What do you think?
Rate this book
Blandings Castle #1 & 4
Life at Blandings
Impostors abound in the latter-day Eden that is Blandings Castle in this three novels which includes Something Fresh, the first Blandings novel, Summer Lightning and Heavy Weather.
606 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1981
140 people are currently reading
1732 people want to read
About the author
P.G. Wodehouse
1,680 books6,928 followersSir 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).
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).
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
October 25, 2020
I've had a busy week, and that's just the time to read some Wodehouse. As far as the Blandings Castle books are concerned, one can luxuriate in his rich wit and sunlit prose, his seamless transitions between narrators and points of view, and his engaging plots that are a pleasure to follow but nevertheless don't require 'keeping up' with, for nothing bad really ever happens in them—think Shakespearean comedies, but the texture of candy floss.
The World of Blandings begins at the beginning with Something Fresh, follows it with three short stories—"The Custody of the Pumpkin," "Lord Emsworth acts for the Best," and "Pig Hoo-o-o-o-oy!"—from the third book, and ends with the fourth novel in the series, Summer Lightning. These tales are replete with humour and allusions to literary giants like Shakespeare, Ibsen, Poe and Tennyson, and are essentially all comedies of error featuring some sort of theft, people trying to get married, and, of course, the absentminded Earl of Emsworth thinking about his wonderfully fat pig, the Empress of Blandings.
I wholeheartedly enjoyed Something Fresh, but further along it dawned on me that the secret to the splendour of Wodehouse's prose lies in his dependence on formulaic plots.
Wodehouse also happened to be famously apolitical in a manner that inflamed many (to a point where George Orwell had to come to his defense) , but which people looking for light reading on either side of the political spectrum nevertheless find somewhat endearing. Blandings, for instance, satirises the English aristocracy without wholly attacking the social hierarchy that Britain holds so dear, and even features a heady mix of independent and intrepid female characters without taking a consistent position on 'the woman question' that was the talk of the times.
Many agree that what made Wodehouse a good writer was precisely this unrestrained appeal his works continue to hold and generate, and this Blandings omnibus edition illustrates that spirit fairly well.
The World of Blandings begins at the beginning with Something Fresh, follows it with three short stories—"The Custody of the Pumpkin," "Lord Emsworth acts for the Best," and "Pig Hoo-o-o-o-oy!"—from the third book, and ends with the fourth novel in the series, Summer Lightning. These tales are replete with humour and allusions to literary giants like Shakespeare, Ibsen, Poe and Tennyson, and are essentially all comedies of error featuring some sort of theft, people trying to get married, and, of course, the absentminded Earl of Emsworth thinking about his wonderfully fat pig, the Empress of Blandings.
I wholeheartedly enjoyed Something Fresh, but further along it dawned on me that the secret to the splendour of Wodehouse's prose lies in his dependence on formulaic plots.
Wodehouse also happened to be famously apolitical in a manner that inflamed many (to a point where George Orwell had to come to his defense) , but which people looking for light reading on either side of the political spectrum nevertheless find somewhat endearing. Blandings, for instance, satirises the English aristocracy without wholly attacking the social hierarchy that Britain holds so dear, and even features a heady mix of independent and intrepid female characters without taking a consistent position on 'the woman question' that was the talk of the times.
Many agree that what made Wodehouse a good writer was precisely this unrestrained appeal his works continue to hold and generate, and this Blandings omnibus edition illustrates that spirit fairly well.
November 29, 2015
When I was about 9 or 10 years the local pizzeria. Well it was Hamilton, New Zealand circa 1990, it was a Pizza Hut. A place where the mozzarella could stretch a metre, pineapple was on everything and the bases tasted as if they were deep fried. But more importantly this Pizza Hut Restaurant (are there still Pizza Hut Restaurants?) had an all you can eat desert buffet. Imagine the scene a little girl wearing a home made knitted sweater, pressed jeans, freckles and short curly hair (Mum liked it curly so I was never allowed it long). My eyes wide, I could almost see the halo, hear the angles singing. Lets be honest, it was a tired soft serve machine, grubby pumps of gooey chocolate, caramel and strawberry sauces, with plastic bowls of sprinkles and smarties. But my 10 year old self wanted to gorge, drown, a large dollop of ice cream in chocolate, buried in smarties. Oh and yes I wanted a second bowl, this time I was mixing chocolate and strawberry sauces. And yes a third bowl, I had decide to experiment with caramel. Ok yes I now start to feel queasy, under the rolling knowing eyes of my parents. But I still pushed sticky spoon fills in my mouth. I had also had a bizarre notion that if I was getting full, drinking water would push food down creating more room. OK on the way home I threw up out of the car window, and was never allowed to go back to a dessert buffet ever again.
I felt something a little similar to Wodehouse. When I opened that cover, read the first few glorious sentences I wanted to gorge. The writing just sparkled, it was snappy, joyful, perfectly baked writing.
"The sunshine of a fair Spring morning fell graciously upon London town. Out in Piccadilly its heartening warmth seemed to infuse into traffic and pedestrians alike a novel jauntiness, so that bus-drivers jested and even the lips of chauffeurs uncurled into not unkindly smiles. Policemen whistled at their posts, clerks on their way to work, beggars approached the task of trying to persuade perfect strangers to bear burden of their maintenance with that optimistic vim which makes all the difference. It was one of those happy mornings."
Something Fresh page 1
I read this passage out to my very confused boyfriend. 'Stop reading Wodehouse at me' became a common phrase. This scene is perfect, word perfect, but there is something artificial about it all. One sunshine is London? Ok maybe during the Olympics. But has anyone ever seen jesting bus driver? Or a beggar with any kind of vim? Even in 1915 when 'Something Fresh' was written. For me Wodehouse is very much like soft served ice cream, it's not quite ice cream, but I still like it. Yes the great Pizza Hunt binge of 1990 did not turn me off the sugary hard stuff, only my eyes a little smaller. I will still seek out a Macers for a cheese burger and a chocolate sunday. Just like when I have read a lot of dark novels where the soul is given a closer look and left wanting, you know the kind. So when books get too heavy I seek out Wodehouse.
I am comparing Wodehouse to some pretty artificial and junky food, and I think there is more to the 20th Century author. The writing is spectacular, I had never read a full novel, only short stories, i did not realise how well plotted they were. The distinction between the upper class twists and the more snobbish class abiding downstairs servants is clever (even though repeated over and over and over and over again). There is an image of a hero bouncing a tennis ball off the large curved back of the Empress of Blandings (a fat medal winning pig) is an image that still gives me pleasure.
But there is only so many times you can read about people getting engaged then not engaged, then engaged to someone else because of bad curried eggs from the night before. Then someone stealing a creamer that was taken by someone else, and then having the Efficient Baxter (who by the way, fantastic character) throwing flower pots of the 9th Earl of Emsworth.
I should not have read the whole collection (two novels and three short stories, I should have paced myself. I would have enjoyed the second novel, 'Summer Lightening' much more than I did. But I just had to gorge myself. P G Wodehouse is that good, you want to read him until you are ill.
I felt something a little similar to Wodehouse. When I opened that cover, read the first few glorious sentences I wanted to gorge. The writing just sparkled, it was snappy, joyful, perfectly baked writing.
"The sunshine of a fair Spring morning fell graciously upon London town. Out in Piccadilly its heartening warmth seemed to infuse into traffic and pedestrians alike a novel jauntiness, so that bus-drivers jested and even the lips of chauffeurs uncurled into not unkindly smiles. Policemen whistled at their posts, clerks on their way to work, beggars approached the task of trying to persuade perfect strangers to bear burden of their maintenance with that optimistic vim which makes all the difference. It was one of those happy mornings."
Something Fresh page 1
I read this passage out to my very confused boyfriend. 'Stop reading Wodehouse at me' became a common phrase. This scene is perfect, word perfect, but there is something artificial about it all. One sunshine is London? Ok maybe during the Olympics. But has anyone ever seen jesting bus driver? Or a beggar with any kind of vim? Even in 1915 when 'Something Fresh' was written. For me Wodehouse is very much like soft served ice cream, it's not quite ice cream, but I still like it. Yes the great Pizza Hunt binge of 1990 did not turn me off the sugary hard stuff, only my eyes a little smaller. I will still seek out a Macers for a cheese burger and a chocolate sunday. Just like when I have read a lot of dark novels where the soul is given a closer look and left wanting, you know the kind. So when books get too heavy I seek out Wodehouse.
I am comparing Wodehouse to some pretty artificial and junky food, and I think there is more to the 20th Century author. The writing is spectacular, I had never read a full novel, only short stories, i did not realise how well plotted they were. The distinction between the upper class twists and the more snobbish class abiding downstairs servants is clever (even though repeated over and over and over and over again). There is an image of a hero bouncing a tennis ball off the large curved back of the Empress of Blandings (a fat medal winning pig) is an image that still gives me pleasure.
But there is only so many times you can read about people getting engaged then not engaged, then engaged to someone else because of bad curried eggs from the night before. Then someone stealing a creamer that was taken by someone else, and then having the Efficient Baxter (who by the way, fantastic character) throwing flower pots of the 9th Earl of Emsworth.
I should not have read the whole collection (two novels and three short stories, I should have paced myself. I would have enjoyed the second novel, 'Summer Lightening' much more than I did. But I just had to gorge myself. P G Wodehouse is that good, you want to read him until you are ill.
April 19, 2010
At first glance, an omnibus of Blandings castle stories seems delightful. The only flaw is that reading them back to back brings up a sense of repetitiveness, even though the characters are different. The same lovestruck young men, headstrong young women, iron-willed aunts, imposters, secretaries, theft plots and the pig Empress. Each of these elements is a delightful characteristic of Wodehousian plots but perhaps it's better to take them in smaller doses to fully appreciate them.
The series begins with Something Fresh and sets the tone of tangled hearts with Wodehousian newcomers Ashe Marson (he of Larsen exercises) and Joan Valentine. The second book, Summer Lightening continues the tone, this time flowering into the tangled hearts of Ronald Fish, Sue Brown (chorus girl, daughter of Dolly Henderson who made Gally Threepwood's heart beat), Millicent and Hugo Carmody. The third book, Heavy Weather, does rather lay it on thick as its name suggests, this time revolving around the dubious memoirs of Gally Threepwood and a good old-fashioned pig-theft plot thrown in (for what would a Blandings book be without a quest to nobble Empress of Blandings?).
My favorite of the three is Summer Lightening since it blossoms where Something Fresh only hints at and what Heavy Weather withers away. Read with breaks in between books.
The series begins with Something Fresh and sets the tone of tangled hearts with Wodehousian newcomers Ashe Marson (he of Larsen exercises) and Joan Valentine. The second book, Summer Lightening continues the tone, this time flowering into the tangled hearts of Ronald Fish, Sue Brown (chorus girl, daughter of Dolly Henderson who made Gally Threepwood's heart beat), Millicent and Hugo Carmody. The third book, Heavy Weather, does rather lay it on thick as its name suggests, this time revolving around the dubious memoirs of Gally Threepwood and a good old-fashioned pig-theft plot thrown in (for what would a Blandings book be without a quest to nobble Empress of Blandings?).
My favorite of the three is Summer Lightening since it blossoms where Something Fresh only hints at and what Heavy Weather withers away. Read with breaks in between books.
June 29, 2012
Here's a quote:
Mac had many admirable qualities but not tact. He was the sort of man who would have tried to cheer Napoleon up by talking about the Winter Sports at Moscow.
April 5, 2014
This omnibus contains Something Fresh, Summer Lighting and Heavy Weather. Reviews for each book are under the individual book title.
January 6, 2016
First of all, I'll say this volume is very strangely arranged. Why include the first of the Blandings series, and then proceed with a few short stories from the third, along with the fourth book? I wouldn't have bought it if I'd known it was like that, but then, I seldom think when it comes to books, and I didn't even bother looking it up.
This is my first Wodehouse book, and it had me in fits. Being the sort of person who is easily brought to emotional arousal, and is hyperactive at that, it is quite common for me to physically cry out at climactic parts of books, but the books I love the most are the ones that move me so much, I throw them down, I run the length of the flat shouting, I throw myself down, and continue reading while heaving dry sobs.
The Blandings series is not a thriller, but it has done more for me than I can remember any thriller doing. Is this book clever? Absolutely. Is it trying to tell us something about society? Completely debatable, nothing occurred to me while I was reading it, but after a point I was in no frame of mind to contemplate any deep, hidden meanings. Is it wonderful and funny as heck? Absitively posilutely. If you like a good laugh, you will definitely love Blandings. If you don't ... that sounds like a problem you might need help with.
(The rest of this review will follow to be complete gibberish.)
My overall impression of this book aside, I must say I am amazed by how Wodehouse only has so few characters I am interested in, yet keeps me in his grip throughout the entire story. Something similar happened to me while I was going through the Discworld series. I read it in a weird order (see my lack of impulse control regarding books, mentioned above), and while Discworld has a rich range of characters I love dearly, the books I had yet to read lost some shine when I realised there were no more books I could read (so far then) with Vetinari in them. (I even know a girl who is so fond of Ankh-Morpork, she has not read any Discworld book that does not take place there, but even I think this is going too far.)
The books had me in their grip, but I ran through them quickly, searching for any characters who would similarly make themselves dear to my heart (I didn't find any, but never mind that). With Blandings, once I met Baxter, I was completely enamoured. After Something Fresh, I hurried through the volume, hoping for another glimpse of him. I swooned when he was first mentioned by Lady Constance through Hugo, eager to see him again. And undoubtedly the scenes that made me the most emotional were the ones concerning Baxter, simply because I liked him so much. I adore a good secretary, and Baxter was very much that. I agonised for him, sympathised with him, wished desperately that he would get a happy ending (and he sort of did, bless him).
But I've got to hand it to Wodehouse. Even when Baxter wasn't around, even when faced with characters I could hardly stand in the form of Hugo, Millicent, Ronald, and even almost Sue, I still read with alacrity. I felt intensely happy. For the first time I can remember since my childhood (when I was still going through that phase when I would read anything put into my hands, simply for the sheer joy of reading), it was the plot that had me, not the characters. And that is the highest compliment I can think to present to Wodehouse.
(As an aside, I actually ordered the second Blandings book halfway through Summer Lightning, just because I was so eager to see Baxter again. And in summaries of the other books provided in the back pages of this volume, I've read that Lady Constance will apparently thrust another secretary onto Lord Emsworth. In Lady Constance I find a kindred spirit, and I dearly hope it shall be a secretary I shall like too!)
(Are you tired of these liberally sprinkled brackets yet?)
(Sorry.)
This is my first Wodehouse book, and it had me in fits. Being the sort of person who is easily brought to emotional arousal, and is hyperactive at that, it is quite common for me to physically cry out at climactic parts of books, but the books I love the most are the ones that move me so much, I throw them down, I run the length of the flat shouting, I throw myself down, and continue reading while heaving dry sobs.
The Blandings series is not a thriller, but it has done more for me than I can remember any thriller doing. Is this book clever? Absolutely. Is it trying to tell us something about society? Completely debatable, nothing occurred to me while I was reading it, but after a point I was in no frame of mind to contemplate any deep, hidden meanings. Is it wonderful and funny as heck? Absitively posilutely. If you like a good laugh, you will definitely love Blandings. If you don't ... that sounds like a problem you might need help with.
(The rest of this review will follow to be complete gibberish.)
My overall impression of this book aside, I must say I am amazed by how Wodehouse only has so few characters I am interested in, yet keeps me in his grip throughout the entire story. Something similar happened to me while I was going through the Discworld series. I read it in a weird order (see my lack of impulse control regarding books, mentioned above), and while Discworld has a rich range of characters I love dearly, the books I had yet to read lost some shine when I realised there were no more books I could read (so far then) with Vetinari in them. (I even know a girl who is so fond of Ankh-Morpork, she has not read any Discworld book that does not take place there, but even I think this is going too far.)
The books had me in their grip, but I ran through them quickly, searching for any characters who would similarly make themselves dear to my heart (I didn't find any, but never mind that). With Blandings, once I met Baxter, I was completely enamoured. After Something Fresh, I hurried through the volume, hoping for another glimpse of him. I swooned when he was first mentioned by Lady Constance through Hugo, eager to see him again. And undoubtedly the scenes that made me the most emotional were the ones concerning Baxter, simply because I liked him so much. I adore a good secretary, and Baxter was very much that. I agonised for him, sympathised with him, wished desperately that he would get a happy ending (and he sort of did, bless him).
But I've got to hand it to Wodehouse. Even when Baxter wasn't around, even when faced with characters I could hardly stand in the form of Hugo, Millicent, Ronald, and even almost Sue, I still read with alacrity. I felt intensely happy. For the first time I can remember since my childhood (when I was still going through that phase when I would read anything put into my hands, simply for the sheer joy of reading), it was the plot that had me, not the characters. And that is the highest compliment I can think to present to Wodehouse.
(As an aside, I actually ordered the second Blandings book halfway through Summer Lightning, just because I was so eager to see Baxter again. And in summaries of the other books provided in the back pages of this volume, I've read that Lady Constance will apparently thrust another secretary onto Lord Emsworth. In Lady Constance I find a kindred spirit, and I dearly hope it shall be a secretary I shall like too!)
(Are you tired of these liberally sprinkled brackets yet?)
(Sorry.)
August 5, 2012
Life at Blandings is a compilation of 3 separate books by P. G. Wodehouse devoted to the family of Lord Emsworth of Blandings Castle.
Something Fresh is the first book in the omnibus. In this story Lord Emsworth's son Freddie is engaged to an American millionaire's daughter (as was much the style in the early/mid 20th century for British second sons). Emsworth's absentmindedness causes a stir in these plans when he accidentally steals his son's soon-to-be-father-in-law's prize collectible scarab. Hijinks and duplicity ensue as several outlying characters are engaged to visit Blandings Castle in disguises to reclaim the scarab for Mr. Peters and earn a large reward.
Summer Lightening takes place a while after Something Fresh. Lord Emsworth's son Freddie has been married off and is out of his hair. However for the poor peer cannot relax because his relations are taking residence - particularly a controlling sister and a mopey niece. This tale focuses on two pairs of lovers - Millicent (the mopey niece) and Hugo (Lord Emsworth's slothy secretary), and Ronnie (a nephew) and Sue a *gasp* chorus girl. The story hinges on the Empress of Blandings - a prize pig doted on by Lord Emsworth - who disappears. There are many characters and misunderstandings but all ends, as it usually does in a Wodehouse, as it should.
Finally, this tome rounds up with Heavy Weather. This book takes place about a week after Summer Lightening wraps up and includes many of the same characters. The Empress of Blandings still figures prominently and many events unfold because of Emsworth's concern that his local rival Sir Parsloe-Parsloe will attempt to nobble her chances in the upcoming fair. The young lovers Ronnie and Sue remain on tense footing in this tale because of the introduction of Ronnie's mother and Emsworth's sister Lady Julia, and a new secretary to Lord Emsworth, the dashing Monty Bodkin. The other driving story line is that Emsworth's younger brother Galahad (who led a very misspent youth) has written reminisces that some people want published and others desperately want destroyed.
These three books combined were very enjoyable reads. Even if I hadn't already been apprised of how Freddie married (as occurred between the first two books) that would not have interfered with understanding or enjoying these diverting tales which touch on the snobbishness of the upper class (the term noblesse oblige is used), the rigid hierarchy that results even among the staff of the upper crust, and the ultimate lesson that even the best laid plans go awry. There is a bit of repetition between the second and last books as they take place back to back (but were written years apart) with many of the same characters and underlying tensions but enjoyable nonetheless.
Something Fresh is the first book in the omnibus. In this story Lord Emsworth's son Freddie is engaged to an American millionaire's daughter (as was much the style in the early/mid 20th century for British second sons). Emsworth's absentmindedness causes a stir in these plans when he accidentally steals his son's soon-to-be-father-in-law's prize collectible scarab. Hijinks and duplicity ensue as several outlying characters are engaged to visit Blandings Castle in disguises to reclaim the scarab for Mr. Peters and earn a large reward.
Summer Lightening takes place a while after Something Fresh. Lord Emsworth's son Freddie has been married off and is out of his hair. However for the poor peer cannot relax because his relations are taking residence - particularly a controlling sister and a mopey niece. This tale focuses on two pairs of lovers - Millicent (the mopey niece) and Hugo (Lord Emsworth's slothy secretary), and Ronnie (a nephew) and Sue a *gasp* chorus girl. The story hinges on the Empress of Blandings - a prize pig doted on by Lord Emsworth - who disappears. There are many characters and misunderstandings but all ends, as it usually does in a Wodehouse, as it should.
Finally, this tome rounds up with Heavy Weather. This book takes place about a week after Summer Lightening wraps up and includes many of the same characters. The Empress of Blandings still figures prominently and many events unfold because of Emsworth's concern that his local rival Sir Parsloe-Parsloe will attempt to nobble her chances in the upcoming fair. The young lovers Ronnie and Sue remain on tense footing in this tale because of the introduction of Ronnie's mother and Emsworth's sister Lady Julia, and a new secretary to Lord Emsworth, the dashing Monty Bodkin. The other driving story line is that Emsworth's younger brother Galahad (who led a very misspent youth) has written reminisces that some people want published and others desperately want destroyed.
These three books combined were very enjoyable reads. Even if I hadn't already been apprised of how Freddie married (as occurred between the first two books) that would not have interfered with understanding or enjoying these diverting tales which touch on the snobbishness of the upper class (the term noblesse oblige is used), the rigid hierarchy that results even among the staff of the upper crust, and the ultimate lesson that even the best laid plans go awry. There is a bit of repetition between the second and last books as they take place back to back (but were written years apart) with many of the same characters and underlying tensions but enjoyable nonetheless.
May 17, 2013
I am an enormous fan of the Jeeves and Wooster books, so was a little discomfited to find that the tone of this book, earlier Wodehouse, is more "authorial," and less given to the mixed metaphors and cracked similes that make Bertie's "voice" so entrancing for a reader.
However, with Wodehouse stepping back a little from his characters' absurd dilemmas, we also get a wider frame for a brilliant evocation of his times, starting with 1915. Reread, if you want to see where Downton Abbey has got it all wrong, about the order of precedence for a staff of a "great house" going into the dinner, or the various protocols for their hierarchy in general under stairs. There are also snippets of the real world down in London (though Waugh claimed that Wodehouse was describing a paradise unto itself at Blandings) in the plucky solutions of heroines left without fortunes as they rely on their wits and courage to survive.
I think nobody could pull off that scene at Mario's as well as Wodehouse, with its perfect balance of mayhem which could have slipped into violence and waiterly interference which could have become a bore. In his hand, it seems, no piece of reality gone wrong can be anything but hilarious.
Great stuff.
However, with Wodehouse stepping back a little from his characters' absurd dilemmas, we also get a wider frame for a brilliant evocation of his times, starting with 1915. Reread, if you want to see where Downton Abbey has got it all wrong, about the order of precedence for a staff of a "great house" going into the dinner, or the various protocols for their hierarchy in general under stairs. There are also snippets of the real world down in London (though Waugh claimed that Wodehouse was describing a paradise unto itself at Blandings) in the plucky solutions of heroines left without fortunes as they rely on their wits and courage to survive.
I think nobody could pull off that scene at Mario's as well as Wodehouse, with its perfect balance of mayhem which could have slipped into violence and waiterly interference which could have become a bore. In his hand, it seems, no piece of reality gone wrong can be anything but hilarious.
Great stuff.
May 7, 2012
This is what I read instead of fairytales. 'Something Fresh' was published in 1915, 'Summer Lightning' in 1929 and 'Heavy Weather' in 1933. Almost one hundred years later eternal summer still reigns at Blandings Castle. This grand country house is peopled by a familiar cast with a spot of bother or other - which neatly resolves itself at the end of the novel. The reader is wrapped in a glorious glow of nostalgia, safe in the knowledge that the author will deliver the more likeable characters to live happily ever after. A privileged world indeed, seemingly untouched by external strife. Winding plot, beautiful language (I probably have P.G. Wodehouse to thank for much of my English vocabulary); a truly good read.
August 9, 2011
My very first encounter with Wodehouse. Before the humour struck, I was starstruck by the way he captures the spirit of London at the turn of the century. After a few pages, however, there were other reasons to remain faithful to one who has turned into one of my favourite authors. I am sure other fans will agree.
December 8, 2015
It is no secret that I love Wodehouse. His language alone is utterly charming and idiosyncratic. Shockingly enough, I had never read any of his Blandings books before, and these three came in one volume.
July 28, 2020
One is supposed to expect to tap on one self’s own shoulder approvingly when one finishes a 800 plus pages book.
Not the case here – you go through these three-books-in-one and it feels like you have just licked the desert plate clean.
Not the case here – you go through these three-books-in-one and it feels like you have just licked the desert plate clean.
August 13, 2018
Loved it! Marvellous! I am actually very fond of the 9th Earl of Emsworth. Enjoyed this immensely.
July 23, 2021
Once you’ve read a couple of the Blandings Castle Series, they all tend to merge into the same with similar themes and plots. However, a nice change from Jeeves and Wooster though.
February 28, 2022
My first Wodehouse! I don't know how it compares to his other works but I loved it. Laughed out loud often - a breath of fresh air.
July 19, 2015
Reading Wodehouse is pure bliss. His writing style seems simple but it is not. Wodehouse is a genius and he painstakingly creates humor out of ordinary everyday situations. It is not slap stick, satire or comic. It is pure unadulterated humor. Reading Wodehouse is the best stress buster and anti-depressant. He doesn’t claim to very highly literary writing prowess. In his own words “I believe there are two ways of writing novels. One is making a sort of musical comedy without music and ignoring real life altogether; the other is going deep down into life and not caring a damn...”.
Wodehouse believed that one of the factors that made his stories humorous was his view of life, and he stated that "If you take life fairly easily, then you take a humorous view of things. It's probably because you were born that way."
"For a humorous novel you've got to have a scenario, and you've got to test it so that you know where the comedy comes in, where the situations come in … splitting it up into scenes (you can make a scene of almost anything) and have as little stuff in between as possible."
Bandings castle and its characters is one the best of his creations. All other charaters Jeevs, Ukridge, Bertram Wooster, Psimth, Mulliner, Clarence Threepwood, Sebastian Beach, Ashe Marson, Joan Valentine, J. Preston Peters, Aline Peters, Freddie Threepwood, Mrs. Twemlow, Mrs. Bell, Richard Jones, George Emerson, Lord Stockheath, Adams, Rupert J. Baxter, Thorne, George Threepwood, Ann Warblington, Merridew, James, Alfred, Mildred Mant, Horace Mant, Judson, Algernon Wooster, Bishop of Godalming, Billy, Muriel, Dr. Bird, Slingsby, Chester, Ferris, Miss Willoughby etc are highly likable.
I think there will not be a single person who cannot like Wodehouse.
Wodehouse believed that one of the factors that made his stories humorous was his view of life, and he stated that "If you take life fairly easily, then you take a humorous view of things. It's probably because you were born that way."
"For a humorous novel you've got to have a scenario, and you've got to test it so that you know where the comedy comes in, where the situations come in … splitting it up into scenes (you can make a scene of almost anything) and have as little stuff in between as possible."
Bandings castle and its characters is one the best of his creations. All other charaters Jeevs, Ukridge, Bertram Wooster, Psimth, Mulliner, Clarence Threepwood, Sebastian Beach, Ashe Marson, Joan Valentine, J. Preston Peters, Aline Peters, Freddie Threepwood, Mrs. Twemlow, Mrs. Bell, Richard Jones, George Emerson, Lord Stockheath, Adams, Rupert J. Baxter, Thorne, George Threepwood, Ann Warblington, Merridew, James, Alfred, Mildred Mant, Horace Mant, Judson, Algernon Wooster, Bishop of Godalming, Billy, Muriel, Dr. Bird, Slingsby, Chester, Ferris, Miss Willoughby etc are highly likable.
I think there will not be a single person who cannot like Wodehouse.
February 3, 2014
The World of Blandings. Ahhhh (adopts Stephen Fry mode, warm soothing voice that will not be gainsaid). A world where nothing bad happens, or if it does it's almost always solved before the dinner gong. There's even a description of how to bang a dinner gong, as Marc Bolan never sang. It's lovely stuff and with a greater depth and richness of character than the recent rather two dimensional TV adaptation. In Something Fresh, we have two impecunious but bright young things getting together to put one over on the toffs, but it's all sorted out amicably of course, whilst three short stories bring us further into the world of amiable duffer Lord Emsworth, his formidable old bag of a sister Lady Constance and staff such as Beech the Butler and gong-banger, and the admirable but not likeable personal secretary, the Efficient Baxter. Whisper who dares but I sort of sneakily like Blandings and some of Wodehouse's other canon better than Jeeves and Wooster, because without the omniscient and omnipresent factotum, it's less obvious how the various scrapes will unfold. My only criticism of The World of Blandings is there's just a little too much. Summer Lightning proved to be more of a good thing than I could really handle in one sitting so I'm saving its denouement for (another) rainy day.
September 16, 2014
My first time reading Wodehouse in his original language. And boy, what a treat! His characterisations are superbly-written and humorous and his description of the simplest things or occurrences carry the signature of a great word-master. Not to mention that oh-so-British upper-class language and affectation, so nicely depicted and gently (or maybe not so gently) mocked.
Moreover, his stories are upbeat and uplifting, making for a great read during a gloomy autumn/winter month when nothing seems to pick up. I vote him hands down into the Hall of the Great Humorists of All Time (not that he hasn't been already included there by people with more authority in the matter).
I had only read one Blandings story before, in translation, and it was quite enjoyable. However, I feel that the best way to enjoy the exquisite mastery with which Wodehouse uses the English language is to read the originals. Happy to brag that I have recently acquired two shelf-fulls of his writings, so this winter's gloom is not going to touch me ;)
Moreover, his stories are upbeat and uplifting, making for a great read during a gloomy autumn/winter month when nothing seems to pick up. I vote him hands down into the Hall of the Great Humorists of All Time (not that he hasn't been already included there by people with more authority in the matter).
I had only read one Blandings story before, in translation, and it was quite enjoyable. However, I feel that the best way to enjoy the exquisite mastery with which Wodehouse uses the English language is to read the originals. Happy to brag that I have recently acquired two shelf-fulls of his writings, so this winter's gloom is not going to touch me ;)
January 28, 2016
Wodehouse is one of my favourite authors, someone you just keeping going back to for comfort (the real equivalent of comfort food!) and a few light-hearted moments. All hos books are wonderful, some more than the others, of course, but what strikes one is his total mastery of the English language. He sort of twists and turns the phrase but always falls back on his feet, coming out with some incredible and never-thought-of constructions. What I say here is valid for almost all his books. He portrays a world that seems steeped in innocence, where you feel no harm can befall you, that all's all right with the world! Your spirits sing...
February 21, 2008
This omnibus contains the first three Blandings novels, being Something Fresh, Summer Lightning and Heavy Weather. In many ways the Blandings novels have the same formula as the Jeeves and Wooster books; it is a winning formula as far as I'm concerned and again I would recommend a reading of them. Did I mention, they're also very entertaining and contain a portrait of a life in England that has all but vanished.
September 11, 2023
Picadilly Jim is one of my all-time favourite books - I even have a first edition - and I also love Jeeves and Wooster, which is something of a comfort go-to for me. And yet... I do not like the Blandings stories. I found them such a slog whereas Wodehouse's other work always seems so light and breezy.
Not that these stories are heavy -far from it. They're not bad. They're just... not my cup of tea.
Not that these stories are heavy -far from it. They're not bad. They're just... not my cup of tea.
August 10, 2007
Technically, I only read the first two of the three short novels in this collection, "Something Fresh" and "Summer Lightning." I enjoyed the first one and dearly loved the second. The characters are a bit more cemented; plus, you have the Hon. Galahad, the bounder. I decided to save "Heavy Weather" for another time. I toyed with typing "rainy day," but it's trite, isn't it?
May 9, 2011
This was the first P.G. Wodehouse book i read and immediately fell in love with his writing...reading this book was like entering into 19th century england aristocracy and laugh as they try to maintain a sense of propriety while scheming against one another! And Galahad seems to be on our side, an observer who loves to laugh at others and himself...
January 16, 2013
Reading PG Wodehouse is a silken, honeyed unalloyed pleasure. Haven't reread the Blanding stories as often as the Jeeves & Wooster but gave it a go when I heard about the telly adaptation pending. They'll never capture the perfect comedic tone & prose of the omniscient narrator, I thought. And they didn't, sadly. Wonderful stories for a cold Winter's day!
March 20, 2014
This omnibus edition contains three complete P.G. Wodehouse novels: Something Fresh, Summer Lightning, and Heavy Weather, all of which take place at "Blandings," a quintessential English country estate. No Jeeves or Wooster, but similar characters abound. Worth reading, and very enjoyable for any Wodehouse fan.
February 5, 2016
I like the Blandings series for its characters - it used to take away all stress and leave me in helpless laughter, lost in a world he created for his readers.
It hardly matters if it in fact does exist, or if one can find it - I prefer to belive it is right there and it is enough one can find it in the Wodehouse writings.
It hardly matters if it in fact does exist, or if one can find it - I prefer to belive it is right there and it is enough one can find it in the Wodehouse writings.
April 4, 2016
The usual brilliance of P G Wodehouse - the Blandings menagerie ranks amongst the best creations of Wodehouse - ahead of Wooster but maybe just behind Ickenham and Psmith. The only way this compilation could have been improved would have been by including the Ickenham and the Psmith combos with Blandings
December 13, 2007
My sense of humor--witty like Coward, and a thoroughly enjoyable escapist guilty pleasure. (This is the "War & Peace" of Wodehouse novels in that it is about 1000 pages.) I'm on the very last story/novel and thoroughly enjoying it!
June 26, 2011
I had a Penguin paperback edition of these three...loaned it to someone and never got it back, I guess. Such fun. Apparently there are at least three OTHER Blandings castle books--including "Leave It To Psmith", which I'd forgotten, but which is one of my favorites.
May 13, 2019
I love a good English farce and P.G. Wodehouse produces the best English farces. This edition is a complilation of three novels. I read it straight through. Though, I recommend taking a break between novels. I throughly enjoyed this book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews