Galahad at Blandings

Wodehouse has long been one of my favourite authors and in my current grief-stricken situation I felt the need for uncomplicated levity.

While there may not have been quite the same number of guffaws per page as in his earlier work Galahad at Blandings still warmed my heart and tickled my funny bone to no small degree.

Wodehouse was at time of writing (1965) a little past his golden years, where every word, dripping with sparkling wit, tripped off the page. I have a theory that the slight drop-off in standard in PG's later books was in part due to the death of his step-daughter Leonora/Snorkey in 1944. Not only must he have been rocked by the tragic loss of his beloved step-daughter, from whom he was separated by during his wartime show more interment, but I suspect she was also his greatest critic/proof-reader.

I found myself wondering in the first few chapters whether he'd truly lost his spark, as some of the dialogue and descriptive passages seemed uninspired. I should not have doubted, however, Wodehouse's ability to weave a beautifully complicated yet perfectly dovetailed plot. Even when not at his best, Wodehouse was a comedic master. show less

Not every P. G. Wodehouse title is created equal—but it's a rare one that can't make me laugh aloud. Galahad at Blandings is one of the mid-tier Wodehouses; not brilliant but certainly very funny in parts. It gets off to a slow start and I wasn't laughing aloud until Lord Emsworth, recounting a midnight call from a member of New York's finest, says that he answered in the affirmative to the question of whether or not he was the "Oil of Emsworth." That did it. I'm still chuckling.

The plot is not unusual. Galahad, younger brother to the pig-obsessed Lord Emsworth, is a dashing, devil-may-care sort of fellow who is now approaching his middle age years and so naturally takes an interest in the younger set, especially one Sam Bagshott. show more Sam has fallen in love with a young woman by the name of Sandy Callender, who has just signed on as Lord Emsworth's secretary. Unfortunately the path of romance has not been smooth for the young people, and heated words had been exchanged, including the observation that Sandy was a ginger-haired little fathead.

To heal this rift becomes Gally's chief aim, and if in the execution of this fatherly scheme he presents Sam at Blandings as the famous expert on pigs, Augustus Whipple, well, what of it? Until—of course—the real Augustus Whipple turns up. Wodehouse uses the impostor device frequently and even makes fun of his own propensity for doing so, saying that "a thoughtful writer once observed that Blandings Castle has impostors the way that other houses have mice." Indeed it does!

Blandings has its brilliant moments, but I prefer the first-person narration of the Wooster and Jeeves books. Bertie's head is just such a fun place to be. All the same, Galahad at Blandings is a fun little romp and really you can't go wrong with anything Wodehouse wrote. show less

This is a later book in the Blandings Castle series, and it shows. In previous books Wodehouse landed on a winning formula, in which Lord Emsworth’s brother Galahad orchestrates wacky schemes to bring young couples together. Alongside the wackiness are set pieces involving Emsworth’s long-suffering wife, his secretary, the butler, and of course his prize pig the Empress of Blandings.

The problem is that by this ninth book the formula has run its course. And there are still two more books about Galahad’s shenanigans! This book could easily stand alone and the reader would find it quite funny. But if you’re working your way through the series in order, then like me you will probably tire of it.

Just as the Blandings series were growing a bit samey, what with someone planning on stealing a pig every time, this installment moves in a different direction. Oh, we get many of the usual Wodehouse traits, which is a good thing, but it’s not another novel based around the Empress being stolen.

One notable change is, following on from the previous book, Lady Constance has gone off and married. In her wake, Lord Emsworth's more formidable sister Hermione takes up residence at Blandings. Although I like Constance better, it made a change to have someone else in her place, opening more storylines.

One change I’d never want would be to replace Lord Emsworth. Eh? Did I say, “replace Lord Emsworth”? Well, bless my soul, that’d be show more dashed impossible! You can’t have too much of Lord Emsworth. He’s capital. Yes, capital. Capital. Capital. show less

With his formidable sister Lady Constance married off, Lord Emsworth is looking forward to peace and quiet at Blandings Castle. But coming back from Constance's wedding, Lord Emsworth is horrified to find that his sister Hermione has moved in with her husband and daughter and she has hired the terribly efficient Sandy Callender to be his new secretary. If that wasn't enough, Hermione is determined that Lord Emsworth should get remarried and has invited a widowed friend of hers to stay at Blandings Castle.

Lady Hermione is appalled when Lord Emsworth tells her that her prospective millionaire son-in-law is bankrupt and is selling apples on the streets. She immediately orders her daughter to write a letter breaking off the engagement. Of show more course it turns out that the absent-minded Lord Emsworth has muddled his facts as usual. Now, how to recover the letter before her daughter's fiance reads it?

Meanwhile, Galahad introduces yet another impostor (Sandy Callender's ex-fiance) to the castle as pig expert Augustus Whipple. But then the real Augustus Whipple arrives in the village hoping to get a look at Lord Emsworth's prize-winning pig, Empress of Blandings.

This is another laugh out loud read from P.G. Wodehouse and one of his best works. show less

In this highly humorous and well-paced book almost every character has their own problems and most, if not all of those problems, build from misunderstandings. And everyone ends up at Blandings Castle.

Another typical Wodehouse country comedy. Galahad assists three young couples to get married and saves his brother Clarence from their sisters as well as a potential suitor. Funny and light.