A Damsel In Distress by P. G. Wodehouse
Inasmuch as the scene of this story is that historic pile, Belpher Castle, in the county of Hampshire, it would be an agreeable task to open it with a leisurely description of the place, followed by some notes on the history of the Earls of Marshmoreton, who have owned it since the fifteenth century. Unfortunately, in these days of rush and hurry, a novelist works at a disadvantage. He must leap into the middle of his tale with as little delay as he would employ in boarding a moving tramcar. He must get off the mark with the smooth swiftness of a jack-rabbit surprised while lunching. Otherwise, people throw him aside and go out to picture palaces. I may briefly remark that the present Lord Marshmoreton is a widower of some forty-eight years: that he has two children--a son, Percy Wilbraham Marsh, Lord Belpher, who is on the brink of his twenty-first birthday, and a daughter, Lady Patricia Maud Marsh, who is just twenty: that the chatelaine of the castle is Lady Caroline Byng, Lord Marshmoreton's sister, who married the very wealthy colliery owner, Clifford Byng, a few years before his death (which unkind people say she hastened): and that she has a step-son, Reginald. Give me time to mention these few facts and I am done. On the glorious past of the Marshmoretons I will not even touch. Luckily, the loss to literature is not irreparable. Lord Marshmoreton himself is engaged upon a history of the family, which will doubtless be on every bookshelf as soon as his lordship gets it finished. And, as for the castle and its surroundings, including the model dairy and the amber drawing-room, you may see them for yourself any Thursday, when Belpher is thrown open to the public on payment of a fee of one shilling a head. The money is collected by Keggs the butler, and goes to a worthy local charity. At least, that is the idea. But the voice of calumny is never silent, and there exists a school of thought, headed by Albert, the page-boy, which holds that Keggs sticks to these shillings like glue, and adds them to his already considerable savings in the Farmers' and Merchants' Bank, on the left side of the High Street in Belpher village, next door to the Oddfellows' Hall. n nEditorial Reviews n nReview n''Good gad! Belpher Castle is a-dither with romance and intrigue. Wodehouse's usual twits are in full cry as they leap about the manicured landscape . . . Reader Frederick Davidson portrays each character perfectly, sorting them out for the listener. His portrayal of [George], the wealthy and earnest American composer, is wonderful, and the women--ingenues and aunts--are very sweet or dragonish, depending.'' --AudioFile n n''This might be nearly eighty years old, but the humor is still darned funny, ranging from snickers to giggles to an occasional laugh-out-loud guffaw . . . Beautifully read, semivoiced by Davidson, each character takes on depth and identity with just the right pace and tone.'' --Kliatt n nAbout the Author nP. G. Wodehouse (1881 1975) spent much of his life in Southampton, New York, but was born in England and educated in Surrey. He became an American citizen in 1955. In a literary career spanning more than seventy years, he published more than ninety books and twenty film scripts, and collaborated on more than thirty plays and musical comedies. n nFrom AudioFile nGood gad! Belpher Castle is a-dither with romance and intrigue. Wodehouse's usual twits are in full cry as they leap about the manicured landscape. And hovering close in the background are the ever-vigilant, poisonous aunts who spend their entire lives being aghast. There's plenty to be aghast about when the lord of the manor falls madly in love with an actress (huge intake of breath) named (another huge intake) Billie. Reader Frederick Davidson portrays each character perfectlyÐsorting them out for the listener. His portrayal of Reggie, the wealthy and earnest American composer, is wonderful, and the womenÐingenues and auntsÐare very sweet or dragonish, depending. Along the way, listeners learn never to throw rice at weddingsÐit's worse than shrapnel. Quite. B.V. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine
Publication Details
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Author(s):
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Binding: Paperback
Published by: Star: , 1978
Edition:
ISBN: 9780352301529 | 035230152X
206 pages.
Book Condition: Fair
Cover very worn. Text tanned
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