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daja57's review against another edition
4.0
First published in the US in 1915 (there is a remark about motion pictures which clearly refers to those of the silent variety), this is the first of the Blandings Castle saga starring the absent-minded Earl of Emsworth.
The full eccentricity of the characters is not yet fully developed and several of the key characters of the later books are missing, for example Lord Emsworth's sister Constance and his pig the Empress of Blandings. Whereas the later books are delightful for the utter absurdity of their plots and give pleasure as one gazes at the absurdities of the English aristocracy, this book remains fundamentally plot-driven and determined to progress the two love stories at is heart.
Nevertheless, there are flashes of the Wodehouse to come,
One of his techniques is to take a metaphor and show that, if taken literally, it is absurd. For example:
"Larsen's Exercises are the last word in exercises. ... They enable you, if you persevere, to fell oxen, if desired, with a single blow." (1.1) Notice how PGW uses subordinate phrases to interrupt the flow of the sentence so as to wring out the maximum humour. Or "The wolf was glued to the door like a postage stamp" (3.6)
In general PGW delays punch lines. For example: "Your Senior Conservative, when at lunch, has little leisure for observing anything not immediately on the table in front of him. To attract attention in the dining-room of the Senior Conservative Club between the hours of one and two-thirty, you have to be a mutton-chop, not an earl." (3.1) The second sentence could have omitted everything between 'attention' and 'you' but by adding the extra words PGW keeps one waiting for the pay-off and also adds colour
Not PGW at his best ... but still very funny.
The full eccentricity of the characters is not yet fully developed and several of the key characters of the later books are missing, for example Lord Emsworth's sister Constance and his pig the Empress of Blandings. Whereas the later books are delightful for the utter absurdity of their plots and give pleasure as one gazes at the absurdities of the English aristocracy, this book remains fundamentally plot-driven and determined to progress the two love stories at is heart.
Nevertheless, there are flashes of the Wodehouse to come,
One of his techniques is to take a metaphor and show that, if taken literally, it is absurd. For example:
"Larsen's Exercises are the last word in exercises. ... They enable you, if you persevere, to fell oxen, if desired, with a single blow." (1.1) Notice how PGW uses subordinate phrases to interrupt the flow of the sentence so as to wring out the maximum humour. Or "The wolf was glued to the door like a postage stamp" (3.6)
In general PGW delays punch lines. For example: "Your Senior Conservative, when at lunch, has little leisure for observing anything not immediately on the table in front of him. To attract attention in the dining-room of the Senior Conservative Club between the hours of one and two-thirty, you have to be a mutton-chop, not an earl." (3.1) The second sentence could have omitted everything between 'attention' and 'you' but by adding the extra words PGW keeps one waiting for the pay-off and also adds colour
Not PGW at his best ... but still very funny.
grahamjohnson's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
book_concierge's review
3.0
Digital audiobook performed by Jonathan Cecil.
Book One in the Blandings Castle series, featuring the elderly Lord Emsworth, his son Hon. Freddie Threepwood, and his trusty secretary, Baxter. The basic plot involves Lord E’s neighbor, the wealth American, Mr Peters, and his prize collection of scarabs. Ashe Marson is a writer of a popular mystery/adventure series, who is in need of inspiration – and funds. Joan Valentine is Marson’s lovely neighbor – a young woman who is struggling to find herself and soon takes a “position’ as lady’s maid to her old school chum, Aline Peters (daughter of Mr Peters, and engaged to Hon. Freddie T.)
Wodehouse excels are writing ridiculously plotted societal comedies that poke fun at the aristocracy and just about everyone else as well. There are unlikely disguises, attempts at hiding identities, and a variety of funny missteps along the way. Of course, true love will win out and everyone will be happy in the end.
I had grown tired of the Jeeves series and stopped reading Wodehouse, but I’m glad I gave the author another try. This was a delightful romp and crime caper/comedy. Just great fun to read … or listen to.
Johnathan Cecil does a fine job performing the audiobook. He has a lot of characters to deal with and is up to the task. I particularly like the way he voices Lord Emsworth, the Hon Freddie, and the blustery Mr Peters.
Book One in the Blandings Castle series, featuring the elderly Lord Emsworth, his son Hon. Freddie Threepwood, and his trusty secretary, Baxter. The basic plot involves Lord E’s neighbor, the wealth American, Mr Peters, and his prize collection of scarabs. Ashe Marson is a writer of a popular mystery/adventure series, who is in need of inspiration – and funds. Joan Valentine is Marson’s lovely neighbor – a young woman who is struggling to find herself and soon takes a “position’ as lady’s maid to her old school chum, Aline Peters (daughter of Mr Peters, and engaged to Hon. Freddie T.)
Wodehouse excels are writing ridiculously plotted societal comedies that poke fun at the aristocracy and just about everyone else as well. There are unlikely disguises, attempts at hiding identities, and a variety of funny missteps along the way. Of course, true love will win out and everyone will be happy in the end.
I had grown tired of the Jeeves series and stopped reading Wodehouse, but I’m glad I gave the author another try. This was a delightful romp and crime caper/comedy. Just great fun to read … or listen to.
Johnathan Cecil does a fine job performing the audiobook. He has a lot of characters to deal with and is up to the task. I particularly like the way he voices Lord Emsworth, the Hon Freddie, and the blustery Mr Peters.
sarahlreadseverything's review against another edition
5.0
A witty, wonderful comedy of errors with a touch of romance. Lovely.
dbevvers63's review against another edition
funny
informative
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
quidditas's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
linda_don's review against another edition
3.0
When I first read the summary for this book, I wondered if "Leave It to Psmith" had been retitled. The settings and characters are generally the same: a party at Blandings Castle, multiple false identities, a valuable object stolen, a clever woman, and an impoverished young man.
In comparison with "Psmith", a quality that stood out here was the self-consciousness that wound through the plot. A waiter at the Senior Conservative Club entertains his friends by imitating the various stupidities of the upper class he encounters at work, and at Blandings, Joan complains that life seems a "meaningless jumble" that people try to make into significant stories. I hadn't seen this transparency in a Wodehouse novel before and didn't know how to explain the deviation until reading in "Over Seventy" that this was the first novel that Wodehouse wrote on English countryside life:
"... [It] now occurred to me that I knew quite a lot about what went on in English country houses with their earls and butlers and younger sons. In my childhood in Worchestershire and later in my Shropshire days I had met earls and butlers and younger sons in some profusion, and it was quite possible, it now struck me, that the slick magazines would like to read about them. I had a plot all ready and waiting, and two days later I was typing on a clean white page: "Something Fresh by Pelham Grenville Wodehouse," and I had I feeling that I was going to hit the jackpot."
Overall, "Something Fresh" is a cheerful read. I listened to the audiobook narration by Jonathan Cecil.
In comparison with "Psmith", a quality that stood out here was the self-consciousness that wound through the plot. A waiter at the Senior Conservative Club entertains his friends by imitating the various stupidities of the upper class he encounters at work, and at Blandings, Joan complains that life seems a "meaningless jumble" that people try to make into significant stories. I hadn't seen this transparency in a Wodehouse novel before and didn't know how to explain the deviation until reading in "Over Seventy" that this was the first novel that Wodehouse wrote on English countryside life:
"... [It] now occurred to me that I knew quite a lot about what went on in English country houses with their earls and butlers and younger sons. In my childhood in Worchestershire and later in my Shropshire days I had met earls and butlers and younger sons in some profusion, and it was quite possible, it now struck me, that the slick magazines would like to read about them. I had a plot all ready and waiting, and two days later I was typing on a clean white page: "Something Fresh by Pelham Grenville Wodehouse," and I had I feeling that I was going to hit the jackpot."
Overall, "Something Fresh" is a cheerful read. I listened to the audiobook narration by Jonathan Cecil.
belleoftheb00ks's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0