Stiff Upper Lips, Jeeves - P.G. Wodehouse

Bertie Wooster is at it again, getting mixed up in affairs which he would do well to stay away from. But then with his taste for twisted situations in life, it can’t be helped that he lands up at Totleigh Towers, the infernal landmark that housed Bertie’s arch enemy Spode or Lord Sidcup, his prime hater, Sir Watkyn Basset, his mistaken love, Madeline Basset, and if that were not enough, he is not exactly in the good books of the butler Butterfield either. Plus there is a rugby player seeking explorer, Plank, who is in for Bertie’s head for stealing an eye-sore statuette from the ownership of the Bassets.

Yes, burglary is a skill for which Wooster is known in the circles at Totleigh towers. He has a history of stealing artifacts, and except for Madeline, is hated by one and all. But Wooster had to answer the call of duty. It’s for his old pal Gussie’s sake that he is prepared to brave it all. Gussie and Madeline, engaged to be married, have hit an iceberg in their relationship. And it is to save this Titanic from sinking that Bertie has taken on the mission. He has his selfish motives too, considering that Madeline has vowed to become Mrs. Wooster if things were to terminate with Gussie, and the our Bertie, the commitment-phobe that he is, wants to avoid that outcome at all costs.

So at Totleigh towers he runs into other people, Stiffy, an old friend, and her affianced, who is a Vicar trying to become a Curate, and a function for rowdy school boys, and a cook, who pours a lot of unwarranted care and love in Gussie’s direction, distracting him from patching things up with Madeline.

Bertie’s mission, should he choose to accept it, is to not get married to Madeline. And it’s up to him to survive the other adventures that cross his path in achieving this mission.

This book, while funny, doesn’t have too many intertwined plots. It has its share of mix-ups, which are more or less, disparate. And so the confusion, which is an essential part of a Wodehouse book is not present in as liberal doses in this one. Nonetheless, the writing is as funny as ever. And you will surely laugh out of pity for Bertie as he keeps getting pummeled page after page