Something New by P.G. Wodehouse
(Blandings Castle, Book 1 - first published in 1915)
Audio book narrated by B.J. Harrison - 8 hrs 2mins
P.G. Wodehouse - or Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse (1881-1975) - was an English author, and one of the most widely read humorists of the 20th century. (The link will take you to an extensive Wikipedia article about him.)
I read several books by Wodehouse already in my teens. He's perhaps best known for his stories about Jeeves and Wooster - with the young English gentleman Bertram Wooster as the narrator, but his manservant Jeeves really the main character. (There's also a memorable British TV-series from the early 1990s based on those books, starring Hugh Laurie as Bertie Wooster, and Stephen Fry as Jeeves.)
But there is also quite a long series of books about Blandings Castle, involving among others the elderly Lord Emsworth, and his son Freddy Threepwood. (My parents had two or three of those in Swedish translation, but I can't recall this first one being among those.)
In his books, Wodehouse makes fun of both
English aristrocrats and wealthy Americans; and also the hierarchy among
servants on big old estates in England, like Blandings Castle.
This first book in the Blandings series was published in 1915 - in the UK entitled Something Fresh, but in the US Something New.
One recurring theme in this and following books set at Blandings is
that people often seem to be visiting there under false name - for
various reasons pretending to be someone else than they really are. Leading of course to lots of complications until finally sorted out... There
is also often some object (or animal) involved that more than one
person wants to get their hands on. In this book, it's a lost or stolen
ancient Egyptian scarab (a beetle-shaped amulet).
I enjoyed listening to this audio book; but have to admit that I would not be able to satisfactorily sort out neither characters nor the plot from memory afterwards...
So I'll leave that to the publisher's summary:
Here, we have a glorious ensemble of Woodhousian characters knocking elbows to foreheads in the elegant and grand Blandings Castle. Meet Freddy Threepwood, the vagrant son of doddering old Lord Emsworth of Blandings Castle. Freddy has recently become engaged to Aline Peters, the American heiress of an irascible father. The snag is that Freddy seems to have at one point become enamored of a struggling actress, Joan Valentine, and written some impetuous and imprudent letters to her. Joan has now moved on and is currently employed as a writer for a magazine's society column. Freddy has employed a certain R. Jones, a man of portly and dubious character, to attempt to buy back Freddy's letters, and keep his engagement safe. We also meet Ache Marson, an athlete who writes the Gridley Quayle series of pulp mystery stories, and also lives in the flat just below the actress/writer Joan Valentine. Got that straight? Sounding confusing? Wait till we get going.
(Publisher's summary copied from the Audible website)
I didn't know about this other series!
ReplyDeleteWodehouse is one of my two favorite novelists, so glad you posted this. If you want to laugh read Wodehouse, laughter is the best medicine as they say. I even saw a TV series titled Blandings Castle, quite funny. The pampered pig is quite a featured character in the Blandings books, is she called The Empress?
ReplyDeleteTerra, I don't think that TV series has been shown on any TV channel I have access to. Yes the pig is featured in other Blandings books (but not this one). I mostly remember her from the ones I read in Swedish so had to check up on her English name, but yes it's the Empress.
DeleteLike you, I read several Woodhouses in my teens, and loved each and every one of them. Much later, my sister gave me one or two as birthday presents, then in English (as a teen, I could only get my hands on the German translations available at our town's library). But until now, I was not familiar with Blandings Castle - it sounds very much my kind of series, though.
ReplyDelete(And weren't Laurie and Fry simpy perfect as Wooster and Jeeves?)
Meike, checking up on the Blandings books "in order", it seems that this first one is the only one in that series that is in the public domain yet. But this one is also available for Kindle for "next to nothing" (about half a dollar).
DeleteOh, my goodnesss - it's years since I've read any P.G. Wodehouse - a novelist I have completely forgotten about! I read some of the books, courtesy of my parents who had enjoyed their silly humour, in my teens. Not sure if I watched the whole TV series, but thought both Laurie and Fry were very well cast.
ReplyDeleteCarol, Wodehouse is one author I never forgot, but have kept returning to now and then over the years. ;-) 2-3 years ago or so I also bought two Audible collections of selected books from both series (Jeeves vs Blandings), narrated by Stephen Fry - who of course is the perfect choice for that as well... (This first Blandings book not included in those collections, but turned up for me at bargain price just recently.)
DeleteSandra, I think we both know by now that we don't quite share the same taste in books or movies :) I've been reading a lot more British than American authors ever since childhood. And Sweden in general probably also has a stronger cultural bond with Britain than with the US. Or at least used to. (Not sure how the younger generations who grew up with the internet from start feel about it!)
ReplyDelete