Ice In The Bedroom

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· 378 ratings · 48 reviews

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Freddie Widgeon needs money so he can invest in a coffee plantation and marry Sally Foster. Too bad Soapy Molloy swindled him out of his life savings. Soapy and his wife, Dolly, are looking to recover some jewelry they stole that's stashed in a country house, a country house currently occupied by Sally's employer, novelist Leila Yorke. Will Freddie be able to navigate the labyrinth of complications P.G. Wodehouse throws in his way and get the girl?

Ice in the Bedroom was written in P.G. Wodehouse

Ice in the Bedroom was written in P.G. Wodehouse's declining years but that doesn't mean it's not a great time. All the classic Wodehouse plot elements are here. We've got the jeopardized engagement between Freddie and Sally, imposters Soapy and Dolly Molloy, misunderstandings, lost loves, and a lot of dry British wit.

Leila Yorke, the novelist coming to idyllic Valley Fields to write a novel, is now one of my favorite Wodehouse characters, and I fear this is her only appearance. She's tough, ballsy, and isn't afraid to fire a shotgun. She also constantly says hilarious things, like "Pass me that champagne. Mustn't let it congeal." I'm also sad that Soapy and Dolly Molloy and their uneasy ally, seedy detective Chimp Twist, aren't in more of Wodehouse's books, although Chimp and the Molloys are in at least one other book whose name escapes me at the moment.

Freddie and Sally are the leading characters and are actually the characters I found the least interesting, since they are fairly typical for Wodehouse leads. He's not all that bright and she's a pretty tough cookie.

Like I said, there is a lot to like about Ice in the Bedroom. Wodehouse weaves a serpentine plot but everything comes together nicely at the end and it's a fun journey. I wouldn't start your Wodehouse experience with this book but it's definitely on par with a lot of his earlier works.

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What we have here is an atypical typical Wodehouse novel. When we think of Wodehouse's works, we – and even us long term fans/worshippers are guilty of this – tend to think of country-houses, of butlers, of the idle lives of the aristocratic rich. It's true that Wodehouse has a tendency to focus on the 1% (although not in such a way that earns him scorn for ignoring the working masses: partly because he's hardly suggesting that these various Lords, Viscounts and Dowager Duchesses are better than What we have here is an atypical typical Wodehouse novel. When we think of Wodehouse's works, we – and even us long term fans/worshippers are guilty of this – tend to think of country-houses, of butlers, of the idle lives of the aristocratic rich. It's true that Wodehouse has a tendency to focus on the 1% (although not in such a way that earns him scorn for ignoring the working masses: partly because he's hardly suggesting that these various Lords, Viscounts and Dowager Duchesses are better than us; and partly because his books are so damned wonderful). But there is another side of Wodehouse, one that is actually interested in the suburbs, that is interested in those who live and adore – or alternatively, resent – their little houses and who run for the early train into The City. Wodehouse may have written a lot about the aristocracy, but he went to school in Dulwich and worked as a bank clerk in the city for a while (alongside, of all people, Sax Rohmer) he knew something of what he wrote.

In 'Ice in the Bedroom' a female novelist of the romantic kind that Wodehouse loves to poke fun of, moves out to the suburbs as she wants to get away from the kind of novels she's famous for and instead give the readers something 'stark'. A book about the bleakness of suburban lives, maybe something along the George Gissing lines. That's a joke at the book's own expense, as we have here a book about people working in the suburbs, struggling in seemingly meaningless jobs, trying to fulfill their dreams but hampered by a lack of money, yearning after lost love, and actually coming face to face with crime in the neighbourhood. None of which would be out of place in a Gissing novel. But Wodehouse – because he's Wodehouse – also throws in jewel thieves, stashed diamonds, snakes, female novelists with the voice of a foghorn and secret millionaires. This is most definitely P.G. rather than George.

As well as Valley Fields, 'Ice in the Bedroom' also sees the return of Soapy and Dolly Molloy, and Chimp Twist. Now in another of those characters' adventures (I forget which) Wodehouse writes in his introduction that some readers may actually shudder at the appearance of the Molloys and Mr Twist, but he sees them as a favourites and he's damn well going to continue writing about them. To the uninitiated they're thieves and criminals, who actually seem to be quite successful when they're off page, but whose schemes fall apart the moment Wodehouse focuses on them. And since Wodehouse is writing a farce in novel form again and again and again, a couple of crooks who keep running into a brick wall are more than useful. Personally, I think they're a treat to every book they appear in.

Having read this book with a big smile on my face throughout, I'll happily proclaim 'Ice in the Bedroom' a neglected Wodehouse classic. It's hugely amusing, hugely charming and so totally enchanted with all its characters – even the unscrupulous ones, that it's hard for the reader not to be swept along. It may not be what we often think about when it comes to Wodehouse, but with the returning setting and the returning characters, it actually is pure Wodehouse.

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Nov 12, 2010 Kate rated it liked it

Wodehouse is like candy - you can never have enough, but you rarely remember the experience after you've finished it, and it doesn't fill you up properly. Even so, Ice in the Bedroom was a very nice late Wodehouse, with some amusing crooks, brooding/breaking up/reforming young lovers, crazy lady novelist, etc. I notice that the later books rarely make me laugh out loud, but this was definitely a snicker-or-two book that I needed. Wodehouse is like candy - you can never have enough, but you rarely remember the experience after you've finished it, and it doesn't fill you up properly. Even so, Ice in the Bedroom was a very nice late Wodehouse, with some amusing crooks, brooding/breaking up/reforming young lovers, crazy lady novelist, etc. I notice that the later books rarely make me laugh out loud, but this was definitely a snicker-or-two book that I needed. ...more

ENGLISH: This is the fifth time I have read this novel. The main character (Freddie Widgeon, a member of the Drones Club) is somewhat like Bertie Wooster without Jeeves but with Sally (Bertie is a steady bachelor). The bad guys are duffers, making blunders all the time. Almost anyone would have had better ideas for grasping the hidden "ice" in the bedroom.

ESPAÑOL: Es la quinta vez que leo esta novela. El personaje principal (Freddie Widgeon, miembro del Club de los Zánganos) es algo así como Ber

ESPAÑOL: Es la quinta vez que leo esta novela. El personaje principal (Freddie Widgeon, miembro del Club de los Zánganos) es algo así como Bertie Wooster sin Jeeves pero con Sally (Bertie es un solterón empedernido). Los malos son unos inútiles que cometen un error tras otro. Casi cualquiera habría tenido mejores ideas para apoderarse de las joyas escondidas en el dormitorio.

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Dec 25, 2008 Ian rated it really liked it

Entertaining story about an impoverished Freddie Widgeon searching for both love and money in the suburban paradise of Valley Fields. Also features the American con artist Soapy Molloy peddling his Silver River gold shares to a range of victims, including Oofy Prosser of the Drones.

Unusually for Wodehouse, Ice in the Bedroom has an almost entirely suburban setting. Otherwise it's the classic Wodehouse mixture as before: thwarted young love, brilliantly plotted farce and inventively crafted comic prose. It's a fairly late novel (1961), and to a certain extent revisits ground already covered in Sam the Sudden, but at the fact that at the age of eighty Wodehouse was still turning out books as good and with as light a touch as this is incredible. Featuring Freddie Widgeon and Unusually for Wodehouse, Ice in the Bedroom has an almost entirely suburban setting. Otherwise it's the classic Wodehouse mixture as before: thwarted young love, brilliantly plotted farce and inventively crafted comic prose. It's a fairly late novel (1961), and to a certain extent revisits ground already covered in Sam the Sudden, but at the fact that at the age of eighty Wodehouse was still turning out books as good and with as light a touch as this is incredible. Featuring Freddie Widgeon and Soapy Sam and Dolly Molloy from earlier books, Ice in the Bedroom is essentially a tale of stolen jewels (belonging to the wife of Oofy Prosser, the well-known millionaire member of the Drones Club) and the efforts of assorted criminals to retrieve them from the oblivious householders in whose residence they are hidden. A simple enough plot, but expertly handled for maximum entertainment. ...more

'Ice' is slang for diamonds. 'Ice' is slang for diamonds. ...more

Feb 02, 2019 Tiffany rated it really liked it

This is the book equivalent of a Mini Chewy Sweet Tart. You know, those tiny round balls of tarty sweet delightfulness. Yep, that's what it tasted like to my reading tastebuds.

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This is probably the worst Wodehouse I have ever read. I still gave it three stars because, after all, it is a Wodehouse.

This is probably the worst Wodehouse I have ever read. I still gave it three stars because, after all, it is a Wodehouse.

This is the story of a ne'er do well named Freddie Widgeon. He is unemployable as he has no talents and apparently no education and absolutely no work ethic. He is good looking and attracts plenty of females whom he loves and leaves in a mannerly Wodehousian way; until he find his soul mate at which time he suddenly changes his spots and is satisfied to love and be loved by one woman.
(view spoiler)[ Freddie has a job that his uncle wrangled for him in the law firm of Shoesmith and Shoesmith etc. This is the same uncle who has previously supported him but tired of doing so and forced him into employment:
"'...I didn't know he worked here.'
'It is a point on which I am somewhat doubtful myself,' said Mr. Shoesmith. 'Much depends on what interpretation you place on the word "work". To oblige his uncle Lord Blicester, whose affairs have been in my hands for many years, I took him into my employment and he arrives in the morning and leaves in the evening, but apart from a certain rudimentary skill in watching the clock, probably instinctive, I would describe him as essentially a lily of the field...'" (p.18)

Sally, his soul mate is, of course, too good for him, working as secretary/girl Friday to the famous authoress Miss Yorke (aka Bessie Binns in her maiden years). Becoming aware of his flamboyant past she has cast him over but mysteriously pines still: "...[she] went off to the potting shed by the kitchen garden to have a good cry. She knew she had done the sensible thing, but that did not prevent her feeling that her heart was being torn in small pieces by a platoon of muscular wild cats, than which few experiences are less agreeable..." (p.29)

She divines his true colours on occasion: "... Twice during these remarks, as the perfidy of Frederick Widgeon was made clearer and clearer to her, Sally had gasped - the first time like a Pekinese choking on a bone of a size more suitable to a bloodhound, the second time like another Pekinese choking on another bone of similar dimensions. She was stunned by this revelation of the Machiavellian depths to which the male sex can descend when it puts its mind to it..." (p.53).
Unfortunately she always relents and takes him back...

Mr Wodehouse usually has little use for the "criminal classes". They make an appearance, complicate the plot, get their just deserts and disappear. One of the finer portions of this book, however is the partnership of Soapy and Dolly Malloy. He is a consummate salesman who sells worthless oil stock to greedy fools with too much money. The brains of the outfit though is Dolly who does her shopping by lifting and prior to this novel has acquired a load of jewellery while posing as a ladies maid. She is also a knockout who causes Texas millionaires to purse there lips to whistle - refraining solely as it would be inappropriate in the fashionable establishments Dolly and Soapy frequent.

"In the circle in which she moved Dolly Malloy was universally regarded as a tough baby who kept her chin up and both feet on the ground, and a good deal of envy was felt of Soapy for having acquired a mate on whom a man could rely..." (p.191-2)

The jewellery has been mislaid (The Ice in the Bedroom of the title) causing no ends of problems to the loveable couple and early attempts at recovering them fail: "Dolly sat frowning thoughtfully. A lesser woman would have been crushed by this tale of disaster, but she never allowed a temporary setback to make her forget the lesson of the story of Bruce and the spider. Like the poet, she held it truth with him who sings to one clear harp in divers tones that men - or, in her case, women - can rise on stepping stones of their dead selves to higher things..." (p.69)

"Dolly's premonition that her tale of failure would remove the sunshine from Soapy's life and cause him to feel that it was hopeless to struggle further was amply fulfilled. Melancholy marked him for its own not only over the pre-dinner cocktails but at the meal that followed them and next day's breakfast. A student of the Classics, watching him eat eggs and bacon, would have been reminded of Socrates drinking the hemlock...." (p. 124)

Not unlike M. Poirot is Dolly: "...The light of hope in [Soapy's] eyes was faint, but it was there. Not once but many times in the past had his wife's little grey cells brought triumph out of disaster, and it might be that even the current problem, which, he freely admitted, was a lallapaloosa, would not prove too much for her.
At length, Dolly spoke.
'Soapy, come here. Want to show you something...'
'See that cat?' said Dolly.
The cat to which she alluded was an animal of raffish and bohemian aspect, the sort of cat that hangs around street corners and makes low jokes to other cats as antisocial as itself..." (p.130-1)

"'Gee!' said Dolly with fervour.'" She – and Soapy - are Americans...
"She was feeling all the pleasurable emotions of a general who has seen his plan of campaign work out satisfactorily and knows that he will have something good to include in his memoirs.
'I thought those snakes would do it...'"" (p. 180)

Aside from the criminals there are a few other colourful characters. The plot, and Widgeon, are both saved by the estate agent, Mr. Cornelius, in the suburb of Valley Field where Freddie is living with his cousin George – a policeman. "...the sound of the telephone ringing in the hall. [Mr Cornelius] when to answer it, and came back breathing heavily. Behind his beard his face was stern. He looked like a Druid priest who has discovered schism in his flock..." (p.179) (hide spoiler)]

The other thing that makes this worth reading is that frequent mention is made of writers and writing and publishing and publishers. Laila Yorke, Sally's employer is a popular novelist who sells well but "...'The critics call my stuff tripe... And of course it is tripe. But I'm not going to have a bunch of inky pipsqueaks telling me so. And I'm fed to the teeth with all these smart alecks who do parodies of me, hoping to make me feel like a piece of cheese. The worm has turned... Do you know what I'm going to do? I'm going to write a novel that'll make their eyes pop out. What some call an important novel, and others significant...
'But can you?'
'...Of course I can. All you have to do is cut out the plot and shove in plenty of misery. I can do it on my head, once I get started...'" (p.34-5)

Dolly's appraisal of authors is less than flattering: "'...don't forget that this dame writes books, and there never was an author yet who had enough sense to cross the street with. All these novelists are half-way around the bend.'
Mr. Malloy nodded. There was, he knew, much in what she said." (p. 49)
This may be in the way of a further apology by Mr. Wodehouse for his war-time broadcasts.

"'Do you mean to say that if Agatha Christie had a contract with her publisher---'
'No doubt she has.'
'---that she could suddenly decide to turn in something like Finnegan's Wake?'
'Certainly.'
'And the publisher would have to publish it?'
'If he had so contracted.'
That is the law?'
'It is.'
Then the law's idiotic.'
'Dickens put it better. He said it was an ass...'" (p.111)

Eventually Miss Yorke decides against writing a 'significant' novel:
"'-There rose before me the vision of all those thousands of half-witted women waiting with their tongues out for their next ration of predigested pap from my pen, and I felt it would be cruel to disappoint them. Be humane, I told myself. Who am I to deprive them of their simple pleasures, I soliloquised. Keep faith with your public, my girl, I added, still soliloquising...
'And there was another aspect of the matter. Inasmuch as these blighted novels of squalor have to be at least six hundred pages long, hammering one out would have been the most ghastly sweat, and the first lesson an author must learn is to make things as easy for himself as possible. The ideal toward which one strives is unconscious cerebration. I look forward to a not distant date when I shall be able to turn out the stuff in my sleep.'" (p.143)

(view spoiler)[Freddie and Sally get one another, Freddie gets money enough to buy into a coffee plantation in Kenya where he will no doubt sit on the veranda of his bungalow sipping something cool and alcoholic while the natives sweat growing coffee to make him rich. (hide spoiler)]

I suggest this was an attempt to make things as easy as possible. Mr. Wodehouse's publishers being under contract to publish whatever predigested pap his pen may produce. Fortunately this is balanced by the many better books he has written.

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3.5 stars

Freddie Widgeon is in need of 3000 pounds so he can go off to join his friend on a Kenyan coffee plantation. He won't get that in his menial job for Messrs. Shoesmith, Shoesmith, Shoesmith and Shoesmith so when an American man named Molloy, offers him shares in a silver mine, Freddie thinks his fortune will soon be made. Now, if only he can convince his beloved Sally to return to him and join him in Kenya. Unbeknownst to Freddie, Thomas G. Molloy is actually a Chicago gangster known as "Soapy." No longer part of a gang, Soapy and his wife Dolly are partners in crime. Dolly, fresh off her stint in prison, announces the Molloys are made, for she pulled off the ultimate heist before she was caught shoplifting. She managed to purloin the Prosser jewels. (Belonging to Oofy Prosser's wife). However, there's a hitch in their plan of living large. While Dolly was in jail, Soapy left their suburban home to set them up at a grand hotel in London and Dolly left the "ice" at Castlewood. All they have to do is go get it. Easier said than done now that the house is let to noted romance novelist Leila Yorke, who moved to suburbia for research into her latest (and very different novel). Leila brought along her secretary, Freddie's beloved Sally, who wants nothing to do with Freddie and his string of girlfriends. Just when things start to go right... they go wrong again.

This is a cute, madcap adventure story in the Drones Club series. The plot moved quickly and kept my interest almost the whole time. Just what I thought the plot was coming to a screeching halt, Wodehouse threw a curveball that took the plot roaring off in another direction. It finally reaches a fairly zany conclusion though a bit tame for Wodehouse. The love story starts and stops and remains fairly unbelievable as usual for Wodehouse's star-crossed lovers. It was sweet though and I couldn't help but root for the characters.

I especially like how Wodehouse always makes his women intelligent - more so than the men. In this novel it's Sally who has the brains and the job. Freddie is, well, a widgeon. Leila Yorke is also very bright and shrewd. I liked her a lot. She's larger than life and knows what she wants and isn't afraid to get it. I didn't quite like her romantic plot all that much but it made the ending crazy. Dolly is also the brains of the criminal operation. I actually liked her though she was an unashamed crook. She comes up with the best schemes which made the story very enjoyable.

The men don't fare as well. They're all incredibly stupid, even George who went to Oxford and is a cop. Freddy is the leas intelligent of them all but he's sweet and you just have to love him. Soapy/Thomas is supposed to be a charmer but obviously some people figure out his charm is phony and see through him. He's not very bright for a thief. He manages to mess up his wife's plans very thoroughly.

I definitely recommend this novel as a bit of light reading. It's not his best but it's not his worst either.

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May 19, 2008 Ian Wood rated it it was amazing

Rather than be a confessional on the sexless lives of his hero's 'Ice in the Bedroom' is the first full length outing of Freddie Widgeon of the Droves Gentleman's club whom had been troubling Wodehouse readers in his short story collections from 'Young Men in Spats' and 'Lord Emsworth and Others' through to 'Nothing Serious' and 'A Few Quick Ones'. In all of his previous intrusions into Wodehouse's Eden Freddie was always found falling in and out of love and this is no exception but here he has Rather than be a confessional on the sexless lives of his hero's 'Ice in the Bedroom' is the first full length outing of Freddie Widgeon of the Droves Gentleman's club whom had been troubling Wodehouse readers in his short story collections from 'Young Men in Spats' and 'Lord Emsworth and Others' through to 'Nothing Serious' and 'A Few Quick Ones'. In all of his previous intrusions into Wodehouse's Eden Freddie was always found falling in and out of love and this is no exception but here he has a bigger scope for getting into compromising positions with a multitude of blondes to the displeasure of current beau Sally Foster rather than long suffering off on fiancé Mavis Peasemarch. Sally sums up the problem in a nutshell 'It is common knowledge that if all the girls you've loved were placed end to end, they would reach from Piccadilly Circus to Hyde Park Corner.'

No Freddie Widgeon story would be complete without the Drones only millionaire, Oofy Prosser, to deny Freddie the assistance, both financial and moral, he needs to make sure the wedding banns ring out for all to hear.

Also on hand to ensure the course of true love fails to run smoothly for Freddie are recidivist criminals Dolly the Dip, Soap Molloy and Chimp Twist whom we met previously in 'Sam the Sudden'; 'Money for Nothing'; 'Hot Water' and 'Money in the Bank'.

The action takes place in that great Wodehouse suburb, Valley Fields, in the three adjacent houses belonging to ex-butler Keggs of 'The Good Angel'; 'A Damsel in Distress'; 'The Coming of Bill' and 'Something Fishy' fame. Keggs is off on a cruise and so misses the wonderful farce that is 'Ice in the Bedroom', I, for one, wouldn't miss it for the world.

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Nov 27, 2008 Johnny rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Bob Bates

What is not to like about P. G. Wodehouse? He is the master of misdirection, the creative chronicler of crazy and eccentric characters, the heckler of haute couture, and the provocateur against pretension among the privileged. The Ice in the Bedroom is no exception. It has a hero from the privileged class who has been jilted by his fiancee due to a misunderstanding and,predictably, concocts a wild scheme to bring proximity and hoped-for resolution between himself and his love. It has multiple vi What is not to like about P. G. Wodehouse? He is the master of misdirection, the creative chronicler of crazy and eccentric characters, the heckler of haute couture, and the provocateur against pretension among the privileged. The Ice in the Bedroom is no exception. It has a hero from the privileged class who has been jilted by his fiancee due to a misunderstanding and,predictably, concocts a wild scheme to bring proximity and hoped-for resolution between himself and his love. It has multiple villains: a con-man selling securities in a played-out mine, a phony investigator, and a maid who isn't a maid. Add a supporting cast of a former carnie with his pet snakes, an author of romantic novels who wants to be known for serious work, and a neighbor who cannot conceive of anyone ever wanting to visit or live anywhere other than the mundane little suburb where the action takes place. Now, you have the appropriate mix.

Without adding spoilers, I can say that the eponymous "ice" does not refer to cooling ardor in the bedroom, but rather to diamonds that are purloined in the course of the story. However, the plot is so intricate and clever that I shouldn't say anything else other than this is the funniest Wodehouse I've read since the Jeeves oeuvre and Laughing Gas (that I found particularly funny).

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Aug 31, 2019 Joe Stevens rated it really liked it

Sitting in a comfy overstuffed chair with my feet on the matching footstool, a cup of tea with a touch of milk and a bite of chocolate as I read my 83rd Wodehouse book in this adventure of going through every book he wrote in chronological order. The less skilled schoolboy books and romances of the earliest years are long gone and if the truly great Jeeves and Wooster and Blandings novels are a decade or two gone there are still many smiles and much happiness to be had from the later works of th Sitting in a comfy overstuffed chair with my feet on the matching footstool, a cup of tea with a touch of milk and a bite of chocolate as I read my 83rd Wodehouse book in this adventure of going through every book he wrote in chronological order. The less skilled schoolboy books and romances of the earliest years are long gone and if the truly great Jeeves and Wooster and Blandings novels are a decade or two gone there are still many smiles and much happiness to be had from the later works of the master of the English language.

Wodehouse, dare we call them, anti heroes are on display here with the husband wife crime wave of Soapy and Dolly Molloy and Chimp Twist infesting the suburban paradise of Valley Fields. There is even a touch of the naughty as our protagonist Drone Freddie Widgeon assists the sensual Dolly when she scrapes her knee. You just know as this bit of anatomy is being antiseptic-ed that there will be a misunderstanding. While many misunderstandings litter the novel, there are few of the plot intricacies that twist like a rollercoaster track through the best Wodehouse novels. Still it is enough to allow that delightful stream of language to roll along that few other than Wodehouse have ever mastered.

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Ardent fans of Wodehouse's writing will acknowledge that if he is guilty of something, it is that of repetition. Ice in the Bedroom is a near rewrite of Sam the Sudden that I just finished reading yesterday.

Substitute Freddie Widgeon for Sam Shotter, Sally Foster for Kay Derrick, Shoesmith for Lord Tilbury, shift the setting from San Rafael & Mon Repos to Peacehaven & Castlewood in the charming suburb of Valley Fields, a stolen diamond necklace for bearer bonds, Ice in the Bedroom could have practically written itself from the plot of Sam the Sudden. That doesn't diminish the fun in reading the novel, especially as the characters of the three small time crooks, Soapy & Dolly Molloy along with the double-crossing Chimp Twist are much better developed, them being more audacious, leading to more outrageous situations. The first (and only?) full fledged novel featuring Freddie Widgeon, who is notorious for falling in and out of love, finds his forever love with the of help novelist Leila Yorke.

Try as I might, I cannot give this any less than 3.5 stars, and would feel guilty if I did not round it up.

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Familiar Drones Club member Freddie Widgeon headlines this outing, where he struggles to keep alive his on-again off-again relationship with Sally and come up with the £3,000 he needs to invest in a coffee plantation in Kenya.

Unfortunately Freddie & Sally feel too much the generic Wodehouse couple and don't really stand out as characters. But Cousin George the policeman, Leila Yorke the novelist, and a trio of crooks in the persons of Dolly & Soapy Molloy and Chimp Twist, along with Freddie's n

Overall I'd say it's not as good as The Old Reliable, but still a lot of fun. So 4 stars at the least, and as my criteria for a 5 star book is one I can see myself reading again, and while I probably won't place this among my favorite Wodehouse novels, it is still Wodehouse and thus a potential reread, I'll bump it up to 5.

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My first Wodehouse!

I've been wanting to read his Jeeves novels for a while, but then a colleague lent me Ice in the Bedroom, and I thought I might as well start with this one. I didn't necessarily fall head over heels in love with it, but I don't think that's the aim, either. It's written as pure entertainment, and I was definitely entertained.

I understand that this is classic Wodehouse. A wild, comedic romp with plenty of misunderstandings and obstacles on the way to a happy ending and no time

My first Wodehouse!

I understand that this is classic Wodehouse. A wild, comedic romp with plenty of misunderstandings and obstacles on the way to a happy ending and no time to be bored. And it's just so very very British, too, which I enjoy. I'm not sure there's a single serious sentence in this book. You occasionally get the feeling that he's about to say something serious, but nope! He pokes fun at everything and everyone, even himself.

Not a masterpiece, but a nice and fun read. I definitely still plan to read a Jeeves novel at some point and see how I like those.

/NK

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I used to love Wodehouse once upon a time. What happened?

It was funny, silly, had clever wordplay and was just like how I remembered and expected Wodehouse to be.

So when I found myself thinking the characters completely frivolous, the plot as stupid as can be and the humorous observations barely redeemable, I was alarmed and upset, to say the least.

It was all just so...so stupid. I'd like the last 3 hours back.

I used to love Wodehouse once upon a time. What happened?

It was funny, silly, had clever wordplay and was just like how I remembered and expected Wodehouse to be.

So when I found myself thinking the characters completely frivolous, the plot as stupid as can be and the humorous observations barely redeemable, I was alarmed and upset, to say the least.

It was all just so...so stupid. I'd like the last 3 hours back.

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I wouldn't call this classic Wodehouse but it's certainly worth a read.

Although the plot isn't as fun as in many of the author's other books, we do get some delightful characters such as Dolly Molloy, Sally, and Mr Cornelius.

I particularly liked Mr Cornelius's obsession with Valley Fields and how he can't understand why anyone who's lived there would ever want to leave.

Freddie Widgeon is the typical Wodehouse hero. Nice and on the simple side. There are some stolen jewels and a loved one who thinks Freddie is too much of a ladies men. The fun is limited. What remains is the quality of the language. He will be read as long as there is such a thing as English.

Aug 07, 2019 Martina rated it really liked it

Loved this book. The gallant hero, resourceful heroine and the combination of amusing crooks makes for a entertaining plotline. Reading Wodehouse after a long time I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it.

Jul 05, 2018 A rated it really liked it

1960s Wodehouse- meaning a bit of a rehash, but still most entertaining and quick read.

Feb 25, 2020 Eva B. rated it really liked it

Such silliness. But silliness rife with allusions to Scripture, Shakespeare and all manner of other literature. Reading Wodehouse is a great way to relax.

Bookosaurus (A book a day keeps reality away)

This is your average Wodehouse novel, full of all the things he is known for- mistaken identity, heist, idle rich - with a love story at the centre of it all. Not his best effort, but passable.

Sep 08, 2015 Phillip rated it really liked it

The 'ice' in the title is criminal argot for 'diamonds'. A woman has stolen a diamond necklace and hidden it in the bedroom of a rental property. She and her husband no longer have access to the house. Typically this would lead to stratagems, high-jinx, and jockeying-for-position by the characters that gives the reader the pleasure of intricate plot twists and surprises. And, the book does contain all of the ingredients to deliver but falls flat.

This is not going to be one of my favorite books a

This is not going to be one of my favorite books and it isn't one of the great Wodehouse attempts. But, it is a good book and far from Wodehouse at his worst.

A quote from the book: "A man experienced in dealing with the female sex knows that the policy to pursue, when a woman issues an order, is not to stand arguing but to acquiesce and then go off and disobey it..."

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Nov 29, 2013 Beth rated it really liked it

This Wodehouse novel is about Freddie Widgeon. Exiled to the bland London suburb called Valley Fields and forced to work for a lawyer-friend of his rich uncle, Freddie mostly moans about the loss of his fiancé Sally Foster. She dumped him after catching him kissing another woman at a party. Meanwhile, the Molloys and Chimp Twist make appearances in the story, selling Freddie some bogus stock as well as stealing some jewelry from Mrs. Oofy Prosser. As usual, everything gets wrapped up satisfactor This Wodehouse novel is about Freddie Widgeon. Exiled to the bland London suburb called Valley Fields and forced to work for a lawyer-friend of his rich uncle, Freddie mostly moans about the loss of his fiancé Sally Foster. She dumped him after catching him kissing another woman at a party. Meanwhile, the Molloys and Chimp Twist make appearances in the story, selling Freddie some bogus stock as well as stealing some jewelry from Mrs. Oofy Prosser. As usual, everything gets wrapped up satisfactorily in the final chapter. The solution to Freddie's money problem was quite unexpected and did not seem to fit the rest of the book. Also, the fate of the Molloys and Twist is not treated, so we don't learn what happens to them. ...more

Oct 04, 2013 Dorai Thodla rated it it was amazing

Probably a few decades ago. Definitely sometime immediately after college and definitely in a train, probably heading to Bombay.

I remembered it when I was reading a quote about old bookstores. I remembered the whole incident. I was reading this book in a train and was laughing so hard, I got strange looks from my fellow passengers. I probably scared some of the kids in the train too. I had to climb up to the sleeper (Indian trains have sleeper coaches with a sleeper berth you can climb into. These things have very little head room, poor lighting and almost no air circulation. But they are secluded places and great places to hide from other fellow passengers).

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Dec 19, 2014 Emily rated it really liked it

An enjoyable Wodehouse. I do love Freddie Widgeon! While this wasn't quite a mystery, it almost felt like one with it's crime duo, which I loved. This is actually the first time (I think) I read about the Molloys and I'm going to keep a look out for the other books they're in.

Unfortunately, the cover I have of this book is an old one and I did feel a little silly reading a book called Ice in the Bedroom with a cover with a women in underwear on the cover. This was also – thanks to a friend turning up half an hour late to dinner – the first book that I read while sat in a cocktail bar. I'm a grown up now.

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Aug 20, 2013 Vicky rated it liked it

I wouldn't say uproariously funny as mentioned in some reviews, but it had a couple of laugh out loud moments for me. I wasn't sure what to expect with a title like this, but it relates to stolen jewels hidden on a bedroom cupboard, and the lengths to which the robbers must go to to retrieve them from the house where they no longer live! Originally published in 1961, it had that older tone to it, but enjoyable nonetheless. 3.5 stars. I wouldn't say uproariously funny as mentioned in some reviews, but it had a couple of laugh out loud moments for me. I wasn't sure what to expect with a title like this, but it relates to stolen jewels hidden on a bedroom cupboard, and the lengths to which the robbers must go to to retrieve them from the house where they no longer live! Originally published in 1961, it had that older tone to it, but enjoyable nonetheless. 3.5 stars. ...more

Feb 28, 2011 Ailish rated it really liked it

Rarely does a successful jewel thief accidently leave diamonds hidden on top of the wardrobe when moving house. When it does happen, they must be retrieved, although this can be difficult when the house is inhabited, a zealous policeman lives next door, and a rival crook is chasing the same prize. And this is only the subplot.

Sir 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 so Sir 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).

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Ice In The Bedroom

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Ice In The Bedroom