P Books

Josh Itzoe has done a great favor to plan fiduciaries and financial advisors across the country. He has succeeded in simplifying a very complex subject, providing a much-needed resource to the financial services community. This book is not only valuable to plan fiduciaries; it is a very helpful tool for all financial advisors who provide investment services in the 401(k) arena. I've ordered copies for every financial advisor on my team.

It is clear that Josh Itzoe is committed, not only to excellence in his personal RIA practice, but also in helping other advisors achieve this same level of excellence. Thanks, Josh, for making us all better at what we do!

Joshua Itzoe's Fixing the 401(k) covers numerous important topics and should help 401(k) plan fiduciaries better appreciate the scope and nature of their responsibilities. Mr. Itzoe also offers candid opinions based on his expertise as a principal of a registered investment advisory firm. At the end of each of the first 11 chapters of the book, Mr. Itzoe supplies practical questions that focus on fiduciary responsibility and fee disclosure. Whether you agree or disagree with Mr. Itzoe's conclusions, every one of his questions is worth asking. The final chapter nicely ties together the concepts of the book with a case study that could easily be a real-life example.

The ERISA legal language isn't the quickest read and Josh does a great job of breaking out the concepts into easily understood segments. The book offers a great overview of the players involved in the 401K, the fees charged, and most importantly ways to lower the fees passed through to participants. I read this book and quickly applied the concepts to some prospective 401K client presentations that were received well. Anyone looking to identify the major flaws and issues affecting 401K participants should read this book. The timing of this book's issuance couldn't be better!!

Itzoe is right on. The fiduciaries (who are the plan sponsors) carry a ton of liability and exposure. Under the new DOL rules it will be the plan sponsor carrying the ultimate burden of lack of fee transparency and hidden costs that ultimately affects the performance of the participant's account. It's about time critics are speaking out and informing plan participants.

Josh has tackled a very complex subject and explained all the parts extremely well. The subjects of finance and legal responsibilities can be very difficult for anyone to understand. If you are in the financial services field this is a must read. If you are a plan fiduciary this book will make you understand all that is required of you in a very quick read.
Two hours is a small effort to make sure you protect yourself from all legal responsibilities you have. Great job Josh.

A man is poisoned during a chess match, and Wolfe gets called by the daughter of the arrested suspect to clear her dad and find the real killer. Naturally, Wolfe must do this while staying firmly ensconsed in his Manhatten brownstone, while Archie Goodwin does his legwork. The story quickly develops a natural suspect after an initial series of interviews of all the people surrounding the death. But it also takes an interesting twist when another dead body is found. I enjoyed that just enough clues were left in the story to allow me to figure out who the killer was just before Wolfe announced it. Here's a hint ... the method of murder was a little different than you may originally think it is. Enjoy!

For some reason the Amazon listings don't include the audio CD version of this outstanding book.

Michael Prichard's reading style is ideally suited to this great story about chess players and the "perfect murder." The variations in personalities at the Gambit Club prefigure the chess stars of the 70s.

From a view of character study, this one is really, really good (and great to listen to also).

My 5th Nero Wolfe book, and I loved it. I caution new readers that the Nero Wolfe books are an acquired taste. For women the Wolfe character is edgy. But, this puzzle of who poisoned what, etc. really grabbed my attention, and I dreamed about it for days (a good sign for me). I can tell that I'm finally getting into these books because I envy Wolfe's life. He's a recluse, and that's my big goal in life -- a recluse with lots of help to do my chores. It'll never happen, and that's why reading these books is satisfying a longing in me.

For anyone unfamiliar with Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe mysteries I'd highly recommend this novel. While it is not my favorite of Stout's Nero Wolfe stories, it is a nice introduction to to Nero Wolfe and his confidential assistant Archie Goodwin. Wolfe is a 285 pound orchid collecting genius of a detective who almost never leaves his office for work. he can be cranky and avoids work whenever possible. Archie is a sarcastic ladies-man who's job is to do the leg work for Wolfe as well as keep him focused.

The opening sections of the book illustrate the quirks of the main characters and as I said make a good introduction for new readers.

The mystery itself is interesting and full of the twists and turns that I have come to expect from a Nero Wolfe novel. It is written in Stout's signiature sytle and kept me guessing for much of the book. In the end, Stout does a good job of tying everything up and showing the logic behind the solution and how Wolfe and Archie got from point A to Point B to the solution.

A Review by Alex

Jerin is playing the usual twelve players with messengers running in a room with Jerin alone telling the layouts of each board. A man had come in with some hot chocolate for Jerin. The man's name was Blount. Later that night, Jerin dies and Blount is thrown in jail because they all think he did it. Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin have to solve the mystery and see to it that Blount is innocent. The only way they can solve it is the use of his daughter, Sally.

I really love and enjoy the fact that this book makes me think and makes it so I use my brain a little. It is a mystery, so therefore I have to be smarter than Archie. I was always trying to figure out if it is someone or not and when I read to find out it's not one person I try to guess who it could be. This book also gave me suspense, I got so excited when they were about to do questioning with someone like Sally or the mother. I always find out something new and clues of the killer. This book was also a perfect read when it came to pages, only 137 pages and the text was a bit on the small side but still made it a perfect size. Not too quick and not too long. This book always gave me a surprise.

This is a great mystery for those who love to use their brain figuring things out. Gambit is a really exciting book to discover new suspects and an unexpected murderer. You will dive into the book and not want to put in down caused by the eagerness to read about who did it and why.

The Course of Miracles can be daunting especially if you decide that you are going to go at it alone. People usually buy it, read a few pages, and up on the shelf it goes. There's even a joke in Course in Miracles groups, that it has a shelf life of 8-10 years before it gets picked up again. That's okay, because Truth, like Beauty, stands and waits. Truth is Like Love, it never pushes its own way. Besides, Truth really isn't in a book whether it be the Bible or Ralph Waldo Emerson or A Couse in Miracles. Truth is in you now. In Truth, Truth is who you are...

That's okay, you can be a little startled. But I invite you to simply breathe in the statement; Truth is who I am...
and breathe it out, Truth is what I am...

Again, you don't have to force this to be True. It already is. You don't have to accept it. You can reject it. In fact, many of us have spent many lifetimes doing so. But I just want you to know, there is Something calling you to this teaching because at a very deep level, you know that you are of God...of Spirit...of Life. You know that you are not of this world. At a certain level of things, deep in our subconscious minds, we remember the Original Ectasy of being created out of Pure Love, Pure Joy, Pure Innocence. On a human level, we think that if we had the fancy home, or the shiny Mercedes, or the "right" partner, we'd be happy - and I'm not knocking these things - but what we really desire, what we really, really want is to be One with God, again.

Well, good news, we already are and we can never leave home without it...sorry, bad joke, I know.

This book is not as intimidating as the actual Course in Miracles text. The format is much easier to read than the Course. If you hadn't read the Course, there are certain parts of it written in iambic pentameter. The very same style of writing that William Shakespeare and John Donne would use. Once you get used to it, however, it flows beautifully, but if you are not used to it, you'll find yourself stumbling and tripping over the lines. At least, this was my experience.

This book is perfect for just leaving on the nightstand and reading just before going to bed or right after waking up - or both -it's a great way to begin your meditation. Usually, I'll shorten the quote even more to just a sentence and take it into meditation. Here are some examples:

Let forgiveness be the substitute for fear. This is the only rule for happy dreams...

Every choice you make establishes your own identity as you will see it and believe it is...

There is nothing outside you...

Love will immediately enter into any mind that truly wants it...

A therapist doesn't heal, he lets healing be...

The last one I have laminated and put over my desk. I have to remember as a Spiritual Counselor, I don't heal anyone. I see their Truth now. I see only Spirit...only Love...only God...and if I cannot see Spirit, then I must heal my mind about them.

I love this book. I wish the pictures were in color, but that would make for a very expensive book, but it is a wonderful addition to any Spiritual Library. And, if you are still hesitant about the actual book, I invite you to attend a Course in Miracles Study Group. I had my own for almost six years and I absolutely loved it. Now I attend one and it's a big difference going from facilitator to participator.

Buy this book as a gift to yourself. Allow the wounds of the past to be healed once and for all. Make 2008 great because you deserve to be at peace. Afterall, something within you already is.

Peace & Blessings,
john, 'the Light Coach'

This book was given to me by a dear friend in a time of great changes in my life; it allowed me to see the real meaning and joy in the fiber of life. It is absolute love, every page. Please do yourself and everyone you love a favor, purchase this gift, you and they will treasure it always.

I must confess that I have not yet read "The Course in Miracles" - Due to it's sheer size, I've felt a bit intimidated. I have, however, read many, many books that deal with the ideas espoused in "The Course", and I've foud these ideas to make quite a lot of sense!

This particular book, "Gifts from a Course in Miracles", is written in such a way that each major "tenet" is further broken down into smaller sub-sections - each dealing with a part of the "tenet" being discussed - and it's written quite similar to the form of a poem. I really like the format, as it makes the info. easier to digest.

If you are at all interested in finding out about the ideas espoused in "The Course", or even if you're already a student of it, I would highly recommend this book.

A wonderful interpretation of the ideas expressed in The Course In Miracles. Great for daily meditation. A lovely gift for anyone.

This is truly a very special book. I have bought quite a few just for presents. It is great for anyone who is already a student of "A course in Miracles" or if they just want to get a glimpse at what it is really all about. The introduction alone by Marianne Williamson is worth the price of the book. It also would be a terrific book for anyone who is thinking about joining a Study Group for the Course. The book is edited by two people who have been students of the Course for many years and it is their favorite sections put together in a very special way. A must read!!!!
Dorothy Gautier

I read this first 20 or so years ago, and I suddenly decided to go back and reread the whole series. They have aged well. Life in the hierarchy of the Church of England gives the novelist plenty of scope for drama and exposition of the various aspects of the church. Additionally, the author addresses the social changes wrought by World War I and II in the
British world.

Susan Howatch may be a woman with training in the law, but she gets inside the mindset of male priests in the Anglican Church (Episcopal Church in the U.S.) better than anyone else. This is a mystery, a suspense novel, a love story and a deeply psychological look at spiritual direction all rolled into one. The book begins with a man having a vision of a small country chantry (chapel). Outside the chapel is a unique suitcase. Is this god telling him to pack his bags and leave the monastary he has known for so many years? After intense spiritual direction, that I found riveting, he decides to leave. He goes on holiday, and while walking down the hall of the inn he is at, he see the suitcase of his vision! He has to meet the owner of the valise. She turns out to be a beautiful woman (much younger than himself). Will love ensue? What is god's will? This book will encourage you to consider the power of prayer and god's direction for your life. It will call you to wrestle with the possibility of healing and evil. This book began my love affair with each of the books in the "Starbridge" series. It could be the start of something special for you, too.

The second in the series of Starbridge books - Glamorous Powers - is the one I liked the best. IN this book we get to know Jon Darrow, who figured in the first volume Glittering Images as Charles Ashworth's spiritual director, more intimately. Whereas in Glamorous powers, seen through Charles Ashworth's eyes, he was the perfect super priest who knew everything, here we actually get under Jon's skin and see him as he sees himself: as a flawed, confused man with many problems, in particular concerning his relationship with women. Jon had spent several years in a monastery as a monk, but now, in his sixties, he receives a calling from God to leave the monastery and fulfil a mission in the world - but he doesn't know what. Nor is he certain if that mission includes marriage.
For anyone with an interest in Gnosticism and mysticism, this is a particularly interesting book - but such an interest is definitely not a pre-condition for reading and enjoying it! I'm not the only Howatch reader to have this as their favourite in the series. (...)

With the 2nd book in Howatch's Anglican trilogy, we explore the story of the monk who was the therapist in book #1. He is also 60 years old, a psychic and a vision from God sends him back into the world and out of the monastery. There is a great deal of counselling and angst in this novel as well. There isn't enough different about this novel to make it the same fascinating read as book #1 though. I've already bought book #3 and I hope we follow a different pattern with that one. He does find a new woman as part of his vision from God as her bag and her estate were specifically seen in it. The Anglicans must spend more time in analysis than Freud himself ever dreamed possible!

This review is for the first Ballantine Books paperback edition, November 1989, a volume of unknown origin found while cleaning out the bookcase. I decided to read it only because Amazon.com customers rated it five stars. Although I was raised as a Roman Catholic, and at age thirteen spent a year in the seminary, I soon became disenchanted with, and largely disinterested in, organized religion. Notwithstanding this bias, I'm glad that I read GLAMOROUS POWERS.

The plot opens in Grand Chester England at a quarter to six on Friday morning, May 17, 1940 in the cell of Jon Darrow, who for the past seventeen years has been a monk in the (fictional) Anglican Fordite Order of Saint Benedict and Saint Bernard. Jon is having a vision. He interprets this vision as God's instruction to leave the order and embark on a new, unspecified calling. Before Jon can leave, however, he must convince the Abbot General, Francis Ingram that his vision was a communication from the Holy Spirit and not an aberration of a disturbed psyche. There follows a fascinating mental dual between Jon and Francis.

This deep and literary exploration of psyches pervades the story. Before each chapter and section, the author liberally quotes from the works of W. R. Inge, particularly MYSTICISM IN RELIGION. Jon has mystical (glamorous) powers, healing powers, which Francis thinks are often nothing more than "parlour tricks." I thought of "Anglo-shamanism."

Although the story evolves within the institutions of religion, it does not tamper with faith or belief, so the reader need not worry about being upset by heresy or theological debate. The author confines polemic disputes between Anglo-Catholics and Roman Catholics, Low Church and High Church, to ritual, and treats these as external conflict rather than internal struggle. This story is not about religion, but about the psyche, with pervasive emphasis on the guilt and anger emanating from parental failures.

Jon Darrow has problems, "dis-ease" he would say. The larger than life character is Francis Ingram who unravels Jon's troubled psyche without revealing his own disturbances. At one point Jon shuns Francis and mires himself into a muck of troubles, and at page 296 I made a note that the story was getting a bit tedious. It revived, I thought, around page 339 with the return of my hero Francis. Indeed, the acerbic and witty letters written by Francis to Jon are splendid examples of writing at its very best.

My wife visited the area of Canada described by the book when she was a child, and we plan a return visit this summer. The book is an essential prerequisite, and a very enjoyable read!

Here I am ordering another copy of this book. I keep "loaning" them. I received my first copy in the mid-1950s as a horse/cowboy-loving teenager in Indiana. My USFS Ranger uncle sent it to me because he knew....!!! Knew it would be another huge nudge in getting me out to the Great Pacific Northwest other than just for visits. I made it in 1968 and my husband and I have visited the area depicted in the book countless times. I will soon turn 70 and have enjoyed reading this book every few years throughout my life. It is most compelling. The reviews of others are definitely right on. What more can I say other than, read it?

A personal look in living real life in a land that little is known

Pan Phillips had the "Pan Phillips International Airport" at his fishing camp beyond Anahim Lake B.C. For several years, we flew into his little airport between 2 lakes. Pan told us some of the same stories that are in this book. Louis Soukup was one of the first pilots to the area. Louis would fly in, any equipment that Pan needed, on the pontoons of his airplane. This book gives the stories as though you were sitting at the feet of the men who were the first settlers in this area of British Colombia. It is really an adventure to read.

We own the Legacy Ranch high in the mountains of Northeastern Utah. For years we have loved the beauty of the unspoiled wilderness. Nursing newborn elk calves, watching Canadian Lynx outside their lairs, and many other adventures have cast us in the mold of lovers of the wilderness. To read the adventures of true cowboys, who started with nothing else but their "grit" and ended up with lives spent plumbing the depths of fun and hard work was one of the top literary experiences of our lives. This book, far better than the sequels, will be part o four Christmas giving this year.

As someone who needs a concise, complete reference on a daily basis, I recommend this book as a wonderful 'base' book for hand surgery. No, it is not absolutely complete in every category (syndactyly repair comes to mind...), but it does really touch on the important considerations for the major categories in hand surgery. Much like 'Plastic Surgery,' originally edited by Converse, this book is the standard by which all others must be measured.

I have never had any problems with Amazon's service, deliveries are always on time and the book is exactly what they offered. The book is great, with state-of-the-art management of hand injuries. I definitely recommend it!

The books arrived on time, just a corner of the two books was a little twisted. That's not very important but for the price ...

this is the most complete and useful textbook i use, and so are surgeons around me

As a member of the Danish Society for Surgery of the Hand, I have spent a lot of time browsing this text-book which has become the bible of many hand-surgeon world-over. The book is a complete listing of diseases in the hand, and covers everything about it. This book not only covers the diseases but also includes the most wanted "author`s preferred method". Drawings are good and easy to apply on patients. This bible will always be the backbone of my handsurgery.

This product was exactly what I ordered and of even better quality than I expected.

This book is in GREAT condition. This is the first time I have ever bought a book for college from online, but if all of Amazon's books are in this great of a condition while I'm saving money, then I will definitely continue buying books via Amazon.

the book that i received was in better condition than i thought would be and it seems almost unused besides a few pencil marks

This text is an incredible human anatomy book. The author is very engaging, making human anatomy very fun to learn. The clinical views are strategically inserted throughout specific sections of the book, as to enhance your human anatomy learning experience. This textbook is very easy to read. It makes human anatomy FUN!!!

I am a 17-year-old pianist and high school student residing in New Jersey. I am studying human anatomy and physiology to improve my piano technique. I am not going to be a professional anatomist later in my life. I am going to be a professional pianist.
I bought this textbook to study the basic detail of the human body. Although this is a college level textbook, I recommend this book for everyone who wishes to study basic human anatomy. Weather you are a professional medical student or not, you can learn a lot of detail things through this book. Whether you are an athlete, a musician, or just a person who wishes to know about the human body, this book will help you greatly. I guarantee that you will enjoy reading this book.
The author of the book regards readers as people who have no knowledge at all about the human body. So why don't you go ahead and start reading? How exciting!

Francis Turretin's Institutes of Elenctic Theology

This large 3 volume work is a gold mine of precise and careful thought. Turretin has been the object of odium in some (even Reformed) theological circles, but the one who takes time to read Turretin will find such sentiment to be unwarranted. Turretin was not a rationalist, merely rational. He was a seventeenth century Reformed pastor and theologian who clearly articulated Reformed doctrine in the midst of those who were opposing such doctrine. I have found Turretin to be biblical in his doctrine, delicate and precise in his thought, clear in his articulation, and powerful in his argumentation.

Turretin organized his Institutes into 20 topics (loci) that range from "Prolegomena" (that is, very necessary introductory considerations) to "The Last Things." Each topic (locus) is organized by specific questions. For example, locus 20 is divided into 13 questions. Question 2 reads, "Are the same bodies numerically which have died to be raised again? We affirm against the Socinians." Turretin raised this particual question because he wanted to defend the biblical doctrine of the bodily resurrection from an error that was being taught in his day. Turretin's theology is indeed elenctic (that is, polemic or argumentitive), for a great portion of his Institutes is written against the Roman Catholics, Arminians, Socinians, Anabaptists, and others. Turretin's Institutes is not merely a negative work (exposing the errors of unbiblical doctrine), but is positive. He builds up and defends biblical doctrine in every locus.

As for the edition, Dr. Dennison has blessed us all in editing and indexing the whole work. He has also provided a 19 page biography of Turretin, the message given at Turretin's funeral, and a short biography of George Giger (the translator). These volumes are sturdy and will last for decades.

As for the translation, this edition is a publication of George M. Giger's translation of the Institutes. Giger died in 1865 having produced this translation at the behest of Charles Hodge. The translation strikes me as unduly bulky and difficult at times, yet clear and quite understandable at others. There are other translations of particular loci, but one cannot find the entire work in English except in this translation.

Francois Turtetin's _Institutes of Elenctic Theology_ is arguably the most systematic and nuanced works of High Calvinist Scholasticism. A copy should grace every serious historical (and systematic) theologian's bookshelf no matter what the theological tradition. (Personal disclosure: I am an "orthodox" Thomist and a Catholic priest.) Easy 5 stars.
That said, this translation needs revision and a new edition. G. M. Giger (Prof. of Classics at Princeton Univ.) whipped off this translation at the request of Charles Hodge in the 1850s. It was kept hidden behind the charge desk at Princeton Seminary so that Hodge's Latin-defective students could consult it when they tried to puzzle through the Latin original. Although some corrections and enendations have been made, this translation bears the marks of its hasty origins and is mostly a typescript of Giger's hand-written manuscript.
While the editors are to be commended for tracking down the citations to Church Fathers and a handful of famous writers, for whom they usually also include indication of modern translations, little has been done to identify Turretin's citations the the hundreds of contemporary authors (Catholic and protestant). These authors' names are left in their Latin dress: "Toletanus" "Bannes" "Sixtus Sennensis" etc. The editors needed a copy of Huerter's _Nomenclator_ and so does the user. A shame because Turretin's wide and ecumenical reading is one of the strong points of his work.
One would hope that a future edition will track down who the all the authors cited and add indication of their books and the pages in point. Knock off two stars (sorry).

You can't go wrong with Turretin. This is one of the best Systematic theologies you could ever buy. Makes much of the current stuff seem quite fluffy!

I really loved it! Wasn't by grace that Turretin was called "the best systematizer of the reformed doctrine in the world! This is a wonderful set, with a good translation, well arranged, theologically sound and deep but devotional/experimental as well. A great addition to the library of the serious students of the God's Word! If you are an overseas customer, Amazon.com has the best price (already including shipping costs)on this set on anywhere of the Internet!May God raise up more theologians as Turretin in our age!

Turretin has, arguably, the best systematic understanding of scripture ever. He draws on the foundations that Calvin built and makes irrefutable arguments. Baptists should take note of his arguments for baptizing infants. He makes an argument unlike any other I have seen. If you read Turretin honestly, you will see the genius of this man's mind in his 3 volumes.

His elenctic approach means that he sets out to refute his opponents in order to prove his own position. I think the modern reader may find some of his wording cumbersome, but, like Owen, he is worth plowing through.

He unifies his systematic theology by the use of theology proper. Inman (Westminster PhD) has done a good service of bringing out the rich covenantal strain in Turretin's works.

When taking university courses in philosophy, this was the first text I ever used. Several years later, I now own some 200+ philosophy texts, but I consider this to be one of the most valuable. When reading original sources, I find myself returning again and again to Grayling's An Introduction to Philosophical Logic for reminders and clarification. This is my most well-worn philosophy book. If use and usefulness are measures of value, this text is a diamond.

If you are a beginner in philosophy, particularly analytic philosophy, this text and William Lycan's Philosophy of Language: A Contemporary Introduction (Routledge Contemporary Introductions to Philosophy)should be your first two purchases.

I have found A.C.Grayling's _An Introduction to Philosophical Logic_ to be very helpful. It is a very non-technical and clear discussion of necessity, analyticity, a priority and other related concepts.

Sean Choi http://www.freeyellow.com/members2/sean-choi/

Enough centuries have passed that everyone should know this: If you want a clear and readable exposition of a difficult and complex subject, you ask a British philosopher.

In that grand tradition of solidity and soundness, A.C. Grayling here provides, without fanfare but with a good deal of clarity and wit, a thoroughly reliable and lucidly intelligible introduction to logic as this topic is understood within the broad spectrum of analytic philosophy.

A standard textbook that is now in its third edition (with extensive revisions and additions by the author), this volume also makes for useful reading by interested laypersons (who may also know Grayling as the author of two excellent volumes in the _Past Masters_ series, on Russell and Wittgenstein). It is highly recommended to anyone seeking an accessible introduction to the field.

Grayling is also recommended as a master of what Brand Blanshard memorably called "philosophical style." The oracular pronouncements of the world's Nietzsches, Kierkegaards, Wittgensteins, and Ayn Rands usually get all the attention, but what really keeps the enterprise of philosophy going is the much-underappreciated art and skill of writing fine expository prose. In that respect, this volume is a gem.

Lucid book on the philosophical implications of modern logic.

I wish my philosophy professors had assigned this book BEFORE they plunged us straight into rote drills in propositional and predicate logic. Grayling shows you what exactly all these sterile-seeming symbolic manipulations have to do with epistemology and metaphysics.

Also check out books by Graham Priest.

Over the years I return to Grayling's Introduction to Philosophical Logic to review and re-think some of the big issues of contemporary philosophy. Grayling clearly articulate the reasons for the debates and the sides that are battling it out. He covers propositions, necessity, existence, meaning, truth, reference, etc., and then finishes off by venturing into the fray between realism and antirealism. I just think this is one of the best philosophy books you'll ever buy, read, and use again.

Joy in the Morning, also published under the name of Jeeves in the Morning, is perhaps the best of the Bertie and Jeeves novels. I can think of no higher praise for any book.

All the elements for a successful Bertie and Jeeves novel are here: love affairs go off the rails, imperiling Bertie's status as a bachelor; Bertie's actions to right things fail; and Jeeves comes to the rescue. In addition, there are some special features: Bertie's Uncle Percival, Lord Worplesdon, the second husband of Bertie's Aunt Agatha (the one who, as I recall, "chews ground glass and conducts human sacrifices at the full moon") makes his only appearance in the Wodehouse oeuvre, as I believe is also the case for Boko Fittleworth, whose actions go awry just as often as Bertie's.

It's all held together, of course, by Bertie's extraordinary narration.

I have read this book perhaps a dozen times, and I still laugh aloud at least once on nearly every page.

Picture a story involving a snarl of relatives and lovers tangled in a web of misunderstandings. If tragedy ensues, you have your standard soap opera. If, on the other end, the results are more comic, you have a P.G. Wodehouse novel. I can't really judge soaps, but it's probably safe to say that they range from good to bad. With Wodehouse, however, the quality is almost always dead-on-great, and never more so than with his Jeeves and Wooster stories, as Joy in the Morning once again demonstrates.

As the novel opens, Bertie Wooster has just emerged from being in the soup once again. What this soup was and how he escaped it is the story that follows. In this case, Bertie is coerced into going to one of his least favorite places, Steeple Bumpleigh, home to his dread Aunt Agatha. (Is there a more terrifying figure in comic fiction than Agatha?) Her husband, Bertie's Uncle Percival, needs Bertie to participate in a ruse that will help cinch a business deal. It is not a job that Bertie relishes, and the only the assurance of Aunt Agatha's absence allows him to screw up the courage to make the trip.

Of course, there are complications. For one thing, Percival's ward Nobby has fallen for Boko Fittleworth, and while the love is mutual, Percival - whose consent is needed for their marriage - has nothing but loathing for Boko. A scheme is needed to win over Percival, and Bertie will be recruited to play a part. Also at Steeple Bumpleigh is Florence Craye, an ex-fiancee of Bertie's who is now engaged to the easily jealous policeman, Stilton Cartwright. An argument and a misunderstanding will find her re-betrothed to Bertie and him a target of Stilton's wrath.

Bertie is a well-meaning but not-so-bright fellow who tends to get into trouble through accident and the manipulation of others. Left alone, life would be easy, but there are too many who force Bertie's involvement. Fortunately, there is his valet, Jeeves, who is able to solve nearly any problem.

The joy of reading a Jeeves and Wooster novel is Bertie's delightful narration with its unique enhancements to the English language. This is a book that is pure fun with no great insights or deep characters. It may be fluff, but it is five-star fluff and a great diversion.

This is a great, funny book. It may be my favorite Jeeves & Wooster story.

It's a given that Wodehouse's plots are completely outlandish or, in the words of another reviewer, like musical comedies. And yet somehow I have found a certain plausibility or coherence within the outlandishness of other of his books, such that I was more than willing to suspend my disbelief. In this case, I felt that the plot devices were weaker than usual, however, and in fact it took me a while to get through this one as a result.

The basic plot elements have been summarized elsewhere, but I will give one example of what I mean, to wit: Bertie's uncle by marriage, Uncle Percy, stands opposed to the marriage of his ward, Nobby, to one Boko Fittleworth. The plan to get Uncle to change his mind involves Bertie verbally assaulting him, to the point where the uncle must be "rescued" by Boko, who just happens to be in the vicinity (outside the uncle's study, for example). Uncle P. will then realize what an upstanding chap our Boko is.

Even within Bertie's cocooned world, this is weak, nor is it the lone instance of evidence that Wodehouse was not at his peak with this one. Still, he does charm readers as usual with Bertie's commentaries, a brilliant mix of goofy slang and highbrow poetic references, often in the same sentence. For better stories, I would recommend "Leave It To PSmith" (5 stars) or "Pigs Have Wings" (4 stars).

P.G. Wodehouse could write a phonebook and make it brilliant. But this story is so incredibly good that words fail me. He weaves farce upon satire upon mystery upon suspense upon hilarious premise and delightful payoff until the reader is dizzy with laughter and awe. The usual suspects are here: Bertie Wooster and his butler, Jeeves, plus frightening debutants, pompous authority figures, shrill relatives, troublesome children, and yet another pleasant English country village...pleasant, that is, until Bertie & Co. come along. Wodehouse was the absolute master of the English language, of humor, and plot construction. This book is as good an example of his mastery as there is. My only regret is that the reading experience passes by too quickly.