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Uncle Fred #1
Uncle Fred in the Springtime
Frederick Altamont Cornwallis Twistleton, Fifth Earl of Ickenham, better known as Uncle Fred, is back “to spread sweetness and light” wherever he goes. At the request of Lord Emsworth, Uncle Fred journeys to Blandings Castle to steal the Empress of Blandings before the ill-tempered, egg-throwing Duke of Dunstable can lay claim to her. Disguised as the eminent nerve specialist Sir Roderick Glossop, and with his distressed nephew Pongo in tow, Uncle Fred must not only steal a pig but also reunite a young couple and diagnose various members of the upper class with imaginary mental illnesses, all before his domineering wife realizes he’s escaped their country estate.
8 pages, Audiobook
First published January 1, 1939
164 people are currently reading
2,630 people want to read
About the author
P.G. Wodehouse
1,557books6,787followersSir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, KBE, was a comic writer who enjoyed enormous popular success during a career of more than seventy years and continues to be widely read over 40 years after his death. Despite the political and social upheavals that occurred during his life, much of which was spent in France and the United States, Wodehouse's main canvas remained that of prewar English upper-class society, reflecting his birth, education, and youthful writing career.
An acknowledged master of English prose, Wodehouse has been admired both by contemporaries such as Hilaire Belloc, Evelyn Waugh and Rudyard Kipling and by more recent writers such as Douglas Adams, Salman Rushdie and Terry Pratchett. Sean O'Casey famously called him "English literature's performing flea", a description that Wodehouse used as the title of a collection of his letters to a friend, Bill Townend.
Best known today for the Jeeves and Blandings Castle novels and short stories, Wodehouse was also a talented playwright and lyricist who was part author and writer of fifteen plays and of 250 lyrics for some thirty musical comedies. He worked with Cole Porter on the musical Anything Goes (1934) and frequently collaborated with Jerome Kern and Guy Bolton. He wrote the lyrics for the hit song Bill in Kern's Show Boat (1927), wrote the lyrics for the Gershwin/Romberg musical Rosalie (1928), and collaborated with Rudolf Friml on a musical version of The Three Musketeers (1928).
An acknowledged master of English prose, Wodehouse has been admired both by contemporaries such as Hilaire Belloc, Evelyn Waugh and Rudyard Kipling and by more recent writers such as Douglas Adams, Salman Rushdie and Terry Pratchett. Sean O'Casey famously called him "English literature's performing flea", a description that Wodehouse used as the title of a collection of his letters to a friend, Bill Townend.
Best known today for the Jeeves and Blandings Castle novels and short stories, Wodehouse was also a talented playwright and lyricist who was part author and writer of fifteen plays and of 250 lyrics for some thirty musical comedies. He worked with Cole Porter on the musical Anything Goes (1934) and frequently collaborated with Jerome Kern and Guy Bolton. He wrote the lyrics for the hit song Bill in Kern's Show Boat (1927), wrote the lyrics for the Gershwin/Romberg musical Rosalie (1928), and collaborated with Rudolf Friml on a musical version of The Three Musketeers (1928).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 521 reviews
August 27, 2023
There's no way to walk away from this book without leaving a bit of your heart with the charming Uncle Fred, Earl of Ickenham.
I know I did.
The gist is that good-hearted but somewhat stupid, Pongo Twistleton finds himself along for a fairly insane ride after he asks his favorite uncle to help him scrape enough money together to pay off his gambling debts.
Lord Emsworth & his beloved pig, Empress, are hiding out from the egg-throwing Duke of Dunstable who wants to take her from Emsworth for his own good. All while Uncle Fred cheerfully impersonates Sir Roderick Glossop at Blandings castle.
As with all things Wodehouse, there are all kinds of mix-ups that lead to romance helped by a bit of identity theft.
Shenanigans. Lots and lots of shenanigans.
If you're a Wodehouse fan I don't have to sell you on this one.
If you haven't given his books a go yet, then this is an excellent place to start.
Recommended.
I know I did.
The gist is that good-hearted but somewhat stupid, Pongo Twistleton finds himself along for a fairly insane ride after he asks his favorite uncle to help him scrape enough money together to pay off his gambling debts.
Lord Emsworth & his beloved pig, Empress, are hiding out from the egg-throwing Duke of Dunstable who wants to take her from Emsworth for his own good. All while Uncle Fred cheerfully impersonates Sir Roderick Glossop at Blandings castle.
As with all things Wodehouse, there are all kinds of mix-ups that lead to romance helped by a bit of identity theft.
Shenanigans. Lots and lots of shenanigans.
If you're a Wodehouse fan I don't have to sell you on this one.
If you haven't given his books a go yet, then this is an excellent place to start.
Recommended.
October 20, 2024
Oh my goodness, what in the dickens is going on now? Impostors, you say? At Blandings Castle, you say? Well, you don't say!
Lord Ickenham, aka Uncle Fred is at it again. The OCC (original cool cucumber) has cooked up another improbable scheme to make all well again in a world in which he loves her, she loves him, Father A doesn't approve, Father B doesn't approve, Young Gadabout A needs a bit of the ready cash, and so does Young Gadabout B. Who better to tie these things all together than Uncle Fred?
Wodehouse juggles plots with dizzying skill. I did a rough count and Uncle Fred in the Springtime contains approximately a bucketload of characters. Every character's got an agenda and they all compete with and against one another simultaneously. Sometimes the plot lines are silly, sometimes skillful, and sometimes they leave you wondering, "What? Who? Where?" in the most delightful way. It's like a murder mystery in which no one gets murdered...not too seriously at any rate.
Lord Ickenham, aka Uncle Fred is at it again. The OCC (original cool cucumber) has cooked up another improbable scheme to make all well again in a world in which he loves her, she loves him, Father A doesn't approve, Father B doesn't approve, Young Gadabout A needs a bit of the ready cash, and so does Young Gadabout B. Who better to tie these things all together than Uncle Fred?
Wodehouse juggles plots with dizzying skill. I did a rough count and Uncle Fred in the Springtime contains approximately a bucketload of characters. Every character's got an agenda and they all compete with and against one another simultaneously. Sometimes the plot lines are silly, sometimes skillful, and sometimes they leave you wondering, "What? Who? Where?" in the most delightful way. It's like a murder mystery in which no one gets murdered...not too seriously at any rate.
June 10, 2014
Time was I read a lot of PG Wodehouse, in the pre-web days where series that were oversupplied in used bookstore had a special place in my heart. I eventually had to stop because while I loved them I couldn't remember if I'd read Carry On, Jeeves but not Right Ho, Jeeves. And since all the plots involved Bertie starting himself accidentally engaged while trying to help out a friend and ended with him giving up on his desire to wear a green tie or white pants over the objections of Jeeves, I simply ran out of options. (A friend implied you could remember which book it was based on which piece of clothing Bertie sacrificed at the end. If there's not already an app for that, there should be.)
After twenty-five years later it seemed OK to start reading again, since the plots are interchangeable anyway and I certainly don't remember the jokes anymore. This book is from the Blandings series so a different cast of characters. Uncle Fred is an interesting sort--he's a sixty year old Earl with the recklessness, overconfidence and generosity of Wooster with something approaching the intelligence and savoir-faire of Jeeves. The rest are 20-somethings who got a little confusing, since it's too easy to think of Fred as everyone's uncle the romantic triangles get a little weird.
I'll make one slightly serious point: In my twenties the 'old ball and chain' stereotype of all women over 50 must have passed by unnoticed, but it got old this time around. One of those annoying period jokes that just didn't age well, especially when the nominally good-hearted hero indulges in quips that come off a bit mean-spirited today. The book could have used an Aunt Dahlia.
Stats for the PG Wodehouse app I mentioned:
Plot Keyword: Pignapping,
Number of brain specialists: 2
Number of non-impostor brain specialists: 1
Primary card game: Persian monarchs
Best phobia: Fear of lambs
Lost clothing: None. This is a Blanding book, not a Jeeves book. Do pay attention.
Worth Reading: Yes
After twenty-five years later it seemed OK to start reading again, since the plots are interchangeable anyway and I certainly don't remember the jokes anymore. This book is from the Blandings series so a different cast of characters. Uncle Fred is an interesting sort--he's a sixty year old Earl with the recklessness, overconfidence and generosity of Wooster with something approaching the intelligence and savoir-faire of Jeeves. The rest are 20-somethings who got a little confusing, since it's too easy to think of Fred as everyone's uncle the romantic triangles get a little weird.
I'll make one slightly serious point: In my twenties the 'old ball and chain' stereotype of all women over 50 must have passed by unnoticed, but it got old this time around. One of those annoying period jokes that just didn't age well, especially when the nominally good-hearted hero indulges in quips that come off a bit mean-spirited today. The book could have used an Aunt Dahlia.
Stats for the PG Wodehouse app I mentioned:
Plot Keyword: Pignapping,
Number of brain specialists: 2
Number of non-impostor brain specialists: 1
Primary card game: Persian monarchs
Best phobia: Fear of lambs
Lost clothing: None. This is a Blanding book, not a Jeeves book. Do pay attention.
Worth Reading: Yes
January 20, 2024
"It is always my aim to try and spread sweetness and light."
This is Wodehouse at his absolute best! My favorite book of his to date!
Lord "Call me Uncle Fred" Ickenham, a loveable gentleman in his sixties who feels like he is still in his twenties, comes to life the second his wife leaves for France, giving him strict orders to stay at home and out of trouble. (She may haven threatened to skin him with a blunt knife...) But what's a meddling uncle to do when his favorite nephew manages to cause his fiancé to break off the engagement, said nephew's best friend manages to anger his fiancé (who so happens to be Uncle Fred's favorite niece), and people left and right are begging him to set various things to rights? What follows is a hilarious romp which includes a pig-napping, Uncle Fred impersonating the respectable looney doctor, ehm, nerve specialist, Roderick Glossop, mix-ups galore, and, of course, happy endings for everyone.
To use the blurb Stephen Fry wrote for the Wodehouse novels:
"You don't analyze such sunlit perfection, you just bask in its warmth and splendor."
I need to get my hands on more Uncle Fred stories!!!
This is Wodehouse at his absolute best! My favorite book of his to date!
Lord "Call me Uncle Fred" Ickenham, a loveable gentleman in his sixties who feels like he is still in his twenties, comes to life the second his wife leaves for France, giving him strict orders to stay at home and out of trouble. (She may haven threatened to skin him with a blunt knife...) But what's a meddling uncle to do when his favorite nephew manages to cause his fiancé to break off the engagement, said nephew's best friend manages to anger his fiancé (who so happens to be Uncle Fred's favorite niece), and people left and right are begging him to set various things to rights? What follows is a hilarious romp which includes a pig-napping, Uncle Fred impersonating the respectable looney doctor, ehm, nerve specialist, Roderick Glossop, mix-ups galore, and, of course, happy endings for everyone.
To use the blurb Stephen Fry wrote for the Wodehouse novels:
"You don't analyze such sunlit perfection, you just bask in its warmth and splendor."
I need to get my hands on more Uncle Fred stories!!!
March 30, 2025
There's no way to walk away from this book without leaving a bit of your heart with the charming Uncle Fred, Earl of Ickenham.
I know I did.
The gist is that good-hearted but somewhat stupid, Pongo Twistleton finds himself along for a fairly insane ride after he asks his favorite uncle to help him scrape enough money together to pay off his gambling debts.
Lord Emsworth & his beloved pig, Empress, are hiding out from the egg-throwing Duke of Dunstable who wants to take her from Emsworth for his own good. All while Uncle Fred cheerfully impersonates Sir Roderick Glossop at Blandings castle.
As with all things Wodehouse, there are all kinds of mix-ups that lead to romance helped by a bit of identity theft.
Shenanigans. Lots and lots of shenanigans.
If you're a Wodehouse fan I don't have to sell you on this one.
If you haven't given his books a go yet, then this is an excellent place to start.
I know I did.
The gist is that good-hearted but somewhat stupid, Pongo Twistleton finds himself along for a fairly insane ride after he asks his favorite uncle to help him scrape enough money together to pay off his gambling debts.
Lord Emsworth & his beloved pig, Empress, are hiding out from the egg-throwing Duke of Dunstable who wants to take her from Emsworth for his own good. All while Uncle Fred cheerfully impersonates Sir Roderick Glossop at Blandings castle.
As with all things Wodehouse, there are all kinds of mix-ups that lead to romance helped by a bit of identity theft.
Shenanigans. Lots and lots of shenanigans.
If you're a Wodehouse fan I don't have to sell you on this one.
If you haven't given his books a go yet, then this is an excellent place to start.
November 11, 2024
Uncle Fred is a worthy pal of Galahad Threepwood's. Similis simili gaudet.
And I can never never listen to Loch Lomond with the same ears again.
This has been a delightful Wodehouse adventure, very well narrated by Jonathan Cecil..
And I can never never listen to Loch Lomond with the same ears again.
This has been a delightful Wodehouse adventure, very well narrated by Jonathan Cecil..
August 25, 2020
I love this one; it has some of my favourite characters, particularly Lord Ickenham (potty), who is a hoot. Also on hand we have lord Emsworth; (completely potty,) Connie; (absolutely potty), The Duke of Dunstable; (potty, of course), and Baxter; (a blister).
Lord Ickenham drags a gaggle of imposters down to Blandings Castle where they are all imposting away like the dickens, and creating havoc.
Such fun!
Lord Ickenham drags a gaggle of imposters down to Blandings Castle where they are all imposting away like the dickens, and creating havoc.
Such fun!
May 12, 2023
Uncle Fred in the springtime gets itchy for adventure, especially in the name of bringing two loving hearts together. He is not above impersonation, conning, burglary, and lying through his teeth, all in the name of a good cause, of course, and in the stead of the rather clueless youngsters. All of these shenanigans take place at Blandings Castle, where Lord Elmsworth is still madly fond of his prize winning pig, the Empress, who in the good old traditions of , gets stolen again. A notable sum must be obtained to open a soup stall, there are gambling debts, night time egg throwing, a morose uncle, and the usual madcap Wodehouse situational comedy.
I felt that this one lacked the laugh out loud moments and was a bit overcomplicated, but uncle Fred was a thoroughly enjoyable character. He is smart and can fix situations in the vein of Jeeves, but he has a charm and easy social grace that a butler is not allowed to have. Fun venture into non-Jeeves Wodehouse.
I felt that this one lacked the laugh out loud moments and was a bit overcomplicated, but uncle Fred was a thoroughly enjoyable character. He is smart and can fix situations in the vein of Jeeves, but he has a charm and easy social grace that a butler is not allowed to have. Fun venture into non-Jeeves Wodehouse.
May 31, 2015
Once again Wodehouse brings roses back to the cheeks. And once again I am amazed by his ability with words, aided by his astounding vocabulary and apparent erudition. From beautifully worded original descriptions in polysyllables, to both popular and obscure Latinisms, to numerous vernaculars and slang, he seems perfectly at home with them all and can fashion them into something light, bright and sparkling. His command of the English language is gorgeously beautiful, and as Keats puts it, "A thing of beauty is a joy forever."
In short, this one is a standard wodehousean fare, which is to say it's funny, sunny, clever, gentle, and optimistic. Like his eponymous hero Uncle Fred, PGW always spreads sweetness and light. Pure win.
In short, this one is a standard wodehousean fare, which is to say it's funny, sunny, clever, gentle, and optimistic. Like his eponymous hero Uncle Fred, PGW always spreads sweetness and light. Pure win.
April 30, 2024
But there were some things which could break down his poise, and one of these was the discovery that he was closeted in a small bathroom with the largest pig he had ever encountered.
It's always a delight to visit Blandings but this book isn't quite as polished or hilarious as its predecessors. For one thing the usual characters are either missing (Gally, Freddie Threepwood) or little more than names on pages (Beach). The Efficient Baxter feels particularly under-used given his earnest potential for comedy and even Lord Em feels marginal. There's a welcome showing from Sir Roderick Glossop, a crossover from the Jeeves and Wooster books, and various new characters are introduced, including Lord Bosham, Freddie's elder brother and just as gloriously light-headed.
This is my first encounter with Lord Ickenham, otherwise known as Uncle Fred: suave, quick-witted, confident, he feels like a kind of meta avatar for the author as he pulls all the strings to get the various plots rolling. I think I prefer the potty PGW characters who are slow on the uptake and cause utter chaos or the ones with tempestuous tempers like the Duke of Dunstable throwing eggs at anyone whistling or singing a certain Scottish tune.
PGW is so good at ticking off the Blandings tropes without them feeling tired: there are always imposters, someone - or two - is planning a pignapping, and pairs of lovers need to be reconciled. Here, though, Polly is a bit of a blank though Ricky Gilpin has character in spades, and the split between Valerie and Horace is left dangling.
So not my favourite Blandings despite a masterful farce towards the end involving two characters getting doped and the Empress frothing at the mouth after eating a bar of soap in a puzzling food-free guest bedroom. But maybe that's because PGW has raised the bar so high with the previous books.
March 26, 2017
Written in 1939 and maybe because of the encroaching war,this story lacked the sparkle and joie-de-vivre of other Wodehouse books. I found it hard to get into and it failed to hold my attention for long. Having said that, any Wodehouse book is always a good and enjoyable read but this is not one of the better ones.
November 12, 2019
Another brilliant, hilarious Wodehouse. I find it is best to read a couple of these at a time and then take a break.
September 8, 2017
Lord Ickenham (Uncle Fred) is down at Blandings Castle doing a "bit of good" - well, we know no good can come of that, don't we? Except belly-laughter, that is!
I love it when two worlds of Wodehouse collide. It's like mixing two types of liquor together and taking a swig - guaranteed to knock you out! (But then, Jeeves will always be there with his inimitable pickups on the morning after, won't he?)
I love it when two worlds of Wodehouse collide. It's like mixing two types of liquor together and taking a swig - guaranteed to knock you out! (But then, Jeeves will always be there with his inimitable pickups on the morning after, won't he?)
January 13, 2023
I repeat the review of another P.G. Wodehouse novel. Because it's the same.
Yes, we have the similar set of characters in this book (Uncle Fred is exactly like Galahad Threepwood), and the usual story of multiple engagements, break-ups, miscommunications, benevolent uncles, gambling nephews, impostors, haughty aunts, pig-napping, etc. And I love all of it.
Author Lynne Truss once said "Wodehouse always lifts your spirits,no matter how high they happen to be already.”" I completely agree with her.
Here is Wodehouse's epic reply when someone criticized him for repeating the characters and the stories.
“A certain critic -- for such men, I regret to say, do exist -- made the nasty remark about my last novel that it contained 'all the old Wodehouse characters under different names.' He has probably by now been eaten by bears, like the children who made mock of the prophet Elisha: but if he still survives he will not be able to make a similar charge. With my superior intelligence, I have out-generalled the man this time by putting in all the old Wodehouse characters under the same names. Pretty silly it will make him feel, I rather fancy.”
Yes, we have the similar set of characters in this book (Uncle Fred is exactly like Galahad Threepwood), and the usual story of multiple engagements, break-ups, miscommunications, benevolent uncles, gambling nephews, impostors, haughty aunts, pig-napping, etc. And I love all of it.
Author Lynne Truss once said "Wodehouse always lifts your spirits,no matter how high they happen to be already.”" I completely agree with her.
Here is Wodehouse's epic reply when someone criticized him for repeating the characters and the stories.
“A certain critic -- for such men, I regret to say, do exist -- made the nasty remark about my last novel that it contained 'all the old Wodehouse characters under different names.' He has probably by now been eaten by bears, like the children who made mock of the prophet Elisha: but if he still survives he will not be able to make a similar charge. With my superior intelligence, I have out-generalled the man this time by putting in all the old Wodehouse characters under the same names. Pretty silly it will make him feel, I rather fancy.”
February 8, 2022
I really thought poor Pongo was going to have a nervous breakdown. I know I would have! No matter how many times Uncle Fred's lies are exposed, his schemes fail, he just smoothly steps forward and comes up with something even more precarious to cover it up, while Pongo sweats in the background. There were far too many star-crossed lovers in this one, plus I never could figure out if the duke really wanted the pig, or if he just thought everyone should give him anything he looked at. . . ? Really, he's the most horrible character I've encountered in any of these books, and it was rather jarring. Sure, it's funny that he keeps throwing eggs and at people, because someone is constantly singing or whistling "Loch Lomond" outside his window, but when people start listing other things he's done, he really should be Sir Roderick Glossop's care! Or something! Poor Lord Emsworth! He only wants to be left alone, and to take care of his pig!
February 20, 2022
This is brilliant. I laughed the whole way through.
April 26, 2017
This book was so funny in parts that I found myself rewinding it and listening to certain scenes over and over. Absolute classic PG Wodehouse.
February 22, 2024
Una verdadera delicia. Probablemente, la mejor novela cómica que he leído nunca. Mis respetos, señor Wodehouse.
April 26, 2023
Even for a Wodehouse plot, this was exquisitely wacky. I actually had to listen to a couple chapters again to make sure I was remembering who loved whom and who was impersonating whom and for what reason. Uncle Fred is a delightful character; he is full of pluck and absolutely nothing rattles him. I love that he has a Jeeves-like imperturbability with a Wooster-like debonair politeness. He's a delightful creation! My favorite part of this (besides Uncle Fred) was probably a scene with the Empress of Blandings. It was described so hilariously.
August 6, 2016
Impostors, schemes, pig rustling, and more impostors - The indominitible Uncle Fred conducts a veritable three- ring circus at Blandings. Guest appearance by Sir Roderick Glossop, nerve doctor to the upper crust. Delightful.
January 15, 2023
I don't know if you happen to know what the word "excesses" means, but those are what Pongo's Uncle Fred, when in London, invariably commits.
December 1, 2024
Първи роман от автора, който безапелационно ми допада и не усещам безвъзвратно отживял. Четенето беше истинско забавление. :)
March 23, 2020
В Бландингс през пролетта всички откачат:
Вижте сега, това място си е откачено. Тук за песните замерят с яйца, тук залагат на дрехи, а в очакванията влиза и обектът на залозите да се появи издокаран като зулуски воин. Тук любовта пламва и гасне за миг, разпалвана или потушавана според правилни или не дотам добре подбрани думи – но в крайна сметка всички знаем, че за когото трябва, тя ще запламти окончателно в крайна сметка. Тук богаташите са обект на обожание – и на постоянни врънкания за пари, разбира се. Всеки подозира всекиго в лудост, а без колебание се викат и прочути психиатри, за да удостоверят със сигурност тези прояви – а това дава и възможност други да се превъплътят в такива роли, за да проникнат в Бландингс, това средоточие на всичко друго, но не и на здрав разум.
Storytel
Вижте сега, това място си е откачено. Тук за песните замерят с яйца, тук залагат на дрехи, а в очакванията влиза и обектът на залозите да се появи издокаран като зулуски воин. Тук любовта пламва и гасне за миг, разпалвана или потушавана според правилни или не дотам добре подбрани думи – но в крайна сметка всички знаем, че за когото трябва, тя ще запламти окончателно в крайна сметка. Тук богаташите са обект на обожание – и на постоянни врънкания за пари, разбира се. Всеки подозира всекиго в лудост, а без колебание се викат и прочути психиатри, за да удостоверят със сигурност тези прояви – а това дава и възможност други да се превъплътят в такива роли, за да проникнат в Бландингс, това средоточие на всичко друго, но не и на здрав разум.
Storytel
January 27, 2021
My namesake gets into trouble, and Ickenham, with his sweetness and light, extricates him, while also reuniting some lovelorn swains with their mates. Wodehouse is Wodehouse at his almost best- Emsworth is slightly more aware (he mostly remembers that shenanigans are taking place. The Blandings lakes must have been swimming in fish that season), the Duke's corrupt soul tarnishes a bit more, and then we see the origin story of the Onion Soup bar. I do believe that the only thing keeping it from a 5 star is Emsworth muttering "Capital! Capital!" a few hundred times. And a lot more Empress.
But a solid 4.5.
But a solid 4.5.
July 20, 2016
Delightful romp involving the Duke of Dunstable trying to take Emsworth's pride and joy, the Empress of Blandings, and put her on a reducing diet. In an attempt to avoid this, Emsworth enlists his brother Galahad's old pal, Pongo Twistleton's Uncle Fred.
Jonathan Cecil narrated this audiobook and was once again a treat to listen to.
Jonathan Cecil narrated this audiobook and was once again a treat to listen to.
September 29, 2017
After laughing my way through this hilarious novel, I'm convinced that this is one of P.G. Wodehouse's funniest books. Of course, I feel that way after reading just about any of his books. But I really do think Uncle Fred in the Springtime is one of his very best. If you enjoy literate prose, eccentric characters, and lots of laughs, don't miss this one!
March 18, 2018
Oh my goodness....... I’ve never read Wodehouse before and I can say that I strongly regret it. WODEHOUSE IS A GENIUS!!!! and an absolute laugh!!! His plots are brilliant and his humour is witty and - to be quite honest - there is absolutely zero he can be faulted on. Please do yourself a favour and lighten your life by reading this book 😂
December 4, 2018
For the first time, I struggled to retain interest in a Wodehouse novel—nevertheless, I powered through, and at about the 70-page mark, things began to improve. In the end, I can honestly say that, while it didn't stick its head out of Plum's oeuvre, I enjoyed Uncle Fred in the Springtime.
January 3, 2020
A lovely way to start the year with the hilarious Blanding Castle characters. Connie’s friend the Duke of Dunstable threatens to take the empress pig from her infatuated owner Lord Emsworth. There is also the issue of Ricky the poet trying to get £250 to buy an onion soup bar so he can marry the lovely Polly. There is also the fact that Pongo needs £250 to pay off some gambling debts. Thankfully Lord Ikenham assists his nephew to get the readies through being an imposter and confidence man.
This is one of the funniest P G Wodehouse books I have read. A pig in a bathroom, trigger happy son Lord Bosham and overhearing conversations and proceeding to get the wrong end of the stick. Hilarity ensues.
This is one of the funniest P G Wodehouse books I have read. A pig in a bathroom, trigger happy son Lord Bosham and overhearing conversations and proceeding to get the wrong end of the stick. Hilarity ensues.
May 29, 2017
I've read other books by Wodehouse. For me, this one is the least enjoyable, so far. It has something to do with a pig to be stolen to race at a derby. Or something. This book isn't terrible, it's just all over the place. I hardly doubt even the author bothered to plot this one out before taking pen to paper. Granted, one doesn't read Wodehouse strictly for plot. But a little bit of storyline would have been nice.
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