- Paperback: 160 pages
- Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd; New edition edition (10 Dec 1970)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 014003207X
- ISBN-13: 978-0140032079
- Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.4 x 0.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 387,844 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Product Description
Wodehouse's heroes, Psmith and Mike, are sent by their fathers to work for a bank in London, but the bank's ponderous ritual is no match for Psmith's flippant irresponsibility. Psmith expects the financiers to join in with his light-hearted attitute toward life--at least until Mike and he stop working for them.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
"Psmith in the City" marks something of a transition piece for Wodehouse. Here, two of his principle "School" characters are taken away from the school environment and put into the real world. Psmith is elevated to the principle character quite clearly - a trend which continues in "Psmith, journalist", and of course is entirely dominant in the concluding "Leave it to Psmith", where Mike is relegated to the background.
There is also an element of the autobiographical in this work, for Wodehouse spent his post school days in much the same position as Mike finds himself - working in a city job for which he had little aptitude and did not like. Dulwich College, Wodehouse's school, also makes a cameo appearance.
The character of Psmith (based on a real person, unusually for Wodehouse) lends himself well to Wodehouse's skill at dialogue. Psmith's unique character traits are generally revealed in his conversation, and Wodehouse makes the most of this - certainly more than he was able to in the earlier school settings for Mike and Psmith. The dialogue does not, perhaps, soar to the heights it achieves in "Leave it to Psmith", but this is a distinctly earlier piece of writing. Indeed, the reader is occasionally brought up with a jolt to just how early in the twentieth century this is, with some of the settings and phrasings.
Overall this is a very enjoyable book, and interesting because of the transition role it plays in shifting from the more serious "School" series to the more frivolous work for which Wodehouse is more remembered. The autobiographical aspect is also of interest, and though the historical reminders may shock a little, they are a reminder of how long Wodehouse was writing.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Those who fell in love with the debonair, witty, calm and completely unruffleable Psmith will not be disappointed in this follow-up to 'Mike and Psmith'. Mike is thrust into the cold world to earn his keep in the City, but the outlook, which looks bleak, swiftly changes with the addition of Psmith to Mike's workplace and home.
Nice plot, a great sprinkling of new characters and, needless to say, hysterically funny, this book is a must-read for fans of Mike and Psmith.
Nice plot, a great sprinkling of new characters and, needless to say, hysterically funny, this book is a must-read for fans of Mike and Psmith.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
`Psmith in the City' is the sequel to `Mike and Psmith' and is effectively still a Wodehouse `School' story except rather than be set in a school the setting is a Bank and Mike and Psmith are the office juniors. The boys are still too young to have turned their interests into love and sex and so continue in the same vein they did at school with Mike being unable to concentrate on anything except cricket and Psmith's only interests being insolence, checking his superiors and flirting with the sack.
Although the book benefits from not being set in the school room that it's hero's haven't progressed from being schoolboys does somewhat limit what action takes place in the book. The book is somewhat episodic although not a blatant stringing together of short stories such as `The Indiscretions of Archie' or the `The Inimitable Jeeves' and the action is somewhat disjointed. It is however a pleasure to see Psmith out in the world and enjoying his constant referring to everyone as `comrade' leading to him being invited to a socialist meeting and having to flee from a mob of angry costermongers. Clearly not ready for the world (or the world not ready for Psmith) the boys eventually sign up for `varsity where traditionally schoolboys can be preserved as such by the addition of Alcohol.
Not the greatest book to come from the pen of Wodehouse but, as a milestone on his path from school stories to his later works of art, indispensable.
Although the book benefits from not being set in the school room that it's hero's haven't progressed from being schoolboys does somewhat limit what action takes place in the book. The book is somewhat episodic although not a blatant stringing together of short stories such as `The Indiscretions of Archie' or the `The Inimitable Jeeves' and the action is somewhat disjointed. It is however a pleasure to see Psmith out in the world and enjoying his constant referring to everyone as `comrade' leading to him being invited to a socialist meeting and having to flee from a mob of angry costermongers. Clearly not ready for the world (or the world not ready for Psmith) the boys eventually sign up for `varsity where traditionally schoolboys can be preserved as such by the addition of Alcohol.
Not the greatest book to come from the pen of Wodehouse but, as a milestone on his path from school stories to his later works of art, indispensable.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
The best book and the best reader
Psmith in the City is my favourite Wodehouse book.
The story is set in a bank (from which Wodehouse had personal experience) and though it was written 100 years ago, the... Read more
The story is set in a bank (from which Wodehouse had personal experience) and though it was written 100 years ago, the... Read more
Published on 22 Mar 2010 by A. Vincent
PG Wodehouse at his best
Psmith is reckoned to be one of Wodehouse's favourite characters. he certinly gives him plenty of superb invective . Read more
Published on 27 Oct 2009 by George Hart
Sorry to poop the party but...
IMO the Pmsith stories are among the least good Wodehouse wrote. Firstly 'Mike' is a dull and one-dimensional character who really only serves to act as a foil to Psmith. Read more
Published on 1 Oct 2009 by Nugent_Dirt
Great literary character
Most people will be familiar with Wodehouse through Jeeves and Wooster, but this is another brilliant character endowed with wit and "vim". Read more
Published on 20 Mar 2006 by GeeJayBee
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