you are and so do I. I would say that you are the wing beneath my wings, but then I would launch into song, and nobody needs that to disturb the night air. It doesn't matter how many times I turn to P.G. Woodhouse, he never fails to entertain. Seek him out in times of troubles, oops, there is that urge to break into song again.
—Judy
If you’ve never read PG Wodehouse, please do yourself a favor and go out and get one of his books. This one in particular would be an excellent place to start. It involves some of my favorite characters in the Jeeves and Wooster universe — Boko Fittleworth, Nobby Hopwood, Edwin the Boy Scout, Stilton Cheesewright . . . not to mention Jeeves and Wooster themselves. Wodehouse is a master of humor, plot, and character (seriously, those names! Brilliant! And I didn’t even mention J Chichister Clam!), and I’ve yet to come across anyone who writes the way he does. And the dialogue — I can honestly say that every sentence is a delight. Wodehouse weaves together a hilarious, ridiculous plot that dips and turns and has each of the characters in different scrapes, out of which they must escape — almost always with Jeeves’ expert help. Accidental engagements! Business deals in the potting shed! A pinched policeman’s uniform! A fancy costume ball! Wodehouse is a master at writing these little farcical gems, and Jeeves in the Morning is easily in my top three of his works that I’ve read.Read my complete review here: http://c2rcc.wordpress.com/2010/02/07...
—Cori
This is another of Wodehouses' wonderous tales that can be read with ease. When you are feeling down Jeeves and Wooster are the perfect pick me up. I preferred 'Code of the Woosters'. All of the books can be summarised like so, Bertie Wooster is a man of great means but few grey cells. He is well meaning and a good sport but gets himself into all sorts of social entanglements that his shrewd man servant Jeeves ends up rescuing him from.The title is from Psalms, "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning". A title which suits Wodehouses' formulaic aim of all's well that ends well.Bertie is pushed into holidaying in the village of Steeple Bumpleigh to facilitate a clandestine meeting between his Uncle Percy and a business partner Chichester Clam. Of course it being a Wodehouse there has to be several layers of intrigue so whilst there he gets mixed up in the repeated attempts of his friend to win over Uncle Percy so he can ask for his wards hand. He also has to deal with a former fiancee and her relationship with 'Stilton' Cheesewright. There is a notable fire and a fancy dress party.It's astonishing that it was written at a time of the Nazi occupation of his house in Le Touquet in France. He was imprisoned for a short period but held some controversial opinions about the Nazi regime. “I doubt,” says Bertie, speaking of the writer Boko Fittleworth, “if you can ever trust an author not to make an ass of himself.”
—J.
