DNF at 14% Plenty of humor, but it was drowning in unnecessary prose. The writing style didn’t suit me so I couldn’t stay interested in what was happening or to whom. ( )

After Titus Andronicus, this made for a nice change of pace!
Maud thinks herself in love with an American she met in Wales last summer and finds herself limited to the grounds of the ancestral castle. After a bit of admirable sneaking, she finds herself in London and sees her brother Percy. IN order to avoid him, she dives into a taxi and begs George Bevan to save her. As it turns out, George is a man in need of some diversion in life to give it some interest. He turns knight errant, saves the damsel in distress and falls in love. Just like that.
From there, the action moves to Belpher castle and its environs. George contrives to get a message to Maud, via a page boy with an eye to the main chance.
Along the way, Reggie Bing's love life is also resolved, with a lot less fuss and bother than Maud's. Her story resolves itself in a nicely different way, with the girl deciding what she wants and going for it. All very empowering.
There are the usual array of characters in here, a bumbling Earl, the rather annoying aunt, the very annoying heir to the throne, a chorus girl and so on. All present and correct in a Wodehouse comedy.
I note that the description of Belpher village bears a lot in common with my home town, where PG Wodehouse lived for a number of years. So I'm claiming to be a resident >;-) ( )

“A Damsel in Distress” (1919) contains all the elements so common in P.G. Wodehouse novels: a doddering lord of the manor, a domineering aunt, thwarted young lovers, domestic help quick to manipulate the lives of their employers and two of the author's favorite passions, golf and musical comedy. Yet somehow Wodehouse mixes all these familiar ingredients into a highly original and always entertaining novel. one of his best.

Maud remains passionate about an American man she met in Wales the year before, but Caroline, her aunt, demands she marry her son, Reggie, who is actually in love with Miss Faraday, the secretary who is helping Maud's father, Lord Marshmorton, with the family history. Lord Marshmorton, however, cares only about his roses.

Meanwhile George Bevan, a successful composer of Broadway musicals (one of which is playing in London) instantly falls in love with Maud when he comes to her aid on a London street. He tracks her back to her family estate, where she is being held a virtual prisoner. Her family mistakes George for the American from Wales, while Maud views him as a nice guy who might act as messenger between her and the man she loves. The confusion results in many chapters of sparkling comedy and finally a conclusion that is as romantic as anything Wodehouse ever wrote.

And yes, as usual, Wodehouse writes sentences that make you want to read them again and again, then go back later and read them again. Here's just one example: "Between ourselves, laddie, and meaning no disrespect to the dear soul, when the mater is moved and begins to talk, she uses up most of the language." Fortunately she left enough for Wodehouse to work his magic. ( )

Good fun. Nice break from his Jeeves and Wooster humor. ( )

The first time I read P.G. Wodehouse I almost fell off my couch with laughter. If you were a fan of "Frasier" and enjoyed the good years of that sitcom, this might be your cup of tea. I can't help but wonder if the writers were fans of Wodehouse. DAMSEL IN DISTRESS, long before any t.v. show did, showed just how a simple misunderstanding could quickly become messy and quite entertaining... ( )