Wodehouse for today! Suggestions, please.

issybird · 10-12-2018, 10:15 AM

From the What are we reading? thread:

Quote:

Originally Posted by stuartjmz

I am also on the prowl for modern writers with a Wodehousian feel. Light, silly fun that focuses on just playing with language for the intrinsic pleasure of such silliness. Someithng, iow, that leaves one feeling distinctly gruntled

I'm totally on board with this and I've put on my thinking cap. What suggestions can others make?

My only tiny quibble is that I think Wodehouse is totally modern in feel and language, but it's undeniable that his settings have gotten a little dated.

BenG · 10-12-2018, 05:05 PM

Sebatian Faulks has written a Jeeves and Wooster book, Jeeves and the Wedding Bells. I'm waiting to finish the Wodehouse Jeeves stories before I pick it up.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/...-wedding-bells

Deskisamess · 10-12-2018, 05:18 PM

I don't know if he could be compared to Wodehouse, but James Lileks is a hoot. His web site is a lot of fun as well. He is a true wordsmith.

BenG · 10-12-2018, 05:23 PM

I haven't read Stephen Fry yet but the descriptions of some of his books sound like a racier Wodehouse.

BenG · 10-12-2018, 05:33 PM

Kyril Bonfiglioli's books about amoral art dealer Charlie Mortdecai (and his manservant Jock Strapp) might fit the bill, though the humor is darker than Wodehouse'.
Don't Point that Thing at Me (Charlie Mortdecai #1)

stuartjmz · 10-12-2018, 07:26 PM

Great suggestions to check out, thank you all. Stephen Fry played Jeeves of course - I still picture he and Hugh Laurie in my head when reading the Wooster stories

issybird · 10-13-2018, 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deskisamess

I don't know if he could be compared to Wodehouse, but James Lileks is a hoot. His web site is a lot of fun as well. He is a true wordsmith.

Lileks is hilarious. Nothing quite compares to his original book, The Gallery of Regrettable Food (which started as his website), which has quite literal laugh out loud moments. Perhaps not Wodehouse, but as commentary on the zeitgeist, he's as good as anyone.

BenG · 10-17-2018, 10:02 AM

It's really difficult to find someone who does everything Wodehouse does so well. Some authors do some aspects well but part of the formula is missing.

My suggestions are really on the order of "If you like Wodehouse, you may like...."

D.E. Stephenson wrote some nice comedies in the 1930s like Miss Buncle's Book and it's sequels.

You may also like Their Finest Hour and a Half by Lissa Evans. It's a behind the scenes look at a production company in WWII London making a propaganda film about "romance and rescue" on the beaches of Dunkirk.

issybird · 10-22-2018, 11:25 AM

How about The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett? Absurd, acerbic and hilarious, it has some of the same lightness and invention that I think characterizes Wodehouse.

BenG · 10-23-2018, 12:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by issybird

How about The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett? Absurd, acerbic and hilarious, it has some of the same lightness and invention that I think characterizes Wodehouse.

I had thought of that but forgot to mention it. Great book.

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10-12-2018, 05:05 PM	#2
BenG Home Guard Posts: 4,729 Karma: 86721650 Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Alpha Ralpha Boulevard Device: Kindle Oasis 3G, iPhone 6	Sebatian Faulks has written a Jeeves and Wooster book, Jeeves and the Wedding Bells. I'm waiting to finish the Wodehouse Jeeves stories before I pick it up. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/...-wedding-bells

10-12-2018, 05:18 PM	#3
Deskisamess Wizard Posts: 2,607 Karma: 42697471 Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Ohio Device: iPhone 7+, iPad mini, 2021 iPad Pro 12.9",Paperwhite 6.8"	I don't know if he could be compared to Wodehouse, but James Lileks is a hoot. His web site is a lot of fun as well. He is a true wordsmith.

10-12-2018, 05:23 PM	#4
BenG Home Guard Posts: 4,729 Karma: 86721650 Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Alpha Ralpha Boulevard Device: Kindle Oasis 3G, iPhone 6	I haven't read Stephen Fry yet but the descriptions of some of his books sound like a racier Wodehouse.

10-12-2018, 05:33 PM	#5
BenG Home Guard Posts: 4,729 Karma: 86721650 Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Alpha Ralpha Boulevard Device: Kindle Oasis 3G, iPhone 6	Kyril Bonfiglioli's books about amoral art dealer Charlie Mortdecai (and his manservant Jock Strapp) might fit the bill, though the humor is darker than Wodehouse'. Don't Point that Thing at Me (Charlie Mortdecai #1)

10-12-2018, 07:26 PM	#6
stuartjmz Nameless Being	Great suggestions to check out, thank you all. Stephen Fry played Jeeves of course - I still picture he and Hugh Laurie in my head when reading the Wooster stories

10-17-2018, 10:02 AM	#8
BenG Home Guard Posts: 4,729 Karma: 86721650 Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Alpha Ralpha Boulevard Device: Kindle Oasis 3G, iPhone 6	It's really difficult to find someone who does everything Wodehouse does so well. Some authors do some aspects well but part of the formula is missing. My suggestions are really on the order of "If you like Wodehouse, you may like...." D.E. Stephenson wrote some nice comedies in the 1930s like Miss Buncle's Book and it's sequels. You may also like Their Finest Hour and a Half by Lissa Evans. It's a behind the scenes look at a production company in WWII London making a propaganda film about "romance and rescue" on the beaches of Dunkirk.

10-22-2018, 11:25 AM	#9
issybird o saeclum infacetum Posts: 20,191 Karma: 222235366 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: New England Device: H2O, Aura One, PW5	How about *The Uncommon Reader* by Alan Bennett? Absurd, acerbic and hilarious, it has some of the same lightness and invention that I think characterizes Wodehouse.