The Luck of the Bodkins

By: P. G. Wodehouse

Narrated by: Jonathan Cecil

Things on board the RMS Atlantic are terribly, terribly complicated.... Monty Bodkin loves Gertrude, who thinks he likes Lotus Blossom, a starlet who definitely adores Ambrose, who thinks that she has a thing for his brother, Reggie, who is struck by Mabel Spence, sister-in-law of Ikey Llewellyn (movie mogul, Ambrose’s prospective employer and reluctant smuggler), but hasn’t the means to marry her. With well-meaning but unhelpful ship’s steward Albert Peasemarch and a toy mouse with a screw-top head thrown in for good measure, it will, indeed, take the luck of the Bodkins to sort it all out.

©2012 The Trustees of the Wodehouse Estate (P)2012 AudioGO

Heavy wordplay, disjointed plot

c1935. PGW recycles so much of his dialogue and plotting that there’s almost nothing unique here. The characters are indistinct and their motivations are inconsistent. It’s like Wodehouse is writing a screenplay and simply pulls in his most used conversational bits from prior novels.
Yet, it’s still Wodehouse and still often hilarious even if you heard it before. And there are some gems in the narration and scene-setting that you shouldn’t miss.
He wrote a sequel published 37 years later which is better and possibly was intended as a replacement or redemption(?)

One of the best non-Jeeves books by PGW

This is a great funny farce set on a transatlantic liner. Great wordsmithery as always by the master. Wonderfully read by J Cecil. Highly recommended.

Little Known classic

It isn’t Jeeves or Lord Emsworth but a very strong example of Wodehouse’s gift for musical comedy-style storytelling. Entertaining from moment to moment. Enjoy!

Great story, fabulous narrator!

Mr. Jonathan Cecil’s narration of this interesting and humorous tale is excellent (as his narrations always are) and is a delightful frosting for this well baked Wodehouse cake.

whiplash

I think this was meant to be a movie treatment - it is so sporadic. The on again, off again, misunderstandings, machinations and twists of this book may drive you crazy. Honestly I had to skip ahead a few chapters when I got tired of the misunderstandings. It reads more like a script than a book.

All of the characters, or at least all the couples have different motives, leading their actions to complicate the objectives of everybody else. So everybody blocks everybody else's plans. Everything they do makes things worse. Until, accidentally, it all comes right, because of course.

So if you enjoy slapstick, it is well written. Wodehouse is always an excellent writer. But you may have to dole it out in small doses.

As an aside, if Disney lawyers get ahold of this book, it may be disappeared quickly.

THe Ups and Downs of Romance - Wodehouse Style!

I really enjoy P.G.Wodehouse! He makes me laugh!! I did laugh a few times at the ridiculousness of the happenings in this story. It occurs primarily on a ship. Poor Bodkins, a rich guy, who is not the brightest bulb in the pack, but who is deeply in love with his fiance. He is trying hard to prove his worth to her Dad so they can be wed. Everybody unintentionally interferes in their relationship. Sometimes I wanted to just yell at him, to just tell her what is going on instead of listening to the ridiculous advice that his friends gave him to help him work things out, but alas, that wouldn't be Wodehouse. Thank goodness for that.

I did enjoy the story. Not sure I will make time for a relisten, but I know that some of the children will enjoy this book. This is not his best story, but certainly worth the time it takes to get through it, especially if you are a Wodehouse fan.

Jonathan Cecil does his usual excellent job of narrating.

Albert Peasmarch ...another name that sticks in yo

Another perfect story to entertain while doing chores or taking a long drive.
Fav. line".. she will think I am. closet Mormon elder!"
We here cannot believe that these stories were written 80 yrs ago. Time changes soo little, people change so little.. that's why we can laugh today at his wordcraft.

Don't Miss This!

A laugh-out-loud novel, start to finish, from a master of high-society English! Even better than Wodehouse's Jeeves comedies.

Wodehouse silliness at its finest

If you like PG, you’ll love it. You’ll learn some new words, and a lot about life and love on a voyage, when everything can go wrong but in the end all is peachy.

Charming, witty, and completely engaging, as usual

I've really come to love exploring these Wodehouse novels as read by Jonathan Cecil. The performance seems to best capture the humor and attitude of Wodehouse and overall they are a joy to listen to. I had never read this one before, so the entire experience was new, but it was full of the same comedy of errors and interesting and-yet-exasperating cast of characters. If you like Wodehouse, you'll like this one, and if you have never listened to one, give a listen to one of these novels read by Jonathan Cecil. They're worth it.