French Leave

By P.G. Wodehouse

Book Overview

This season, Overlook is pleased to offer the latest two hilarious novels, The White Feather, a school story, and French Leave, a classic Wodehouse tale of mixed up lovers and impoverished... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0140124519
• ISBN13: 9780140124514
• Release Date: January 1992
• Publisher: Penguin Group
• Length: 206 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.1" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

Wodehouse is the best

I've read over 100 Wodehouse stories and this one is one of my favorites. The harmless phrase "Where is the dossier Quibolle?" had me rolling off the floor (you have to read the book to find out more...). Wodehouse also weaves in French pronounciations and hilarious interactions between the French and non-French characters in the novel. This book makes you laugh right from the Preface to the last page.

A great read!

I highly recommend this book. It's one of my favorites by P.G. Wodehouse. It's very entertaining and funny!

Mon-sewer Wodehouse Speaking!!

Why, in Heavens name, should a modern reader take the time to read the novels of P.G. Wodehouse?? Is it because he was the funniest writer of the 20th century? He was. Is it because you will marvel at his complete mastery of the English language? You will. Is it because his heroes and villians are equally likable persons?? They are. The star of every Wodehouse novel is not Bertie or Jeeves or Lord Emsworth or Psmith or even Mr. Mulliner; the star, of course, is Wodehouse himself. And when he speaks, you should listen!French Leave is a non-saga novel (meaning no Jeeves or Uncle Fred) with very appealing characters and wonderous and hilarious misunderstandings. It is the story of three American girls and their adventures in France: a story of love at first sight, of mineral-water millionaires, of rascally French policemen, and of a breach of promise suit that never happens. And like all Wodehouse settings, France seems like Heaven on earth. Warm sunshine seems to glow from each and every page. It is almost as if Wodehouse is speaking directly to his audience saying: Wouldn't you like to be here and spend time with my friends? I think all readers of French Leave would transport themselves there in a minute.If you've never read Wodehouse before, I cannot but strongly encourage you to join the millions who have discovered this wonderful writer. French Leave is just as good a place as any to start. Because it is a later novel (written in the mid-fifties), it will prime you for some of the even wackier masterpieces of the 20s and 30s. Read on, ladies and gentlemen, and even you may find that song lurks in the depths of your heart.

A Classic

French Leave is the epitome of Wodehouse writing. Everyone gets into more scrapes than any other author could pack into 250 odd pages. I enjoy reading all Wodehouse books and this is an especial favorite. Mr. Wodehouse has a command of the English language we could all do well to emulate. You will enjoy this light look at love and foriegn countries!

The Wodehouse magic spans continents in a delightful farce.

I came upon PGW in no systematic way, and my favorites by him may be those most easily accessible: Jeeves and Wooster, the Drones Club, the golf stories, the Mr. Mulliner tales. Taking the occasional chance to read more widely in Wodehouse, however, I came across French Leave, which is delightful in every sense and repays even more than better known Wodehouse fare in becoming more tangled, involving more cultures and sensibilities, and painting a very special picture of young love. French Leave could easily be a Doris Day movie, painting, as it does a visual travelogue in which its actresses' high spirits and light comedy can have free reign, with the unerring touch of the master.