Leave it to Psmith

Leave it to Psmith – P.G. Wodehouse

Evan’s ESS = 9 out of 10

Erin’s ESS =  out of 10

Content = PG (Mild Adult Content, Mild Violence, Mild Language, Necklaces, Efficient Personal Assistants)

Why: Have we mentioned before that we love P.G. Wodehouse?  No?  Hummmm, well, our research department is woefully underfunded and we’re far too lazy to delve back into the archives ourselves...  Just in case, we’ll mention it again.  We love P.G. Wodehouse.

Fed up with the fish trade, eccentric good guy, Ronald Psmith is keen on a career change.  To facilitate this urge, he takes out a classified add offering a rather ambitious range of services:

“Leave it to Psmith.  Psmith will help you. Psmith is ready for anything. Do you want: Someone to manage your affairs.  Someone to handle your business.  Someone to take your dog for a run.  Someone to assassinate your aunt.  Psmith will do it.  Crime not objected to.  Whatever job you have to offer.  Provided it has nothing to do with fish.  Leave it to Psmith.  Address applications to R. Psmith Box 365.  Leave it to Psmith.” 

Not surprising the advert catches the attention of Freddie Threepwood who, as it happens, requires help stealing a pricey necklace from his aunt (all for a good cause).  The job will take all the cunning and strategery Psmith can muster.  Plus, if he’s lucky he might be able to win the girl too...

In researching this review, we discovered that Leave it to Psmith is actually the 4^th book in the Psmith series - another shining example of information that would have been nice to know a few weeks ago.  Fortunately, this novel was perfectly satisfactory on its own.  The character of Psmith is likeable from the beginning and we found ourselves anxious to find out what he was going to say or do next.  And then there was oft imprudent, Freddie Threepwood, who provided the perfect balance.  Why do the names Bertie and Jeeves suddenly come to mind???

The treat of any Wodehouse novel is found in the dialogue.  There’s probably an intelligent term for his writing method, but he has a way of striking right at the core of our funny bone (minus the tingly numb sensation).  We love everything from expressions like, “dash it” and “right ho” to the more complex humor, like how Lord Emsworth reacts to the flowerpot scene.

Overall, Leave it to Psmith was brilliant novel and classic literature at its funniest (or at least funnier).  If you haven’t read something by Wodehouse, you really are missing out... we’re not judging though...

Editor’s Note:  Okay, we are judging, but only a little...