'New' Jeeves and Wooster book coming

Bilbo1967 · 03-12-2013, 11:43 AM

Not sure if anybody has posted this already, but as a keen Wodehouse fan I was interested to read this weekend that a Wodehouse family sanctioned Jeeves and Wooster book is being written by Sebastian Faulks.

Not sure what I expect from it, other than I shall read it with interest and, if it's half as good as the originals, I'll enjoy it immensely.

Full story from the Guardian, here.

Mike L · 03-12-2013, 11:57 AM

I'm prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt, but I wouldn't hold out too much hope for this project. If he just writes a novel featuring Jeeves and Wooster, it might just be worth reading, but I doubt he'll be able to capture Wodehouse's turn of phrase.

As Robert McCrum said, it's "a bit like asking a devout Christian to come up with a fifth gospel". We'll see.

Mike

Bilbo1967 · 03-12-2013, 12:13 PM

Yes, it is a difficult one. Any attempt to duplicate the Wodehouse style is probably doomed to failure. A novel featuring the characters with a Wodehouse flavour is probably the best we can hope for.

Prestidigitweeze · 03-12-2013, 12:29 PM

It isn't just a question of style. It's also a matter of capturing the turns of thought and the perversity of the humor and ideas, all of which never read exactly as you remember them (unless you've committed several pages to memory).

The only hope would be if the author chose not to imitate Wodehouse. But then he'd be garroted by fans for inflicting the Trauma of the Unfamiliar.

poohbear_nc · 03-12-2013, 12:44 PM

Hmmmm ... he's already penned a "new" James Bond novel (Devil May Care) that had widely mixed reviews. Now onto humor?

Barty · 03-12-2013, 09:25 PM

Why not keep reading the old ones?

They are essentially all the same. I'm fact, I am never sure when reading one if I have or have not read it already. It's part of their charms.

WT Sharpe · 03-12-2013, 09:50 PM

I've read a Sherlock Holmes novel by Ellery Queen that I rather liked, and a Hitchhiker's Guide novel by Eoin Colfer that I thought fell a bit short. I'll take a wait and see on this effort to channel Wodehouse.

Mike L · 03-13-2013, 05:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barty

They are essentially all the same. I'm fact, I am never sure when reading one if I have or have not read it already. It's part of their charms.

That is so very true. What's more, you can start reading one you've never read before, and by the end of the first chapter, you know who is going to fall in love with whom, who is going to get his comeuppance, and who is going to steal the cow creamer.

What makes Wodehouse unique is not the plots or even the characters, but the language. If he was alive today, he could write a Kindle user guide and make it funny.

Mike

pendragginp · 03-15-2013, 12:11 AM

I won't expect too much from this. After all, when you read a book you touch the writer's mind. No one can successfully imitate that. Remember how anemic the 'new' Lucia book was?

Or more recently, P.D. James' attempt to bring back Jane Austen's world and characters.

I've not seen this kind of thing reproduced by another mind convincingly.

Quote:

What makes Wodehouse unique is not the plots or even the characters, but the language. If he was alive today, he could write a Kindle user guide and make it funny.

Yes.

jbjb · 03-15-2013, 06:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pendragginp

I won't expect too much from this. After all, when you read a book you touch the writer's mind. No one can successfully imitate that. Remember how anemic the 'new' Lucia book was?

Or more recently, P.D. James' attempt to bring back Jane Austen's world and characters.

I've not seen this kind of thing reproduced by another mind convincingly.

I've rarely seen it work well, but I very much liked Anthony Horowitz's Sherlock Holmes novel "The House of Silk". He really got the feel right, IMHO.

/JB

basschick · 03-17-2013, 06:39 PM

i'll try it, but i hated the new peter wimseys, which didn't capture any of the feel of the originals, while trying to mimic the speech patterns and doing a poor job. i disliked poodle springs, which felt just like another robert b. parker, and while i like spenser, i wasn't thrilled that marlowe sounded just like him. and i despised the gone with the wind sequel ***SPOILER ALERT*** scarlet learning magic? really???

JaneD · 03-17-2013, 08:10 PM

When I heard this news, I just thought, "The guy who wrote angsty wartime melodrama Birdsong?" My mind just boggled.

But it was the Wodehouse estate that reached out to him, so they must have seen something in his writing that made them think he could do justice to the world of Wooster. Having read one of his books, I'm not sure what that was, but I'll be interested to see what he does with it.

03-12-2013, 11:43 AM	#1
Bilbo1967 Not scared! Posts: 13,424 Karma: 81011643 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Midlands, UK Device: Kindle Paperwhite 10, Huawei M5 10	'New' Jeeves and Wooster book coming Not sure if anybody has posted this already, but as a keen Wodehouse fan I was interested to read this weekend that a Wodehouse family sanctioned Jeeves and Wooster book is being written by Sebastian Faulks. Not sure what I expect from it, other than I shall read it with interest and, if it's half as good as the originals, I'll enjoy it immensely. Full story from the Guardian, here.

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03-12-2013, 11:57 AM	#2
Mike L Wizard Posts: 1,479 Karma: 3846231 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Edinburgh, Scotland Device: Kindle 3, Samsung Galaxy	I'm prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt, but I wouldn't hold out too much hope for this project. If he just writes a novel featuring Jeeves and Wooster, it might just be worth reading, but I doubt he'll be able to capture Wodehouse's turn of phrase. As Robert McCrum said, it's "a bit like asking a devout Christian to come up with a fifth gospel". We'll see. Mike

03-12-2013, 12:13 PM	#3
Bilbo1967 Not scared! Posts: 13,424 Karma: 81011643 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Midlands, UK Device: Kindle Paperwhite 10, Huawei M5 10	Yes, it is a difficult one. Any attempt to duplicate the Wodehouse style is probably doomed to failure. A novel featuring the characters with a Wodehouse flavour is probably the best we can hope for.

03-12-2013, 12:29 PM	#4
Prestidigitweeze Fledgling Demagogue Posts: 2,384 Karma: 31132263 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: White Plains Device: Clara HD; Oasis 2; Aura HD; iPad Air; PRS-350; Galaxy S7.	It isn't just a question of style. It's also a matter of capturing the turns of thought and the perversity of the humor and ideas, all of which never read exactly as you remember them (unless you've committed several pages to memory). The only hope would be if the author chose not to imitate Wodehouse. But then he'd be garroted by fans for inflicting the Trauma of the Unfamiliar.

03-12-2013, 12:44 PM	#5
poohbear_nc Now what? Posts: 58,791 Karma: 135181808 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Durham, NC Device: Every Kindle Ever Made & To Be Made!	Hmmmm ... he's already penned a "new" James Bond novel (Devil May Care) that had widely mixed reviews. Now onto humor?

03-12-2013, 09:25 PM	#6
Barty doofus Posts: 2,516 Karma: 13036221 Join Date: Sep 2010 Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kindle Voyage	Why not keep reading the old ones? They are essentially all the same. I'm fact, I am never sure when reading one if I have or have not read it already. It's part of their charms.

03-12-2013, 09:50 PM	#7
WT Sharpe Bah, humbug! Posts: 39,073 Karma: 157049943 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Chesapeake, VA, USA Device: Kindle Oasis, iPad Pro, & a Samsung Galaxy S9.	I've read a Sherlock Holmes novel by Ellery Queen that I rather liked, and a Hitchhiker's Guide novel by Eoin Colfer that I thought fell a bit short. I'll take a wait and see on this effort to channel Wodehouse.

03-17-2013, 06:39 PM	#11
basschick Wizard Posts: 1,096 Karma: 4695691 Join Date: May 2008 Device: Kindle Paperwhite	i'll try it, but i hated the new peter wimseys, which didn't capture any of the feel of the originals, while trying to mimic the speech patterns and doing a poor job. i disliked poodle springs, which felt just like another robert b. parker, and while i like spenser, i wasn't thrilled that marlowe sounded just like him. and i despised the gone with the wind sequel *SPOILER ALERT* scarlet learning magic? really???

03-17-2013, 08:10 PM	#12
JaneD Addict Posts: 322 Karma: 1057749 Join Date: May 2010 Location: LA, CA Device: Kindle Paperwhite 2013	When I heard this news, I just thought, "The guy who wrote angsty wartime melodrama Birdsong?" My mind just boggled. But it was the Wodehouse estate that reached out to him, so they must have seen something in his writing that made them think he could do justice to the world of Wooster. Having read one of his books, I'm not sure what that was, but I'll be interested to see what he does with it.