Do Butlers Burgle Banks? Hardcover – April 20, 2006

Reread after a long time. On of Wodehouse's later books, loved it!

Have not yet finished reading it but interesting.

The subject of this review says it all, really.Definitely worth reading, if you have never read a Wodehouse novel, or are reading one after a while...

"Do Butlers Burgle Banks?" is a light, frothy escapade from the inimitable P.G. Wodehouse. Decidedly thin on plot and sometimes on characterization, this criminal caper is still full of Wodehouse's trademark wit and humor. It is a delightful escape into a bygone era.Horace Appleby is a criminal mastermind, preferring to plot the dirty work rather than do it. He needs a new challenge, so when he hears about the always profitable Bond's Bank, he sets his sights on burgling the bank and not the house where he has disguisedly set up residence as a butler. However, Horace did not bank on several things - the fact that a formerly employed criminal from America would come hunting him down, the fact that a nurse who was in residence at a house he previously burgled is installed at the Bond homestead, or the fact that he would fall head-over-heels in love with the secretary of the bank. Another fact that he couldn't forsee is that Bond's Bank is no longer as successful as everyone has believed it to be and that the owner may welcome a spot of burglary to help him out of his dire situation - and there are others besides Appleby who would be happy to help him out."Do Butlers Burgle Banks?" is a fast-paced read which alternates between various stories - that of Horace Appleby and his rapidly diminishing gang of criminals, that of Mike Bond's business and personal travails, and that of several other minor characters within the novel. At times there is almost too much going on and just a few too many complications seem to arise to prevent Horace Appleby from carrying out his plans. Yet the right people get their comeuppances in the end, even if the resolution is rather rushed. It is delightful, vintage Wodehouse.

Mike Bond has recently inherited Bond's Bank from his late uncle. When he examines the bank's books, he is horrified to discover that his uncle had been embezzling from the bank for years in order to fund the schools, libraries, and hospitals he built throughout the town.Horace Appleby is a professional thief. He obtains a job as a butler at Bond Hall in order to plan his biggest heist yet: burgling Bond Bank.Jill Willard is Mike's fiance. She would do anything for Mike, up to and including burgling the bank before the government examiners arrive next week to inspect the bank's books.This is one of P.G. Wodehouse's funniest farces as two sets of burglars bump into each other burgling the bank before they are interrupted by the arrival of a Scotland Yard detective.

I agree with many of the reviewers that some of Wodehouse's later works aren't his best. However, I don't think this was one of them.It reminded me of everything I love about Wodehouse: characteristic understatement, light prose, lots of literary references, some love interests, some unexpected plot twists that glue together in a surprising but satisfying way so that right triumphs.Whether it's the dubious insurance deal, the subtle references to "the poet Burns" or "the Lady of Shallot", the carefully polished gangsters, the sinister Scotland Yard man, or just the repeated references to good food, I found myself frequently laughing out loud.It may not be Wodehouse's best, but it's well worth reading.

The then 87-year-old Wodehouse still had six years of life and writing ahead, but his age does show in this slight, breezy escapade mixing rather cliched Chicago gangsters with their more refined though no less amoral criminal counterparts across the pond. Though Plum lived many years in the USA, he never managed Yankee dialogue convincingly; on the few occasions here when he attempts it, it glares.Other shortcomings include his relatively weak characterizations of what should be pretty interesting characters, like Mike the reluctant heir to a troubled bank, and his loving wife-to-be, Jill. They are etched with a vagueness that the author would have eschewed in prior years. Also, their willingness to engage in clearly criminal activity to rescue the bank from insolvency makes them somewhat less sympathetic than they ought to be.The ending is rushed and unsatisfying, smacking of a looming deadline.Still, there is some fun to be had; you could do worse on a warm summer day at the beach than peruse Do Butlers Burgle Banks.

A gentle beautiful fantasy of a book. It's been claimed that Wodehouse is somewhat lacking in variety that if you've read one you've read them all. This book argues against that there is all the feeling and romance that anyone could ask for it is warm witty and wonderful, it maybe lacks the comfortability of a Jeeves or Blandings story or the freshness of Laughing Gas but it is still absolutely brilliant.

“So true it is that in this life we never know what may be waiting for us around the next corner.”This is one of those old favourite PGW books that I pull out of the shelves to read regularly. The story does not involve the most well-known characters of PGW Jeeves, Wooster, or indeed any of the Blandings Castle crowd but is nonethless peopled with well-drawn and well-rounded characters who are involved in a cracking tale.Bond’s Bank, a privately owned bank (this book was first published in 1968) in the town of Wellingford has recently been inherited by Mike Bond after the death of his Uncle Hugo. He seems preoccupied lately, or so his girlfriend and secretary come to believe. Horace Appleby, mastermind of a small but select gang of thieves is about to go and spend a bit of his free time at the Wellingford Races. Charlie Yost believes Horace owes him money from their last job and is going to find him to get it. And in Wellingford, Police Superintendent Jessop is about to be visited for a holiday by his brother-in-law Sergeant Claude Potter who always makes him feel inferior with his Scotland Yard manners.Of course, there are trials and tribulations for all concerned, and mix-ups and confusion will reign freely for a while before the master of comic novels, P G Wodehouse gets it all sorted in the end. Definitely recommend for a good read, a jolly good story, and loads of chuckles.

Do 'Butlers Burgle Banks' is not the most popular of Wodehouse's works and is often left out of lists of his books. But, for those who do know of it, it is a real delight. This butler is a crook who, by answering advertisements for staff, becomes the 'inside man' behind many burglaries. He's the leader and the brains of a gang, and the fact that he looks,speaks and behaves so much like an upper servant is a great asset. Some readers have said that the end of the book is something of a damp sqib. But by then Horace has used his criminal talents to get his young master out of a jam, plans to settle down to respectable married life with one of the female characters and, as his former employer says, "You can't keep on callng me sir".

I take issue with the previous reviewer - past his best?!! My husband and I are great Wodehouse fans and have read dozens of his books. This one is another real delight. Loveable characters, lots of mix-ups, happy ending and, of course, beautifully written.

Il libro era stato definito in ottime condizioni. Non lo è. A parte l'ingiallimento dei bordi (perdonabile), in alcune pagine ci sono anche macchie evidenti: a volte bianche e piccole ma, in un caso, piuttosto grande e scura, verso e recto (forse causata da un liquido rovesciato, per esempio tè). Il difetto andava segnalato.Se ne fossi stata informata, non avrei effettuato l'acquisto. La spedizione è avvenuta correttamente, buoni l'imballaggio e i tempi di consegna.

Although there is quite a lot of competition. The title pretty much gives the story away, two young people 'crossed in love' and yet another of Wodehouse's incredibly competent factotums, this time with a bit of a past and of course, a kind heart.Some editions of books are really nice and for me this small hardback edition is pretty nearly perfect. I may buy more.