A Damsel in Distress - Bitnexus BookWyrm

No cover — P. G. Wodehouse: A Damsel in Distress (EBook, 2008, Random House Publishing Group)

eBook

English language

Published Sept. 8, 2008 by Random House Publishing Group.

ISBN:: 978-1-4090-6072-7

'You don't analyse such sunlit perfection, you just bask in its warmth and splendour.' Stephen FryA P.G. Wodehouse novel Lady Maud, the spirited young daughter of the Earl of Marshmoreton, is confined to her home, Belpher Castle in Hampshire, under aunt's orders because of an unfortunate infatuation. Enter our hero, George Bevan, an American who writes songs for musicals and is so smitten with Maud that he descends on Hampshire's rolling acres to see off his rival and claim her heart. Meanwhile, in the great Wodehousian tradition, the Earl of Marshmoreton just wants a quiet life pottering in his garden, supported by his portly butler Keggs and free from the demands of his bossy sister and his silly-ass son. In a sunny story which involves chorus-girls, the theatre and a ball at the castle during a two-week house-party, Wodehouse deftly unties all the knots which he had so cleverly tied …

'You don't analyse such sunlit perfection, you just bask in its warmth and splendour.' Stephen FryA P.G. Wodehouse novel Lady Maud, the spirited young daughter of the Earl of Marshmoreton, is confined to her home, Belpher Castle in Hampshire, under aunt's orders because of an unfortunate infatuation. Enter our hero, George Bevan, an American who writes songs for musicals and is so smitten with Maud that he descends on Hampshire's rolling acres to see off his rival and claim her heart. Meanwhile, in the great Wodehousian tradition, the Earl of Marshmoreton just wants a quiet life pottering in his garden, supported by his portly butler Keggs and free from the demands of his bossy sister and his silly-ass son. In a sunny story which involves chorus-girls, the theatre and a ball at the castle during a two-week house-party, Wodehouse deftly unties all the knots which he had so cleverly tied around his characters in the first place.

42 editions

Nerd Picnic reviewed A Damsel in Distress by P. G. Wodehouse

For the first time, I've got a bone to pick with Wodehouse

3 stars

I think I've read about a dozen of PGW's books, and this one has as many gems of description and dialogue as any. (The Jeeves & Wooster stories really are better than the rest because of the first-person perspective; but there is plenty to love in the others.)

This time, though, it was impossible to ignore certain mean and lazy jokes, because he kept returning to them. First, everyone overweight is bad. Both our omniscient narrator and the "good" characters explicitly make fun of and are disgusted by their weight. Second, the servants are made fun of and the whole joke is that they are less educated and polished than the aristocrats.

I have no problem with Wodehouse skewering servant characters the same as he does to everyone else, like he does in other books, but this is the first time where their class characteristics are the entire …

I think I've read about a dozen of PGW's books, and this one has as many gems of description and dialogue as any. (The Jeeves & Wooster stories really are better than the rest because of the first-person perspective; but there is plenty to love in the others.)

This time, though, it was impossible to ignore certain mean and lazy jokes, because he kept returning to them. First, everyone overweight is bad. Both our omniscient narrator and the "good" characters explicitly make fun of and are disgusted by their weight. Second, the servants are made fun of and the whole joke is that they are less educated and polished than the aristocrats.

I have no problem with Wodehouse skewering servant characters the same as he does to everyone else, like he does in other books, but this is the first time where their class characteristics are the entire joke.

Still, there are so many good bits, and the plot device of the sweepstakes added extra irony. So I'll give it 3 stars instead of 2.

I'm disappointed in you, PG!