Always worth a re-read. ( )

"A depressing musty scent pervaded the place, as if a cheese had recently died there in painful circumstances."

It's passages like this that made this book a fun palette cleanser. Nowadays this book feels like typical sitcom fare but at the same time it reminded me why I gravitate toward the literature of the 1920s. The silliness of mistaken identities (which today feels far-fetched), the reliance on letters and telegrams to communicate, the need to travel to visit with friends, and the generally slower pace of life. All of that combined made reading this book feel like sitting up late at night to watch the late movie. ( )

I rated this beautifully written book a mere 3 because I lost interest in it and finished it out of some misplaced desire to turn the last page. It was funny at first and I laughed out loud but whether I simply became accustomed to the humour, or it petered out, I can't say. Nevertheless, Wodehouse's sentences are always a pleasure to read and he has a way of enfolding me in his world, where women seek to shape men and matters of consequence are treated with a feather-like lightness of touch.

Lord Emsworth jerked his glasses off his nose.
'Corfby Hall! Are you the son of the Smith who used to own Corfby Hall? Why bless my soul, I knew you father well.'
'Really?
'Yes, that is to say, I never met him.'
'No?'
'But I won first prize for roses at the Shrewsbury Flower Show the year he won the prize for tulips.'

( )

April 2018 reread done via the marvelous narration of Jonathan Cecil (Hoopla audiobook):
This book was so much more hilarious now that I am familiar with Psmith! I thought it was great as a Blandings book but now as a Psmith book, I love it even more (particularly the way Psmith interacts with Baxter). The only thing missing is The Empress... As a result, I am increasing my rating from the previous 4* (especially for the audiobook narration by Cecil). ( )

Unbelievably charming and fun. I’m surprised that Wodehouse never returned to Psmith for a sequel. ( )