It’s the centenary of the first Jeeves novel. Wodehouse created two of the most enduring comedic characters in literature, Jeeves and Bertie Wooster. The novel is a series of linked short stories. They are coherent only in the sense that they’re a brilliant set of sketches featuring Wooster, Jeeves and Bingo Little. Bingo is a man who ‘falls’ passionately in love a few times a year. He’s also penniless relying on his uncle for a substantial allowance and many of the chapters relate to him trying to protect that allowance.
The joy of the novel isn’t the storyline: It’s the development of character and the superb writing.
Wodehouse is a brilliant comedic author with a strong sense of the absurd. If you love wonderful writing and can dissuade your brain from being critical of the storyline you’ll love it. An added bonus is it can be had for free.1
Try this
“One is fighting a losing battle, I fear, sir, but I did venture to indicate to Mr. Little a course of action which might prove of advantage. I recommended him to busy himself with good works.”
“Good works?”
“About the village, sir. Reading to the bedridden—chatting with the sick—that sort of thing, sir. We can but trust that good results will ensue.”
“Yes, I suppose so,” I said doubtfully. “But, by gosh, if I was a sick man I’d hate to have a looney like young Bingo coming and gibbering at my bedside.”
“There is that aspect of the matter, sir,” said Jeeves.
This is the biopic of Dave Fishwick, a self-made millionaire, from Burnley, Lancashire. He lives and works there and is grounded in the community. As a wealthy man he was often asked for loans. No paperwork just a handshake. None went bad and profits were paid to local charities.
Dave’s story becomes interesting when he discovered that requests to banks for loans were turned down because, ‘The computer says no’. He realised he was lending significant amounts and wondered if he should become an actual banker. Naturally he didn’t fit the criteria for a ‘banker’ but was outraged that banking regulations were created to protect the cartel which had bankrupted Britain in 2008. Banks were anti-competitive and held all the cards.
The film takes off. Goodies against Baddies. Love. A triumph. What more could you ask? It’s truly lovely and is the antidote to Marvel comic book films. So, if you like CGI, guns blazing, cars rolling over, buildings blowing up and ludicrous storylines, this isn’t for you. Otherwise, it’s a great night in and incredibly heartwarming.
Honoria, you see, is one of those robust, dynamic girls with the muscles of a welterweight and a laugh like a squadron of cavalry charging over a tin bridge. A beastly thing to have to face over the breakfast table. Brainy, moreover.
P. G. Wodehouse. Carry On, Jeeves (Kindle Locations 1931-1933). Kindle Edition.
“To have charitable support given by people voluntarily to support their fellow citizens I think is rather uplifting and shows what a good, compassionate country we are.
“You had that great day when he [Cameron] wore four shirts or whatever it was, and was pretending to negotiate very hard and came out at the end with exactly what Donald Tusk [European Council President] said he would have three or four months earlier.”
Getting rid of Johnson “would be bad for the country and it would be bad for the world,” the Tory MP [Rees-Mogg] continued, “because then we would not have the global leadership that we need.”
Such is the controversy currently engulfing Eton-educated politicians, that former Eton headteacher Tony Little has chimed in saying ex-pupils, Boris Johnson, David Cameron and Jacob Rees-Mogg are giving the respected school a “bad name.”
1 Johnson’s climb down “This was never about me or you, this was never about politics, this was a cry out for help from vulnerable parents all over the country and I simply provided a platform for their voices to be heard.” Marcus Rashford
Odeboyz's Blog 
Stupid question: Great answer