h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Although the already-mentioned speech by Gussie Fink-Nottle at the all-girls prizegiving ceremony is splendid, my vote for best novel goes to 'Joy in the Morning'. It has a wonderful interweaving of plot threads, the worst ever prospective Mrs Wooster (novelist Florence Craye), the blighted Edwin, and a spiffing final twist delivered by Jeeves. I've read it many times, but on every reading each twist in the story comes as a surprise.

Incidentally, in the BBC TV series of Jeeves and Wooster, starring Stephen Fry and Hugh Lawrie, the plot elements were dismembered, rearranged and mangled, and the whole thing was moved from Steeple Bumpleigh (England) to New York, so don't judge 'Joy in the Morning' by that. Give it a read – it's a joy.

I haven't read a Jeeves novel in about five years (a mistake I plan on rectifying shortly) - but the last time I checked, my favorite Jeeves novel was "Right Ho, Jeeves".

My favourite has to be "The Code of the Woosters"--it has a delicious denouement which totally disarms an unsavoury character called Spode, who professed a desire to air Bertie Wooster's internal organs.

Another novel, serialised on Beeb radio in the '70's (Richard Briers played Wooster, and Michael Hordern was a perfect Jeeves) would get my vote if I'd ever been able to find it (if you recognise it, do drop me an email identifying it! [email protected]). It features an American laxative (I think) magnate called Stoker, whogets the business end of a shovel applied with some force to his upper anatomy, and his daughter Pauline who has a dalliance with our Bertram before Jeeves extracts him, as usual. There's lots of breaking windows and midnight swims and stuff, together with the usual application of familial pressure from one of the Aunts in the mess of pottage. Pauline Stoker, if I recall correctly, eventually becomes distaff to the newt-fancier, Gussie Fink-Nottle.

I was a long time a devoted Blandings fan, and have only recently retraced to Jeeves and Wooster - off which my favourite has to be 'Aunts aren't Gentleman' which has, quite appart from any other merits, the best title ever

Agree with 'Joy in the Morning' for the simple reason that the Lord Worplesdon's habit of saying 'What!' when surprised had me rolling on the floor when I first read it. Few passages even in Wodehouse have had such a marked effect on me. 'Aunts Aren't Gentlemen' improves with the second reading, but all in all I found that PGW was getting old while writing it. Among other things, he'd forgotten that Steeple Bumpleigh was supposed to be in Hampshire, and suddenly moved it to Essex...
Another thought: this conversation corroborates the widespread habit of referring to this series as the 'Jeeves' novels. I find that somewhat unsportsmanlike towards poor old Bertie, I mean to say, what! The point is that Jeeves and all those qualities that make him 'stand alone' really wouldn't have any point without being countered by 'the infernal chump' Bertie. Does no reader ever identify with the Wooster lad?

If they don't they aren't admitting to it
And neither will the female amongst us admit to vaguely resembling misses Bobbie Wickham, Madeline Basset etc etc....
Even if the books wouldn't be the same without them.

What's wrong with Boobie Wickham??

Oops - I meant Bobbie, of course. Not Boobie. And now I will be accused of a Freudian slip.

Possibly nothing - except a mad streak.
But face it - who wants to be disapproved of by Jeeves

Oh, quite. Though I think, although my socks would stand the Jeeves test (not purple), my shirt (orange) would not!

My socks wouldn't - when I wear them.
which is only in winter.
I think that might also not merit approval