Uncle Fred in the Springtime

By: P. G. Wodehouse

Narrated by: Jonathan Cecil

Uncle Fred, or to give him his full title of Frederick Altamont Cornwallis Twistleton, fifth Earl of Ickenham, is considered by some as a splendid gentleman - a sportsman to his fingertips. Mr. Twistleton, nephew to the Earl, and otherwise known as Pongo to his friends, has a differing view. He simply describes his uncle as being loopy to the tonsils. But when the eccentric and well-loved Uncle Fred plays Cupid to Lord Emsworth, his old friend at Blandings Castle, little did he know that he would be known as Impostor A and the Lord’s beloved pig, the Empress, as Impostor B....

©2012 The Trustees of the Wodehouse Estate. All rights reserved. (P)2012 AudioGO

Great moments of dotty and dry humor.

The novel is read —“performed” would be a better word—as first rate theater by Jonathan Cecil.

Great fun

Jonathan Cecil's narration is spot on and adds greatly to the enjoyment of the Audible version of this book. Wodehouse's characterization of upper class England is entertaining and the situations he places them in are riotous and hilarious.

The perfect narrator

Jonathan Cecil is the perfect reader for the work of P.G. Wodehouse and this book is a great demonstration

Tres Fantastic!

Absurd! Better than Shakespeare Comedy of Errors! I cant imagine why this trilogy wasn’t made imto film again. I couldn’t stop laughing.

Funny!

I do enjoy hearing the British speak. And Mr. Cecil has a very enjoyable voice.

Frequently laughed out loud

More magic of language and imagination from this master. There is pleasure at watching the twists and turns approach, and joy when the surprises are sprung.

Fun and funny

My first audio book of Wodehouse. Such a fun and humorous story! Thanks for the laughs :)

Good, but not Wodehouse’s best

I enjoyed it, but it was very complicated even for PG Wodehouse. I thought it was a little hard to follow and the plot twists were not quite as clever as other works of his I’ve read. I think I’ve been spoiled by the Jeeves series. Jonathan Cecil, as always, was outstanding.

It is perfect

One of the best I love p g wodhuose and Jonathan Cecil give a great performance as always

"I say dear man . . . would you spot me a . . .?"

The reviews I read about this classic were good, with a few negatives that made me wonder if I was going to like this book, but it was a fun listen. There were only a couple of laugh-out-loud spots, but it's the cleverness and wit throughout the book that made it enjoyable.

I think people don't really talk like this in England, it does seem like it's an old-fashioned speech of a British stereotype, but it's a lot of fun to hear the unusual turn of phrases. The narrator did a great job with the accents and different characters.

The writing is ingenious in the line of an "Oh what a tangled web we weave . . . " plot line as untruths, bent truths, deceptions, impersonations, rigged gambling and card tricks ensue. The characters are beautifully described and memorable. Even the Empress, a large pig is has a rounded out character to which she stays true.

The story is a pleasant diversion from daily life, but not something to listen to in the background as all the machinations and trickery going on from beginning to end require the listener to pay close attention to keep up with the story.

If you appreciate a complex plot with funny and manipulative people, you might enjoy this book too.