Clever and hilarious, though featuring an indolent lifestyle and some questionable morality.
Plot
Bertie Wooster's friends generally need a boost when it comes to affairs of the heart, but it looks like Gussie Fink-Nottle is going to be a specialty case. The poor fellow can tell you everything you want to know (and a great deal more that you didn't) about newts, but he simply can't confess his feelings for the girl in question: Madeline Bassett, who thinks stars are both fairy tears and God's daisy-chain. It only gets worse when the lovers' path crosses with that of Tuppy Glossop and Bertie's cousin Angela, who are estranged due to an unfortunate argument about a shark.
Enter Bertie, determined to save the day for both couples - and without Jeeves' interference this time.
Morality
Bertie's lifestyle, while not actively "bad," is one of complete indolence: he never does anything of worth to society. Since the story is essentially a comedy, this is never addressed in a moralistic fashion; it is recognized by the characters, however, and provides the backbone of the humor.
Bertie does try to help his friends (he usually ends up making matters worse, but he does try). His ideas, and Jeeves', often involve slightly underhanded methods.
Spiritual Content
Bertie says he won a prize for Scripture reading as a child, and it is implied that he cheated. Various Bible verses are quoted or stories referenced, sometimes correctly, sometimes not.
Violence
Tuppy threatens great violence to Bertie and chases Gussie with apparently murderous intent (both of these instances are witty and slapstick, not serious). Bertie relates how his cousin Angela was nearly attacked by a shark.
Drug and Alcohol Content
Casual drinking is part of the characters' lifestyles, and times of excessive drinking are related for amusement. Gussie says he never drinks, and Bertie, horrified, tries to get him to have one before attempting to propose to Madeline Bassett. Gussie does eventually do so, downing not a mixed drink, but straight whiskey. A character accidentally has too much to drink and proceeds to make a fool of himself.
Sexual Content
Bertie mentions having ridden about town on a bicycle "in a state of nature," as it were, while also in a state of extreme intoxication. He has an affectionate, though not romantic, relationship with his cousin Angela and mentions "mixed bathing" and moonlight strolls. No real sexual content.
Crude or Profane Language or Content
"D*mn" is used semi-frequently, and "hell" several times. The Lord's name is taken in vain. "Ass" is used to refer to silly or stupid people, or people who are doing silly and stupid things.
Conclusion
In terms of the story itself, I found "Right Ho, Jeeves" even better than the first Jeeves book I read, "The Inimitable Jeeves": it is more cohesive, more fluid, reading more like a novel and less like a collection of short stories. Bertie's attempts in this book to solve all his friends' problems (and his own) without Jeeves' help are, of course, hilarious. Wodehouse's writing is even cleverer, if possible; his use of imagery is spot-on, his metaphors and similes ingenious. Again, though Bertie is totally inept, he is also endearing, and the book is enlivened by the appearance of characters like his aggressive Aunt Dahlia, food-obsessed Tuppy, and "the Bassett."
It would be an easy matter to overdose on the Jeeves and Wooster books, and I don't recommend a steady diet of them: they are straight comedy, and while they are very witty, they don't have much meat on their bones. At the very least, the '20's slang would get old. However, for those who do not mind the lazy lifestyle, this is an enjoyable read to sit down with on a rainy day.
This review is brought to you by Jeanne.
