Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A good selection of private letters, 8 Jan 2004
This collection of Wodehouse letters adds a great deal more than his autobiographical works (even though there is a degree of overlap), because of course these letters were not written for public consumption. The letter covers a full range of issues, and span a considerable period of Wodehouse's life. There are several tantalising references to the "Camp Book", covering the period of Wodehouse's internment in Germany after France was invaded - the book, of course, was never published. The letters also give insights into Wodehouse's approach to writing, and a surprising degree of stress over his plots. Dialogue, rather than plot, has always struck me as Wodehouse's forte, but he apparently spent a lot of effort in crafting plot lines.Frances Donaldson has done a good job of selecting and editing the letters - her personal knowledge of the Wodehouse family was no doubt a useful asset. The decision to categorise the letters by subject rather than in chronologicial order does cause the reader to make a few leaps in time, and this does detract from someone looking to read the book cover to cover. For someone looking to dip into the book occasionally - rather as if it were a selection of short stories - this does not present so much of a problem. Introducing a time line, or a comprehensive index would have been a help, but these are relatively minor criticisms. The appendices, including things like a review of one of Wodehouse's novels, are valuable adjuncts to the letters. Overall this is a judiciously selected sample of Wodehouse's correspondence, and fans of Wodehouse's fiction should certainly add this to their collection.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
A good selection of private letters, 8 Jan 2004
This collection of Wodehouse letters adds a great deal more than his autobiographical works (even though there is a degree of overlap), because of course these letters were not written for public consumption. The letter covers a full range of issues, and span a considerable period of Wodehouse's life. There are several tantalising references to the "Camp Book", covering the period of Wodehouse's internment in Germany after France was invaded - the book, of course, was never published. The letters also give insights into Wodehouse's approach to writing, and a surprising degree of stress over his plots. Dialogue, rather than plot, has always struck me as Wodehouse's forte, but he apparently spent a lot of effort in crafting plot lines.Frances Donaldson has done a good job of selecting and editing the letters - her personal knowledge of the Wodehouse family was no doubt a useful asset. The decision to categorise the letters by subject rather than in chronologicial order does cause the reader to make a few leaps in time, and this does detract from someone looking to read the book cover to cover. For someone looking to dip into the book occasionally - rather as if it were a selection of short stories - this does not present so much of a problem. Introducing a time line, or a comprehensive index would have been a help, but these are relatively minor criticisms. The appendices, including things like a review of one of Wodehouse's novels, are valuable adjuncts to the letters. Overall this is a judiciously selected sample of Wodehouse's correspondence, and fans of Wodehouse's fiction should certainly add this to their collection.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
A good selection of private letters, 8 Jan 2004
This collection of Wodehouse letters adds a great deal more than his autobiographical works (even though there is a degree of overlap), because of course these letters were not written for public consumption. The letter covers a full range of issues, and span a considerable period of Wodehouse's life. There are several tantalising references to the "Camp Book", covering the period of Wodehouse's internment in Germany after France was invaded - the book, of course, was never published. The letters also give insights into Wodehouse's approach to writing, and a surprising degree of stress over his plots. Dialogue, rather than plot, has always struck me as Wodehouse's forte, but he apparently spent a lot of effort in crafting plot lines.Frances Donaldson has done a good job of selecting and editing the letters - her personal knowledge of the Wodehouse family was no doubt a useful asset. The decision to categorise the letters by subject rather than in chronologicial order does cause the reader to make a few leaps in time, and this does detract from someone looking to read the book cover to cover. For someone looking to dip into the book occasionally - rather as if it were a selection of short stories - this does not present so much of a problem. Introducing a time line, or a comprehensive index would have been a help, but these are relatively minor criticisms. The appendices, including things like a review of one of Wodehouse's novels, are valuable adjuncts to the letters. Overall this is a judiciously selected sample of Wodehouse's correspondence, and fans of Wodehouse's fiction should certainly add this to their collection.
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