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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
I'm rating this book compared to all the other Wodehouse books I've read. Not my favorite of his oeuvre, but still good. I would reread it in a pinch.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I’ve avoided the non-Jeeves and Wooster Wodehouse novels until recently. I had the idea they would be missing something. But the characters in these Blandings novels are equally memorable, the prose relentlessly amusing and the conflicting and coinciding machinations of all the characters hilarious. I didn’t laugh out loud too often but quietly chuckled all my way through it.
And even the most idiotic character in the novel - Hon. Freddie Threepwood - has something memorable to say - “A chappie looked such an ass getting married…”
Never a truer word spoken!
And even the most idiotic character in the novel - Hon. Freddie Threepwood - has something memorable to say - “A chappie looked such an ass getting married…”
Never a truer word spoken!
"Blandings Castle #1" is technically true, but the actual stars of the novel are all visitors to the castle. Lord Emsworth barely appears, Freddie only has a few (albeit plot-important) scenes, and Beach buttles in the background; the rest of the Blandings Crew hadn't been invented yet. No Empress either.
I'm not trying to warn readers away, exactly; it's definitely lower key than later Blandings novels, without stolen pigs and grand plots, but the protagonists (Ashe and Joan, two hack writers gone undercover as servants to steal back a valuable scarab that Lord Emsworth accidentally pocketed), are charming enough, and it's amusingly written. You can get it from the library, read it in one or two afternoons, and have a pleasant time. But I'm reading the second Blandings novel at the moment, written eight years later, and there really is a very noticeable gulf in quality between the two.
I'm not trying to warn readers away, exactly; it's definitely lower key than later Blandings novels, without stolen pigs and grand plots, but the protagonists (Ashe and Joan, two hack writers gone undercover as servants to steal back a valuable scarab that Lord Emsworth accidentally pocketed), are charming enough, and it's amusingly written. You can get it from the library, read it in one or two afternoons, and have a pleasant time. But I'm reading the second Blandings novel at the moment, written eight years later, and there really is a very noticeable gulf in quality between the two.
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Diverse cast of characters:
No
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Something Fresh centres around a peculiar object - a precious scarab, belonging to the eminent businessman, Mr Peters. When it is accidentally lifted by the absent-minded Lord Emsworth, Mr Peters assumes it has been deliberately stolen, and embarks on a quest to recover his treasure, employing Ashe Marson for the task. Unbeknownst to Ashe, his recent acquaintance, Joan Valentine, is on the same job, also seeking reward. Whilst the story revolves around the scarab it is also complicated by an unsuitable engagement, blackmail, subterfuge, and apparently unrequited love.
Having read Wodehouses' Hot Water, it is apparent that he specialises in converging a cast of colourful characters in a single homestead, for the purpose of retrieval. However, unlike Hot Water, I found Something Fresh to be distinctly lacking in pace, and unnecessarily verbose. Nothing seemed to happen without a preamble lasting several paragraphs. The story did not really begin to pick up until the final quarter.
That being said, there were some incredibly well-written comic portions - the slapstick scene involving Ashe, George Emerson, and Baxter was highly entertaining, and helped to cast a sympathetic light on an otherwise irritating personality (Baxter's). I was also fond of the peculiarity of certain characters, especially the sizeable R. Jones and his crafty, nimble ways.
Had it been paced better, I would certainly have awarded Something Fresh more than three stars, as it stands, it just felt like a lot was said, but very little actually happened.
Having read Wodehouses' Hot Water, it is apparent that he specialises in converging a cast of colourful characters in a single homestead, for the purpose of retrieval. However, unlike Hot Water, I found Something Fresh to be distinctly lacking in pace, and unnecessarily verbose. Nothing seemed to happen without a preamble lasting several paragraphs. The story did not really begin to pick up until the final quarter.
That being said, there were some incredibly well-written comic portions - the slapstick scene involving Ashe, George Emerson, and Baxter was highly entertaining, and helped to cast a sympathetic light on an otherwise irritating personality (Baxter's). I was also fond of the peculiarity of certain characters, especially the sizeable R. Jones and his crafty, nimble ways.
Had it been paced better, I would certainly have awarded Something Fresh more than three stars, as it stands, it just felt like a lot was said, but very little actually happened.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Loveable characters:
Complicated