Something Fresh

Something Fresh by P.G. Wodehouse

My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is my first Wodehouse not including Wooster and Jeeves. Written very early in his career (1915), it is a Blandings Castle story. I didn't find the characters quite as compelling as Bertie or Jeeves, but that may just be due to my familiarity with those characters from early books and the small screen. Whereas the Jeeves stories are told from inside Bertie's head, "Something Fresh" ("Something New" originally in England) Wodehouse narrates himself more traditionally and lets us look inside each character's thoughts. This provides a real treat. His insight into human nature is profound. Certainly the plots are ridiculous - in this one a wealthy American attempting to re-appropriate a 4th Century Cheops scarab from his daughter's absent-minded soon-to-be father-in-law, but the reactions, thoughts, and impulses of the characters are intimately familiar to all. The consequences of those reactions and the chain of coincidences that ensue is where all of the fun occurs. Some of the characters have somewhat exaggerated natures, but those too are familiar. Bertie Wooster (and many of his pals) is pre-figured in the less-developed (and less lovable) Freddie Threepwood. Jeeves, however, is not pre-figured in the butler Beach. (Jeeves serves as valet, not butler, mind you.) It is probably fair to argue that the primary two female love interests are better developed than their counterparts that so frequently become engaged to Bertie. That is largely an artifact of the independent narration; we typically only get the view of the females from Bertie's simple point of view. All said, very enjoyable. Much funnier and much better for your brain than television. I look forward to more Blandings castle stories written after this one to see how he goes about developing the principals. And whom he keeps around. View all my reviews >>