I read Wodehouse when I was a kid, and he cracked me up. This collection of letters cracked me up too, and that’s the one element other reviewers assume you know and forget to mention– this guy was funny, and his letters are also funny.

What I liked best about the book was this: It was fascinating to live vicariously the life of a guy who was born in the early 1880s, who published over 100 books, knew some of the most fascinating folks of his era, influenced the world, and lived long enough to publish stories in Playboy. The editing and descriptive notes helped a lot by giving context to his words. His life would make a great movie, and this book would probably be the place to start researching a screenplay.

The only tiny negative I felt was this: early on, as he casually mentioned having Douglas Fairbanks over to dinner, or meeting Winston Churchill’s son, or playing cricket with Conan Doyle, or moving next door to HG Wells, or writing lyrics for the Gershwins, I kept thinking, wow, you could not invent the cast of this guy’s life. As this pattern continued over the next decades, I got the sense that either he loved to drop names or that this particular editor chose letters partly because of Wodehouse’s connection to other famous folk perhaps to make his life seem more relevant today. Nothing wrong with that, and he obviously knew so many people that was one legitimate way to make editorial decisions. Based on how many wisecracks he threw into these letters, I suspect one could compile a completely different book including only the funniest letters, and another based on his reaction to the way literature evolved over his lifetime. That being said, it did not detract from this book at all, I just noticed the pattern and began wondering about what other letters did not make the cut. The gentle slant of this volume was his connection to people who history remembers.

This book made me remember why I liked the author in the first place. It made me want to buy some of his books and read them again. He probably influenced my own writing without my even realizing it. I’m just not sure where to start. Some of the Kindle compilations contain a ton of his books, but no index so they might be hard to navigate. I’ll probably buy his first Jeeves book, because he’s most remembered for those. If I still like them, I can work my way through the others.

I also enjoyed the writing by the editor, Sophie Ratcliffe, so I’ll look for other things she puts out there.

Anyone who liked Wodehouse when they read him decades ago, will enjoy this book. It’s a visit with an old friend. People who’ve never read him could go either way. He’s from a different time and sensibility; he would be quite at home on Downton Abbey. You have to approach it with that in mind. For some new readers, this will be a wonderful introduction to a kindly and humorous old British uncle you wish you had. Perhaps he’ll seem stuffy to you, but that seems a small risk to take compared with the chance to meet your favorite uncle.

review by Kenn Amdahl

PG Wodehouse: A Life in Letters on Amazon.com

April snow, bittersweet like wedding tears,
Catches me every time.
Winter, a grizzled gray monkey,
Is a pest in the bananas;
Everyone’s glad to see him killed off.
But an April snow is that last monkey
We finally discover after a long
Day of exterminating
Clinging to the highest branch,
Staring at the knife with wide eyes,
A question on his forehead,
And we hesitate.

The snow floats fat and wet, like popcorn,
Or little white kittens,
Chasing the juicy gray fish to the ground.
Each feather tries to win the sidewalk,
But is washed away by warm minnows of spring.
Each drop washes off a bit of the man,
Exposing the wide-open monkey eyes.

“April Sleet and Monkey Eyes” by Kenn Amdahl. All rights reserved.

The conservative movement has a tough challenge. It says “Buses are the problem. Buses are evil. All buses should be driven off a cliff.” Then it turns around and says, “OK, folks, please elect me to be your bus driver.”

I had an interesting conversation on Facebook about single sex marriage. Because not everyone is my “friend,” I’ve edited it down and will paste it below. There were other comments, including some good ones, but I feel weird stealing other people’s writing (unless you need it to understand my response)  so this is mostly my own: Read the rest of this entry »

Writers have always written about their lives. It’s what we do and how we process events around us. The only difference is that now we call it “blogging.”  I’ve got boxes full of poems and little essays that no one has ever read. I just ran across some thoughts I scribbled on the back of used paper twenty years ago and threw into a box. It still made me sad. Here’s what I wrote back then: Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve about given up on Angelina Jolie playing any role in Jumper and the Bones: the Movie, mostly because there isn’t a role for someone of her age and glamour. But also because no one is threatening to make a movie of it yet. That’s disappointing to many of you, of course, but I haven’t given up on AJ’s family.  For example, Brad could play Jim, the one-legged buddy who works at the thrift store and has a pretty heroic and unexpected role that I won’t give away in case you haven’t read the book. Or in the unlikely case that Brad hasn’t. Angelina’s father, Jon Voight, could play Officer Mike if he’d stop saying mean things about Obama. We would not want that vibe on the set. Read the rest of this entry »

From T. Jefferson to Madison, Hamilton et al

December 26, 1787

Hey guys,

I’m still having trouble with the amendment the way you have it written. Granted, the “right to own rattlesnakes” seems harmless enough, and yes, throwing rattlesnakes at the British troops was key to overthrowing the King. History will never forget that. And yes, I can imagine a future government becoming so oppressive that we’d need to do it again. I’m the last guy who’d want to face a tyrannical government without his box of rattlesnakes. Plus there’s our tradition. We colonists have a long history of hunting with rattlesnakes as the British use falcons. Many of us love to collect snakes and find great satisfaction in cleaning them and launching them at targets. No one wants to limit our right to enjoy these simple country pleasures. Read the rest of this entry »

I think we need to de-mythologize guns. They are not holy, they are not sacred, but they aren’t evil either. They are objects, like knives and bottles of vinegar. Read the rest of this entry »

If I were teaching a writing course, instead of spending hours lecturing to my students I’d force them to watch the movie Lincoln. As a more experienced writer trying to improve, I’d go watch that movie and pay attention. Read the rest of this entry »