STIFF UPPER LIP JEEVES

The high jinks perpetrated by aristocrat Bertie Wooster and his butler, Jeeves, complete with verbal sparring, are just the tip of the iceberg. Audiobook virtuoso Martin Jarvis portrays spot-on personae with such a range of diversity that one could swear a full cast is at work. He adeptly performs the dichotomy between Bertie's buffoonery, misguided colloquialisms, and spirited airs and the inimitable Jeeves's upper-crust inflections. This paradox serves to underscore the hilarity of the class distinctions between the two. Jarvis's expressiveness doesn’t stop there. He also nails hearty Aunt Dahlia, drawling Stinker, perky Gussie, breathy Madeline, and growling Spode, and his segues between all of the characters are seamless. Wodehouse pens an exuberant, entertaining caper at Totleigh Towers, where Jeeves and Wooster strive to unravel engagements gone awry. A.W. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2012]