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Uncle Fred #3
Cocktail Time
If Lord Ickenham had not succumbed to the temptation to dislodge the hat of irascible QC, Beefy Bastable, with a well-aimed Brazil nut, the latter's famous legal mind might never have been stimulated to literature. But the incident provoked Beefy to write his expose of the younger generation, a novel so shocking that it caused endless repercussions for its hapless author and sparked off a series of outrageous misunderstandings. And it seems that only the inventive talents of Lord Ickenham himself might resolve matters.
224 pages, Paperback
First published July 24, 1958
114 people are currently reading
1004 people want to read
About the author
P.G. Wodehouse
1,556 books6,853 followersSir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, KBE, was a comic writer who enjoyed enormous popular success during a career of more than seventy years and continues to be widely read over 40 years after his death. Despite the political and social upheavals that occurred during his life, much of which was spent in France and the United States, Wodehouse's main canvas remained that of prewar English upper-class society, reflecting his birth, education, and youthful writing career.
An acknowledged master of English prose, Wodehouse has been admired both by contemporaries such as Hilaire Belloc, Evelyn Waugh and Rudyard Kipling and by more recent writers such as Douglas Adams, Salman Rushdie and Terry Pratchett. Sean O'Casey famously called him "English literature's performing flea", a description that Wodehouse used as the title of a collection of his letters to a friend, Bill Townend.
Best known today for the Jeeves and Blandings Castle novels and short stories, Wodehouse was also a talented playwright and lyricist who was part author and writer of fifteen plays and of 250 lyrics for some thirty musical comedies. He worked with Cole Porter on the musical Anything Goes (1934) and frequently collaborated with Jerome Kern and Guy Bolton. He wrote the lyrics for the hit song Bill in Kern's Show Boat (1927), wrote the lyrics for the Gershwin/Romberg musical Rosalie (1928), and collaborated with Rudolf Friml on a musical version of The Three Musketeers (1928).
An acknowledged master of English prose, Wodehouse has been admired both by contemporaries such as Hilaire Belloc, Evelyn Waugh and Rudyard Kipling and by more recent writers such as Douglas Adams, Salman Rushdie and Terry Pratchett. Sean O'Casey famously called him "English literature's performing flea", a description that Wodehouse used as the title of a collection of his letters to a friend, Bill Townend.
Best known today for the Jeeves and Blandings Castle novels and short stories, Wodehouse was also a talented playwright and lyricist who was part author and writer of fifteen plays and of 250 lyrics for some thirty musical comedies. He worked with Cole Porter on the musical Anything Goes (1934) and frequently collaborated with Jerome Kern and Guy Bolton. He wrote the lyrics for the hit song Bill in Kern's Show Boat (1927), wrote the lyrics for the Gershwin/Romberg musical Rosalie (1928), and collaborated with Rudolf Friml on a musical version of The Three Musketeers (1928).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 308 reviews
January 26, 2023
In a Nutshell: Not his best by far. But I think I picked this up at the wrong time and hence will cut it some slack.
This is the third book in the Uncle Fred series. A seemingly innocuous Brazil nut aimed at a topper hat results in a controversial book being published, and a whole load of shenanigans resulting around the said book.
Where the book worked for me:
✔ The book did offer me plenty of smiles and laughs.
✔ Typical madcap PGW humour and writing. Loads of classic British fun delivered in a deadpan and sarcastic style.
✔ The repartee between a few of the characters was excellent at time.
✔ Quite a few similies and metaphors in the writing, as is to be expected in PGW’s works. All the analogies are hilarious.
Where the book could have worked better for me:
❌ I was reading this as a BOTM for my bookclub, and hence had to race to complete it. This killed my enjoyment to a great extent, The book would work far better when you read it in a relaxed state of mind.
❌ There's no single dominant character. The action jumps too often across the characters. Because of this narrational relay race, my attention kept zoning out.
❌ Why does Pongo have a barely-there presence in this book?
❌ A condensed version of the story was originally published in the Ladies' Home Journal in April 1958. This story would have worked better as a short story. It is too stretched to justify being a full-length work.
❌ The initial 30-35% captivated me, but I found the book boring after that as it felt like the plot was stuck in the same jokes rather than moving ahead. Only the end redeemed it somewhat.
If you know PGW you know what to expect in the writing style. There are lots of dialogues, many sarcastic remarks disguised as humour, and a meandering plot that comes together only at the end. A fair amount of the content is also outdated and misogynistic, but I won’t judge a classic with contemporary eyes.
I don't think I'll remember this book once I complete this review. And that is its biggest shortcoming for me. It didn't offer long-term satisfaction. This is definitely not PGW's best work, and doesn’t even belong to his best series. Give me Bertie and Jeeves any day over Uncle Fred.
2.5 stars, rounding up as I know I should have picked it up some other time. I love the humour but not the plot.
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This is the third book in the Uncle Fred series. A seemingly innocuous Brazil nut aimed at a topper hat results in a controversial book being published, and a whole load of shenanigans resulting around the said book.
Where the book worked for me:
✔ The book did offer me plenty of smiles and laughs.
✔ Typical madcap PGW humour and writing. Loads of classic British fun delivered in a deadpan and sarcastic style.
✔ The repartee between a few of the characters was excellent at time.
✔ Quite a few similies and metaphors in the writing, as is to be expected in PGW’s works. All the analogies are hilarious.
Where the book could have worked better for me:
❌ I was reading this as a BOTM for my bookclub, and hence had to race to complete it. This killed my enjoyment to a great extent, The book would work far better when you read it in a relaxed state of mind.
❌ There's no single dominant character. The action jumps too often across the characters. Because of this narrational relay race, my attention kept zoning out.
❌ Why does Pongo have a barely-there presence in this book?
❌ A condensed version of the story was originally published in the Ladies' Home Journal in April 1958. This story would have worked better as a short story. It is too stretched to justify being a full-length work.
❌ The initial 30-35% captivated me, but I found the book boring after that as it felt like the plot was stuck in the same jokes rather than moving ahead. Only the end redeemed it somewhat.
If you know PGW you know what to expect in the writing style. There are lots of dialogues, many sarcastic remarks disguised as humour, and a meandering plot that comes together only at the end. A fair amount of the content is also outdated and misogynistic, but I won’t judge a classic with contemporary eyes.
I don't think I'll remember this book once I complete this review. And that is its biggest shortcoming for me. It didn't offer long-term satisfaction. This is definitely not PGW's best work, and doesn’t even belong to his best series. Give me Bertie and Jeeves any day over Uncle Fred.
2.5 stars, rounding up as I know I should have picked it up some other time. I love the humour but not the plot.
———————————————
Connect with me through:
My Blog | The StoryGraph | Facebook | Twitter
January 24, 2023
3.8 Stars
Uncle Fred is back in London, which means he has to do something to create a mess and fix it in his own way. The book starts with him popping off Sir Raymond Bastable's (Beefy) top hat with a Brazilian nut. Bastable is enraged and pours his opinions into a book published under a pseudonym.
He wants nothing to do with it, as it could damage his political ambitions. But when the book gets a movie deal worth thousands of pounds, Bastable will do anything to claim his rightful ownership as the author of the book. Only, things are too complicated by then, and Uncle Fred is, naturally, in the middle, pulling the strings and changing his plans.
The book has typical Wodehouse humor, where he takes a dig at almost everyone and still makes it fun. The plot is complicated (obv.) but not as such as some of the Jeeves and Bertie books. Also, it's pretty much Uncle Fred doing everything. Pongo is only present in the beginning, which dims the enjoyment a bit. We got to have Pongo dragged into everything by his uncle. Right? ;)
Still, the writing is enjoyable, with loads of humor and contrived scenes. There's a bit of everything, though the Wodehouse romance element was rather lacking in this one. The threads come together at the end (which feels a little rushed), and Uncle Fred is on his way home until he comes up with something else.
Overall, an enjoyable read if you go with the flow and don't worry about the plot. Yep, let it get tangled up. It'll sort out on its own.
Uncle Fred is back in London, which means he has to do something to create a mess and fix it in his own way. The book starts with him popping off Sir Raymond Bastable's (Beefy) top hat with a Brazilian nut. Bastable is enraged and pours his opinions into a book published under a pseudonym.
He wants nothing to do with it, as it could damage his political ambitions. But when the book gets a movie deal worth thousands of pounds, Bastable will do anything to claim his rightful ownership as the author of the book. Only, things are too complicated by then, and Uncle Fred is, naturally, in the middle, pulling the strings and changing his plans.
The book has typical Wodehouse humor, where he takes a dig at almost everyone and still makes it fun. The plot is complicated (obv.) but not as such as some of the Jeeves and Bertie books. Also, it's pretty much Uncle Fred doing everything. Pongo is only present in the beginning, which dims the enjoyment a bit. We got to have Pongo dragged into everything by his uncle. Right? ;)
Still, the writing is enjoyable, with loads of humor and contrived scenes. There's a bit of everything, though the Wodehouse romance element was rather lacking in this one. The threads come together at the end (which feels a little rushed), and Uncle Fred is on his way home until he comes up with something else.
Overall, an enjoyable read if you go with the flow and don't worry about the plot. Yep, let it get tangled up. It'll sort out on its own.
January 21, 2023
I returned to a P.G. Wodehouse after a gap of many years. I know what to expect in his novels and this did not disappoint!
Uncle Fred (Lord Ickenham) hears about how a guy used a catapult to shoot brazil nuts at others. He decides to have a go himself and he has a clean shot – taking off the hat of Raymond Bastable (Beefy). Lord Ickenham expresses his sympathies with Beefy, without revealing he is the culprit, having a merry laugh. He suggests an episode such as this could find a place in a book, though of course, Beefy is not the writing type. Beefy, quite unexpectedly authors a book ‘Cocktail Time’ under a pseudonym which becomes a hit. Since he has political aspirations, he does not want to claim authorship, and at Lord Ickenham’s suggestion, attempts to shift the authorship to Cosmo Wisdom. But a lot more is to follow with some people trying to make some money out of the situation.
The brilliance of the language, whacky humour and loveable characters are all there. The last sections did not have much to look forward to though.
Uncle Fred (Lord Ickenham) hears about how a guy used a catapult to shoot brazil nuts at others. He decides to have a go himself and he has a clean shot – taking off the hat of Raymond Bastable (Beefy). Lord Ickenham expresses his sympathies with Beefy, without revealing he is the culprit, having a merry laugh. He suggests an episode such as this could find a place in a book, though of course, Beefy is not the writing type. Beefy, quite unexpectedly authors a book ‘Cocktail Time’ under a pseudonym which becomes a hit. Since he has political aspirations, he does not want to claim authorship, and at Lord Ickenham’s suggestion, attempts to shift the authorship to Cosmo Wisdom. But a lot more is to follow with some people trying to make some money out of the situation.
The brilliance of the language, whacky humour and loveable characters are all there. The last sections did not have much to look forward to though.
January 22, 2022
I don’t write reviews.
Yes, I’m still stuck in a Wodehousian well. You don’t have to send a SOS, I’ll muddle through, giggling all the while. Cocktail Time was very cute and Uncle Fred is in my top three favourite Wodehouse characters. (The other two aren’t a surprise to anyone, though my fourth and fifth are Lord Emsworth and either The Empress of Blandings or Montague Bodkin). I enjoyed this story, and may have enjoyed it even more if I had read it before Uncle Dynamite. That one was hard to follow-up. I feel slightly wistful that I’ve read all the Uncle Fred and Jeeves stories, but I don’t feel sad because Wodehouse is infinitely rereadable.
Yes, I’m still stuck in a Wodehousian well. You don’t have to send a SOS, I’ll muddle through, giggling all the while. Cocktail Time was very cute and Uncle Fred is in my top three favourite Wodehouse characters. (The other two aren’t a surprise to anyone, though my fourth and fifth are Lord Emsworth and either The Empress of Blandings or Montague Bodkin). I enjoyed this story, and may have enjoyed it even more if I had read it before Uncle Dynamite. That one was hard to follow-up. I feel slightly wistful that I’ve read all the Uncle Fred and Jeeves stories, but I don’t feel sad because Wodehouse is infinitely rereadable.
November 6, 2018
Another PGW winner
P.G. Wodehouse is the funniest writer of the past century. Wodehouse defies superlatives and is, for my money, the best comedic writer to ever put pen to paper.
Despite being a confirmed Wodehousian this is only the second Uncle Fred novel I have read. According to Wikipedia the Uncle Fred stories comprise one short story and four novels, two of which are set at Blandings Castle:
"Uncle Fred Flits By" (1935) - included in the collection Young Men in Spats, (1936)
Uncle Fred in the Springtime (1939) - a Blandings story
Uncle Dynamite (1948)
Cocktail Time (1958)
Service with a Smile (1961) - a Blandings story
So, back to 'Cocktail Time', I can confirm that I smiled, I chuckled, and I laughed. Not quite as much as the very best books by P.G. Wodehouse, but a still a more than satisfactory return.
Of course it is not all about humour, the other pleasure of P.G. Wodehouse is the delightful writing, and the playfulness that runs through his work and appears on each and every page. His books are the best possible escape from the real world - a retreat into a predictable, amusing, cheerful place where the lovelorn ultimately find solace and the pompous have their pomposity pricked.
I already eagerly await my next foray into the wonderful world of Wodehouse.
4/5
P.G. Wodehouse is the funniest writer of the past century. Wodehouse defies superlatives and is, for my money, the best comedic writer to ever put pen to paper.
Despite being a confirmed Wodehousian this is only the second Uncle Fred novel I have read. According to Wikipedia the Uncle Fred stories comprise one short story and four novels, two of which are set at Blandings Castle:
"Uncle Fred Flits By" (1935) - included in the collection Young Men in Spats, (1936)
Uncle Fred in the Springtime (1939) - a Blandings story
Uncle Dynamite (1948)
Cocktail Time (1958)
Service with a Smile (1961) - a Blandings story
So, back to 'Cocktail Time', I can confirm that I smiled, I chuckled, and I laughed. Not quite as much as the very best books by P.G. Wodehouse, but a still a more than satisfactory return.
Of course it is not all about humour, the other pleasure of P.G. Wodehouse is the delightful writing, and the playfulness that runs through his work and appears on each and every page. His books are the best possible escape from the real world - a retreat into a predictable, amusing, cheerful place where the lovelorn ultimately find solace and the pompous have their pomposity pricked.
I already eagerly await my next foray into the wonderful world of Wodehouse.
4/5
July 18, 2021
The Earl of Ickenham or to his friends Uncle Fred embarks on another hilarious escapade. This time Beefy Bastable is assisted. After writing a book called Cocktail Time he suddenly has a best seller but it would scupper his political aspirations. So his no hopper nephew Cosmos is persuaded to take credit for the novel. We then have American con artists, a butler in love with his mistress and his nephew is having engagement troubles due to a fear of his old nanny.
The comical one liners are brilliant and it us laugh out loud silliness. Written in 1958 Wodehouse was still turning out comical masterpieces.
The comical one liners are brilliant and it us laugh out loud silliness. Written in 1958 Wodehouse was still turning out comical masterpieces.
February 8, 2011
It all started when Uncle Fred pegged Beefy Bastable with a Brazil nut. Beefy, a prominent barrister with political aspirations, writes a scathing novel about the youth of today after Uncle Fred tells him he can't. Once completed, Beefy realizes that a man in his position can't be responsible for such a thing and convinces his shiftless nephew, Cosmo Wisdom, to take credit for it. Enter Oily Carlisle and his wife, who convince Cosmo that blackmail is the best course of action. Cosmo writes a letter that becomes the source of all sorts of trouble. Throw in the usual Wodehouse plot elements like impersonation, unrequited love, people short on money, and Uncle Fred weaving a tapestry of lies and you have a hilarious tale on your hands.
It never ceases to amaze me how Wodehouse manages to weave his tales together. You always know everything is going to work out in the end but getting there is never dull. The one-liners are fantastic and while Uncle Fred is a god among men, you are left feeling glad his wife doesn't let him go out in public very often.
It never ceases to amaze me how Wodehouse manages to weave his tales together. You always know everything is going to work out in the end but getting there is never dull. The one-liners are fantastic and while Uncle Fred is a god among men, you are left feeling glad his wife doesn't let him go out in public very often.
January 16, 2024
3.5 overall.
An anomaly in the Wodehouse canon: overall I enjoyed it (it may be impossible to actually dislike a P.G. book) but, at the same time, something here feels... off.
It's not blatantly obvious - perhaps I noticed because I've read so many Wodehouse novels - but there's an underlying strain for effect. And I wondered what it might be that made me think that.
I concluded that there's something of an imbalance - and a lack of vibrancy - in the cast of characters. For the most part, the supporting players are of a lower caliber than usual. Some in particular (who are given regular focus) are simply not that interesting - (i.e., the villains) - so there are times when it takes a chapter or two until they're 'off-stage'.
Wonderful Uncle Fred is, of course, almost always front and center - but, because of who surrounds him, he seems required to carry more on his shoulders than he should have to. Occasional reprieves - like a charming ex-fiancée and a dim-witted publishing magnate - are not only welcome but they come off as under-utilized.
There's a second drawback. While the premise - hiding the true identity of a scandalous novel's author - bodes quite well, the follow-through unravels as a bit too thin. There's some complication (it wouldn't be Wodehouse without that) but, again, it feels strained... and minimal.
All that said... Wodehouse does his best to sally forth and, with a dependency on the old standby of wit-filled wordplay, largely succeeds. (Some P.G. fans may even think I'm nitpicking... and I could be.)
Still... 3/4-through, I did start to feel something I practically never feel when reading The Mighty Wodehouse: I was hoping things would tie-up and end. Bottom line: Not terrible but not a fave.
An anomaly in the Wodehouse canon: overall I enjoyed it (it may be impossible to actually dislike a P.G. book) but, at the same time, something here feels... off.
It's not blatantly obvious - perhaps I noticed because I've read so many Wodehouse novels - but there's an underlying strain for effect. And I wondered what it might be that made me think that.
I concluded that there's something of an imbalance - and a lack of vibrancy - in the cast of characters. For the most part, the supporting players are of a lower caliber than usual. Some in particular (who are given regular focus) are simply not that interesting - (i.e., the villains) - so there are times when it takes a chapter or two until they're 'off-stage'.
Wonderful Uncle Fred is, of course, almost always front and center - but, because of who surrounds him, he seems required to carry more on his shoulders than he should have to. Occasional reprieves - like a charming ex-fiancée and a dim-witted publishing magnate - are not only welcome but they come off as under-utilized.
There's a second drawback. While the premise - hiding the true identity of a scandalous novel's author - bodes quite well, the follow-through unravels as a bit too thin. There's some complication (it wouldn't be Wodehouse without that) but, again, it feels strained... and minimal.
All that said... Wodehouse does his best to sally forth and, with a dependency on the old standby of wit-filled wordplay, largely succeeds. (Some P.G. fans may even think I'm nitpicking... and I could be.)
Still... 3/4-through, I did start to feel something I practically never feel when reading The Mighty Wodehouse: I was hoping things would tie-up and end. Bottom line: Not terrible but not a fave.
April 13, 2022
Another winner in the Lord Ickenham series! What's not to love about Uncle Fred? Forever upbeat and he always has an answer for any sticky situation. Cocktail Time presents all of the usual twists and turns one comes to expect in a Wodehouse novel. It's also filled with a bucketful of colorful characters that crawl out of the woodwork at every turn.
May 5, 2018
Uncle Fred continues to spread sweetness and light, but this for me, it didn't measure up to the previous books.
It has all the trademark Wodehouse wit, Uncle Fred meddles in everybody's business (which this time includes finding a way to get his friend and future MP out of the trouble he created when he wrote a scandalous novel, helping his godson, and promoting a match between the butler of an acquaintance and the widowed lady of the house), and continues to be a delight.
He just wasn't as prominently featured as in the previous books, his hilarious nephew Pongo is sadly absent, and I just... didn't enjoy it as much as the other books.
But hey. P.G. Wodehouse not at his best is still enjoyable and a good deal better than most authors, so reading one of his books is never a waste of time, and you're guaranteed to be thoroughly entertained!
It has all the trademark Wodehouse wit, Uncle Fred meddles in everybody's business (which this time includes finding a way to get his friend and future MP out of the trouble he created when he wrote a scandalous novel, helping his godson, and promoting a match between the butler of an acquaintance and the widowed lady of the house), and continues to be a delight.
He just wasn't as prominently featured as in the previous books, his hilarious nephew Pongo is sadly absent, and I just... didn't enjoy it as much as the other books.
But hey. P.G. Wodehouse not at his best is still enjoyable and a good deal better than most authors, so reading one of his books is never a waste of time, and you're guaranteed to be thoroughly entertained!
August 3, 2014
Many people have recommended P.G. Wodehouse to me many times, and now I have finally read one of his books. I had no particular reason for choosing Cocktail Time as my first Wodehouse experience. I went to a used bookstore for the first time here in my new town, and at the back of the shop was a small bookcase full of very new-looking Wodehouse books. With no idea where to begin, I looked to the proprietor for some advice. He was the very idea of a used bookstore proprietor: older, with a somewhat detached air that made it seem like he was always slightly surprised I was still around—and, of course, he only accepted cash. My plea fell on deaf ears, though. He rebuked me, “I never give recommendations,” and proceeded to give a semi-helpful lecture on the different strands of Wodehouse’s oeuvre.
So I shrugged and took Cocktail Time and Carry On, Jeeves. At least in the case of the former, this decision proved fruitful. Wodehouse might not have jumped to the top of my list of favourite humorous authors, but I can definitely appreciate his sharp satire and keen enthusiasm for creating zany characters and silly situations.
Fred, Lord Ickenham, has a youth that belies his older appearance. He’s the kind of person who looks at a situation and then asks, “How can I possibly make this more interesting?” Never content to leave things simply to develop on their own, Lord Ickenham always has to stir the pot a little more. The plot gets going when Ickenham’s influence causes his brother-in-law, Raymond “Beefy” Bastable, to write a novel—also called Cocktail Time. Beefy has a beef with today’s youth, because one of them knocked off his top hat with a catapulted Brazil nut. The real culprit, of course, is Ickenham, who at the time had no idea it would turn Beefy into the secret author of a bestseller.
Events continue to spiral out of control as more of Ickenham’s social circle becomes involved—and that’s just how he likes it. The action culminates in Dovetail Hammer with a tense auction for a fake walnut cabinet, an incriminating letter, and Ickenham’s hand in matchmaking several couples. It’s all masterfully executed in such a way that I never felt like I need to look behind the curtain and spoil my disbelief. The happy ending is almost assured by the novel’s light tone, but I enjoyed watching Wodehouse pull all the threads neatly into place.
And the characters themselves are wonderfully uncomplicated—there are villains and rogues and schemers and senile old men. They’re all types, allowing Wodehouse to explore the variations within British society (and particularly within the wealthy and well-to-do). But as circumstances shift, the characters have to change too—Cosimo goes from wanting to reveal the real author to wanting to keep the charade of his authorship alive after Cocktail Time lands a multi-hundred-thousand-dollar movie deal. Several times, Ickenham’s own schemes go awry, and he is forced to improvise swiftly and skilfully.
Wodehouse’s style is twofold. First, he is a master of what I would call whimisical description. He always knows the perfect thing to say—often a simile or, if no such simple beast is available, he springs for a metaphor—to elevate any description from mundane to amusing. And then there are paragraphs like this, which opens Chapter 12:
The paragraph goes on to invoke comparisons to Stilton cheese and ghostly ectoplasm. Wodehouse’s vocabulary and diction are both dazzling, aided by the relative simplicity of the plot, which allows one to sink into the story and just enjoy the writing.
Wodehouse’s second element of style is the snappy dialogue he writes for his characters. It reads like a comedy sketch, with short sentences and plenty of interruption as one character plays off another’s words. The omniscient narrator reveals what everyone is thinking, contributing even further to the sense of irony that practically saturates this thin volume.
I don’t have much else to say about Wodehouse or Cocktail Time. It was a nice novel to spend a couple of days reading, and now I have a firmer idea of what Wodehouse has to offer. I’ll read the next one sometime in the next few months, and we’ll see how the relationship goes from there—I don’t like to take things too fast, after all. Beefy certainly waited a long time, and it worked out all right for him.
So I shrugged and took Cocktail Time and Carry On, Jeeves. At least in the case of the former, this decision proved fruitful. Wodehouse might not have jumped to the top of my list of favourite humorous authors, but I can definitely appreciate his sharp satire and keen enthusiasm for creating zany characters and silly situations.
Fred, Lord Ickenham, has a youth that belies his older appearance. He’s the kind of person who looks at a situation and then asks, “How can I possibly make this more interesting?” Never content to leave things simply to develop on their own, Lord Ickenham always has to stir the pot a little more. The plot gets going when Ickenham’s influence causes his brother-in-law, Raymond “Beefy” Bastable, to write a novel—also called Cocktail Time. Beefy has a beef with today’s youth, because one of them knocked off his top hat with a catapulted Brazil nut. The real culprit, of course, is Ickenham, who at the time had no idea it would turn Beefy into the secret author of a bestseller.
Events continue to spiral out of control as more of Ickenham’s social circle becomes involved—and that’s just how he likes it. The action culminates in Dovetail Hammer with a tense auction for a fake walnut cabinet, an incriminating letter, and Ickenham’s hand in matchmaking several couples. It’s all masterfully executed in such a way that I never felt like I need to look behind the curtain and spoil my disbelief. The happy ending is almost assured by the novel’s light tone, but I enjoyed watching Wodehouse pull all the threads neatly into place.
And the characters themselves are wonderfully uncomplicated—there are villains and rogues and schemers and senile old men. They’re all types, allowing Wodehouse to explore the variations within British society (and particularly within the wealthy and well-to-do). But as circumstances shift, the characters have to change too—Cosimo goes from wanting to reveal the real author to wanting to keep the charade of his authorship alive after Cocktail Time lands a multi-hundred-thousand-dollar movie deal. Several times, Ickenham’s own schemes go awry, and he is forced to improvise swiftly and skilfully.
Wodehouse’s style is twofold. First, he is a master of what I would call whimisical description. He always knows the perfect thing to say—often a simile or, if no such simple beast is available, he springs for a metaphor—to elevate any description from mundane to amusing. And then there are paragraphs like this, which opens Chapter 12:
OLd Howard Saxby was seated at his desk in his room at the Edgar Saxby literary agency when Cosmo arrived there. He was knitting a sock. He knitted a good deal, he would tell you if you asked him, to keep himself from smoking, adding that he also smoked a good deal to keep himself from knitting.
The paragraph goes on to invoke comparisons to Stilton cheese and ghostly ectoplasm. Wodehouse’s vocabulary and diction are both dazzling, aided by the relative simplicity of the plot, which allows one to sink into the story and just enjoy the writing.
Wodehouse’s second element of style is the snappy dialogue he writes for his characters. It reads like a comedy sketch, with short sentences and plenty of interruption as one character plays off another’s words. The omniscient narrator reveals what everyone is thinking, contributing even further to the sense of irony that practically saturates this thin volume.
I don’t have much else to say about Wodehouse or Cocktail Time. It was a nice novel to spend a couple of days reading, and now I have a firmer idea of what Wodehouse has to offer. I’ll read the next one sometime in the next few months, and we’ll see how the relationship goes from there—I don’t like to take things too fast, after all. Beefy certainly waited a long time, and it worked out all right for him.
December 21, 2015
My first PG Wodehouse book! The back of the book, which calls it a "hilarious jab at the publishing industry," drew me in, and while it wasn't as publishing-centric as I'd hoped, it lived up to the hilarious part. I was charmed by the characters, the humor, and the twisting plot. This book, to quote the first page, left me feeling "as bumps-a-daisy as billy-o." I look forward to reading more Wodehouse books!
December 31, 2022
The ever-youthful and impulsive Lord Ickenham, Uncle Fred to his friends, knocks the silk hat off the head of "overbearing dishpot" and barrister Sir Raymond "Beefy" Bastable with a Brazil nut. This whim has unforeseen consequences; Bastable, rather than saying "young blood" and letting it go at that, writes a novel (called Cocktail Time) savaging the irresponsible younger generation. Because he's running for Parliament, he uses a pen name, of course. When the book unexpectedly becomes a best seller, he bribes his nephew to claim authorship. This turns into blackmail, and it's up to Uncle Fred to save Bastable from being outed as the author, bring together some sundered couples (including the butler, Peasemarch), and leave everyone (except Bastable) a little happier and more financially secure. I've said it before: Bertie and Jeeves make up Wodehouse's magic formula and is unparalleled. However, this Uncle Fred tale comes pretty close to that perfection. With the usual Wodehousian allusions, dry wit, and zig-zag plot, this is a delightful read. Brilliantly paced bathos, a blend of erudition and frivolity in which the puffed-up is punctured with perfect timing.
[read twice]
[read twice]
December 22, 2019
After finishing the Jeeves and Wooster and Blandings Castle series, I decided to continue my somewhat systematic approach to Wodehouse's works. Next in line, I decided, would be the Uncle Fred novels, two of which I had already read as part of Blandings—Uncle Fred in the Springtime and Service with a Smile. Next up was Cocktail Time, which, although it had its funny moments, sprinkled with the classic Wodehouse wit, wasn't quite up there with the brightest and shiniest of his tales.
June 25, 2017
This was my first encounter with Uncle Fred. I found it quite amusing but not a patch on Jeeves and Wooster.
January 28, 2023
One word to describe this book for me would be..funny!
I would like to say at the outset that I haven't read PGW for a long time and haven't read much of his work anyway because I was not sure I would enjoy this brand of humour! Well, I know now that I do!
It follows that all the characters in this story were new to me and hence fresh. Uncle Fred, the Earl of Ickenham who is the main character responsible for everything that befalls everyone else in the book, impressed me with his wit and quick thinking! He is the one who starts off things by knocking off the top hat of his half brother in law 'Beefy' with a Brazil nut shot from a catapult on a regular afternoon outing at his club! He then advises his target to write a book to get his wounded feelings out of the way and that book, Cocktail Time, is the trigger for everything that happens next.
The book is not one that a person aspiring for political office is expected to write and so to hide that he is the author, Beefy agrees to a plan suggested to him by none other than Uncle Fred. The plan doesn't go according to...plan! A bumbling nephew, a crafty character called 'Oily' who is looking to cash in and a couple of unrequited love stories and further meddling by Uncle Fred in his quest to 'spread sweetness and light', all lead to mayhem of a kind that's genuinely hilarious.
This can be described as a comedy of errors and a situational comedy which is made funnier by the good old, straight faced British humour or humour at the expense of the English High society. I listened to the book and the voices for Beefy and his nephew Cosmo as well as the ladies in the book made me giggle.
I enjoyed this foray into PGW land! Now to pick up some more of his famous work.
I would like to say at the outset that I haven't read PGW for a long time and haven't read much of his work anyway because I was not sure I would enjoy this brand of humour! Well, I know now that I do!
It follows that all the characters in this story were new to me and hence fresh. Uncle Fred, the Earl of Ickenham who is the main character responsible for everything that befalls everyone else in the book, impressed me with his wit and quick thinking! He is the one who starts off things by knocking off the top hat of his half brother in law 'Beefy' with a Brazil nut shot from a catapult on a regular afternoon outing at his club! He then advises his target to write a book to get his wounded feelings out of the way and that book, Cocktail Time, is the trigger for everything that happens next.
The book is not one that a person aspiring for political office is expected to write and so to hide that he is the author, Beefy agrees to a plan suggested to him by none other than Uncle Fred. The plan doesn't go according to...plan! A bumbling nephew, a crafty character called 'Oily' who is looking to cash in and a couple of unrequited love stories and further meddling by Uncle Fred in his quest to 'spread sweetness and light', all lead to mayhem of a kind that's genuinely hilarious.
This can be described as a comedy of errors and a situational comedy which is made funnier by the good old, straight faced British humour or humour at the expense of the English High society. I listened to the book and the voices for Beefy and his nephew Cosmo as well as the ladies in the book made me giggle.
I enjoyed this foray into PGW land! Now to pick up some more of his famous work.
June 20, 2023
ENGLISH: This is the first time I've read this book, third in the series about Uncle Fred (Lord Ickenham). I found the first two books funnier, perhaps because of the presence of Uncle Fred's nephew, Pongo Twisleton, who appears little in this novel.
A few hilarious quotes from this book:
Phoebe Wisdom was extraordinarily like a white rabbit, a resemblance which was heightened at the moment by the white dressing jacket she was wearing and the fact that much weeping had made her nose and eyes pink... Mrs. Phoebe Wisdom pottered in, looking so like a white rabbit that the first impulse of any lover of animals would have been to offer her a lettuce... Phoebe's eyes were round. She looked like a white rabbit that is not abreast of things.
ESPAÑOL: Esta es la primera vez que leo este libro, tercero de la serie sobre el tío Fred (Lord Ickenham). Los dos primeros me parecieron algo más divertidos, quizás por la presencia del sobrino del tío Fred, Pongo Twisleton, que aparece poco en esta novela.
Veamos algunas citas divertidas de este libro:
Phoebe Wisdom se parecía extraordinariamente a un conejo blanco, parecido que se acentuaba en ese momento por la bata blanca que llevaba puesta y a que tanto llorar le había teñido la nariz y los ojos de rosa... La Sra. Phoebe Wisdom entró, y se parecía tanto a un conejo blanco que el primer impulso de cualquier amante de los animales habría sido ofrecerle una lechuga... Los ojos de Phoebe se habían puesto redondos. Parecía un conejo blanco que no está al tanto de las cosas.
A few hilarious quotes from this book:
Phoebe Wisdom was extraordinarily like a white rabbit, a resemblance which was heightened at the moment by the white dressing jacket she was wearing and the fact that much weeping had made her nose and eyes pink... Mrs. Phoebe Wisdom pottered in, looking so like a white rabbit that the first impulse of any lover of animals would have been to offer her a lettuce... Phoebe's eyes were round. She looked like a white rabbit that is not abreast of things.
ESPAÑOL: Esta es la primera vez que leo este libro, tercero de la serie sobre el tío Fred (Lord Ickenham). Los dos primeros me parecieron algo más divertidos, quizás por la presencia del sobrino del tío Fred, Pongo Twisleton, que aparece poco en esta novela.
Veamos algunas citas divertidas de este libro:
Phoebe Wisdom se parecía extraordinariamente a un conejo blanco, parecido que se acentuaba en ese momento por la bata blanca que llevaba puesta y a que tanto llorar le había teñido la nariz y los ojos de rosa... La Sra. Phoebe Wisdom entró, y se parecía tanto a un conejo blanco que el primer impulso de cualquier amante de los animales habría sido ofrecerle una lechuga... Los ojos de Phoebe se habían puesto redondos. Parecía un conejo blanco que no está al tanto de las cosas.
March 26, 2025
This was all about Frederick Altamont Cornwallis Twistleton, 5th Earl of Ickenham, commonly known as Uncle Fred, the uncle of Pongo Twistleton. A man whose name, one might say, almost requires a special corset to keep it from falling apart.
Perhaps this is not Wodehouse of the first water?
The ingredients - the rannygazoo if you will - are all here: the entanglements, imbroglios, and difficulties of various couples, the problematic issues that’re keeping them apart (in this case, it’s money, the disputed authorship of a book ‘Cocktail Time’, and the sale of a very ugly walnut chest), plus the Wodehousisan use of language. But for some reason, it felt tired, it lacked the customary sparkle and vim. We were not refreshed nor full of beans when it concluded, but rather we felt ourselves in need of a snifter to steady the nerves and provide some small solace for the soul.
- Toodle-pip
- Tinkerty tonk
Perhaps this is not Wodehouse of the first water?
The ingredients - the rannygazoo if you will - are all here: the entanglements, imbroglios, and difficulties of various couples, the problematic issues that’re keeping them apart (in this case, it’s money, the disputed authorship of a book ‘Cocktail Time’, and the sale of a very ugly walnut chest), plus the Wodehousisan use of language. But for some reason, it felt tired, it lacked the customary sparkle and vim. We were not refreshed nor full of beans when it concluded, but rather we felt ourselves in need of a snifter to steady the nerves and provide some small solace for the soul.
- Toodle-pip
- Tinkerty tonk
February 20, 2025
Cocktail Time follows the chaos sparked by the publication of a novel criticising the moral decay of youth. In true Wodehouse fashion, this leads to a series of increasingly absurd situations orchestrated by the eccentric aristocrat Lord Ickenham (Uncle Fred).
The book hits familiar Wodehouse territory—aristocrats in country houses, romantic entanglements, and a quintessentially British sense of propriety being entirely upended. If you've read "Summer Lightning" from the Blandings series, you'll notice striking similarities—both revolve around potentially embarrassing manuscripts and the scramble to contain them. This recycling of plot devices is where the book loses some points for me. Wodehouse had certain mechanisms he returned to frequently, and the "scandalous writing threatens aristocratic dignity" plot has appeared often enough to feel worn.
That said, Wodehouse's wit remains sharp. His talent for crafting perfectly timed comedy and memorable dialogue never fails. I did find myself missing other Wodehouse series characters—Wodehouse is one of the few authors whose series I've read through, and his books are often more enjoyable when familiar characters materialise. In comparison, Uncle Fred feels less appealing than his previous creations.
It's a quick, enjoyable read that'll certainly lift your spirits, even if it's not Wodehouse's most original work. Perfect for when you need something light and genuinely funny.
The book hits familiar Wodehouse territory—aristocrats in country houses, romantic entanglements, and a quintessentially British sense of propriety being entirely upended. If you've read "Summer Lightning" from the Blandings series, you'll notice striking similarities—both revolve around potentially embarrassing manuscripts and the scramble to contain them. This recycling of plot devices is where the book loses some points for me. Wodehouse had certain mechanisms he returned to frequently, and the "scandalous writing threatens aristocratic dignity" plot has appeared often enough to feel worn.
That said, Wodehouse's wit remains sharp. His talent for crafting perfectly timed comedy and memorable dialogue never fails. I did find myself missing other Wodehouse series characters—Wodehouse is one of the few authors whose series I've read through, and his books are often more enjoyable when familiar characters materialise. In comparison, Uncle Fred feels less appealing than his previous creations.
It's a quick, enjoyable read that'll certainly lift your spirits, even if it's not Wodehouse's most original work. Perfect for when you need something light and genuinely funny.
June 17, 2019
Uncle Freddy really is fantastic! Spreading goodness and life wherever he goes!
December 6, 2016
4.5* for this audiobook edition narrated by Jonathan Cecil
This 3rd book in the Uncle Fred series was hilarious! His nephew Pongo Twisleton having been married in the previous book, Lady Ickenham (Uncle Fred's wife) has no choice but to deposit him with his godson Johnny while she is elsewhere (she doesn't trust him on his own, for good reason!). Typical Wodehousian convolutions occur but one aspect of this that stood out for me is the fun Wodehouse has with authors, publishers and critics in this. Sir Raymond 'Beefy' Bastable, a neighbor of Johnny's, is prompted to "write his exposé of the younger generation, a novel so shocking that it caused endless repercussions for its hapless author, sparked off a whole series of outrageous misunderstandings, and required the inventive talents of Lord Ickenham himself to resolve." as the blurb puts it. I can easily imagine Wodehouse venting some of his own frustrations with writing & publishing in some of the comments.
This 3rd book in the Uncle Fred series was hilarious! His nephew Pongo Twisleton having been married in the previous book, Lady Ickenham (Uncle Fred's wife) has no choice but to deposit him with his godson Johnny while she is elsewhere (she doesn't trust him on his own, for good reason!). Typical Wodehousian convolutions occur but one aspect of this that stood out for me is the fun Wodehouse has with authors, publishers and critics in this. Sir Raymond 'Beefy' Bastable, a neighbor of Johnny's, is prompted to "write his exposé of the younger generation, a novel so shocking that it caused endless repercussions for its hapless author, sparked off a whole series of outrageous misunderstandings, and required the inventive talents of Lord Ickenham himself to resolve." as the blurb puts it. I can easily imagine Wodehouse venting some of his own frustrations with writing & publishing in some of the comments.
May 16, 2016
What a delightful story!
June 28, 2021
PG Wodehouse had a formula. When he gets the formula spot on his books are gold. He got it right in this one and the result was amusing, clever and joyful ❤️
January 31, 2023
Cocktail time is my first book by PGW. For some reason, I never got to pick up any of his books till now. I read this for a book discussion in my book club and I am determined to read more of his works.
Lord Ickehnam or Uncle Fred is in London with his nephew Pongo after a long time. He is itching to show off his skills and intelligence and in that pursuit, he knocks off Sir Raymond Bastable's top hat using a Brazil nut. Sir Raymond Bastable thinks this is the work of a young hooligan and this included with his very low opinion of the youth makes him write Cocktail Time under a pseudonym. He wants nothing to do with the book since its going to put a brake on his aspirations for a political career. But the situations play out in such a way that by any cost he wants to prove that he is the actual author of the book. Situations is complicated by then and Lord Ickenham somehow is in the middle of all this trying to solve the problem
The book makes you laugh with so many funny dialogues and subtle humor. The humor is mostly taking a dig at the current society structure. The conversations between Oily and his wife or Lord Ickenham and the Carlisle's is really funny. On the contrary, it really took me a long time to get to this book because of the structure. The Sentences were too long and too many long conversations made me read the chapters twice just to follow the story. This also might be because of the fact that this is my first PGW and I am just getting warmed up to his writing. The ending seemed too rushed and I would have appreciated a little more detail in the ending.
My rating for this book is 3.5 rounded to 4
Lord Ickehnam or Uncle Fred is in London with his nephew Pongo after a long time. He is itching to show off his skills and intelligence and in that pursuit, he knocks off Sir Raymond Bastable's top hat using a Brazil nut. Sir Raymond Bastable thinks this is the work of a young hooligan and this included with his very low opinion of the youth makes him write Cocktail Time under a pseudonym. He wants nothing to do with the book since its going to put a brake on his aspirations for a political career. But the situations play out in such a way that by any cost he wants to prove that he is the actual author of the book. Situations is complicated by then and Lord Ickenham somehow is in the middle of all this trying to solve the problem
The book makes you laugh with so many funny dialogues and subtle humor. The humor is mostly taking a dig at the current society structure. The conversations between Oily and his wife or Lord Ickenham and the Carlisle's is really funny. On the contrary, it really took me a long time to get to this book because of the structure. The Sentences were too long and too many long conversations made me read the chapters twice just to follow the story. This also might be because of the fact that this is my first PGW and I am just getting warmed up to his writing. The ending seemed too rushed and I would have appreciated a little more detail in the ending.
My rating for this book is 3.5 rounded to 4
July 20, 2024
Uncle Fred is such a Romantic! I love the way he can be counted on to help lovers without regard to age or class… the way he slyly juggles details, sizes up personalities, and blithely flits about solving dilemmas and making matches. He’s a wonder to behold! I smiled all the way through this adventure. It was completely delightful, and I’m very much looking forward to the next one.
December 18, 2022
Hilarious!
August 6, 2022
A joy and an escape.
June 25, 2019
Could be made Into a good entertaining movie
September 21, 2023
I confess that I didn’t follow everything in this audio. PG Wodehouse included many characters, gave them nicknames, and created intricate storylines causing me to lose concentration. But it didn’t matter. I was entertained enough by the enthusiasm of the narrator.
June 30, 2009
I often say that the plots in Wodehouse are not very diverse. However, this book was cut from a different mold.
There were the usual escapades of unrequited lovers. Couples couldn't marry because of not enough money. Others had misunderstandings getting in the way.
However, most of the plot centers around a novel, entitled Cocktail Time, about the foolishness of England's youth. The book creates a stir in the general populace after a bishop denounces it from the pulpit. The author of Cocktail Time, hoping to jump-start his political career, writes the book under a pseudonym desiring to keep his authorship a secret. However, once the Hollywood film companies start bidding for the rights to put the book on screen, then there's incentive for coming clean. This situation leads to some hilarious scenarios between Sir Raymond Bastable (author), his nephew Cosmo, and an American con artist named Oily Carlisle (the book was worth reading for no other reason than having a main character with such a name!).
In addition, as usual, the most fun comes simply from Wodehouse's language and similes. I can't review a Wodehouse book without at least a few of my favorites:
"He was feeling like a character in a Greek tragedy pursued by the Furies. Though he would have said, if you had asked him, that far too much fuss was made about being pursued by Furies. The time to start worrying was when you were pursued by reporters." (p.37)
"[Cosmo was:] a twister compared with whom corkscrews are straight and spiral staircases the shortest line between two points." (p.93)
"Unless he speedily mended his ways, he would be a butler short, and nobody wants to lost a butler in these hard post-war days. As the fellow said - Ecclesiastes, was it? - whoso findeth a butler findeth a good thing." (p.134)
"He felt as if he had been reclining in an electric chair and some practical joker had turned on the juice." (p.154)
There were the usual escapades of unrequited lovers. Couples couldn't marry because of not enough money. Others had misunderstandings getting in the way.
However, most of the plot centers around a novel, entitled Cocktail Time, about the foolishness of England's youth. The book creates a stir in the general populace after a bishop denounces it from the pulpit. The author of Cocktail Time, hoping to jump-start his political career, writes the book under a pseudonym desiring to keep his authorship a secret. However, once the Hollywood film companies start bidding for the rights to put the book on screen, then there's incentive for coming clean. This situation leads to some hilarious scenarios between Sir Raymond Bastable (author), his nephew Cosmo, and an American con artist named Oily Carlisle (the book was worth reading for no other reason than having a main character with such a name!).
In addition, as usual, the most fun comes simply from Wodehouse's language and similes. I can't review a Wodehouse book without at least a few of my favorites:
"He was feeling like a character in a Greek tragedy pursued by the Furies. Though he would have said, if you had asked him, that far too much fuss was made about being pursued by Furies. The time to start worrying was when you were pursued by reporters." (p.37)
"[Cosmo was:] a twister compared with whom corkscrews are straight and spiral staircases the shortest line between two points." (p.93)
"Unless he speedily mended his ways, he would be a butler short, and nobody wants to lost a butler in these hard post-war days. As the fellow said - Ecclesiastes, was it? - whoso findeth a butler findeth a good thing." (p.134)
"He felt as if he had been reclining in an electric chair and some practical joker had turned on the juice." (p.154)
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