Blandings Castle lacks its usual balm for the Earl of Emsworth, as his stern sister Lady Constance Keeble is once more in residence. The Duke of Dunstable is also infesting the place again, along with the standard quota of American millionaires, romantic youths, con artists, imposters and so on. With a painting of reclining nude at the centre of numerous intrigues, Gally's genius is once again required to sort things out.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
This timely work is an entertaining yet scholarly study of the life of Eva Peron. It reveals the woman behind the myth and discards dubious elements that crept into the musical drama and the recent movie. For instance, her role in the coup that returned Juan Peron to power was rather more complicated than is usually presented. In the 1940s, Argentina's power structure underwent a sea change; unions entered the picture for the first time. The Perons fanned the sparks of that revolution. In addition, the U.S. ambassador unjustly accused Peron of being a fascist, which was not the case. In the early days, Peron brought Argentina the most democratic government it had ever known. Only in the later days, especially after Eva's death, did Peron's government become a dictatorship. However, in the context of the era, Eva's activities could be compared to those of Eleanor Roosevelt. Her deeds were highly controversial at the time, particularly in a Latin country with macho traditions. Nadia May's otherwise adequate narration fails to capture all of Eva's contradictions. Expect strong interest generated by the recent film. For most collections.?James Dudley, Copiague, N.Y.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.
Review
"Wodehouse is the greatest comic writer ever."
-Douglas Adams
"Overlook Press is publishing a set of clothbound collector''s editions of the master''s work. They''re beautiful books, much welcome."
-Bookforum
--This text refers to an alternate
Hardcover
edition.
-Douglas Adams
"Overlook Press is publishing a set of clothbound collector''s editions of the master''s work. They''re beautiful books, much welcome."
-Bookforum
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Practically Perfect in Every Way,
By
This review is from: Pelican at Blandings (Hardcover)
I don't think that Wodehouse wrote a book that I would not give a 10 to. Certainly none set at Blandings Castle. Blandings is the ancestral home of Clarence, ninth Earl of Emsworth, a scatterbrained man whose only true interest is his prize pig, the Empress of Blandings. The Pelican of the title is Galahad Threepwood, Lord Emsworth's younger brother and a former member of the Pelican Club. The Efficient Baxter does not appear in this particular book, but it does feature several impostors (which are common at Blandings), Lady Constance, the Earl's imperious sister, and two enormously complicated love affairs. Although that is more or less a description of any of Wodehouse's books (some have three or four love affairs) it doesn't make any of them less worth reading. He writes with wonderful humor and doesn't bother you with anything like social commentary.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Middling Wodehouse, But a Gem Nonetheless!,
By James Paris "Tarnmoor" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Pelican at Blandings (Paperback)
No, there are no fish-eating avians at Lord Emsworth's crenellated castle. There are, however, a plethora of plots involving two lovesick damsels and their beaux, a porcine pig-fancier, a walrus-mastachioed duke, the usual crocodilian sister, and, of course, the very obliging Galahad Treepwood. Oh, and there are numerous impostors, including a fake painting.
There are, in fact, so many subplots that the aging Wodehouse left a couple of them hanging. One character (the ferret-like Chesney) seemingly exists only to push the Duke of Dunstable and Johnny Halliday down the Earl's grand staircase. And there is the obligatory theft (actually two: one successful and one not). There's a chauffeur named Voules who tootles a harmonica -- but of all there is the Empress of Blandings, multiyear winner in the fat pig division of the Shropshire County Fair. The story begins when the Empress, for the first time in recorded memory, refuses a potato proffered by the doting Earl. Before one knows it, Blandings Castle fills up with invited and quasi-invited guests and begins that delightfully Wodehousing grinding of the mill of the gods that leaves us all laughing, the crocodiles unsatisfied, and good to triumph over all. There may be better Wodehouses, and there are probably worse, but even a middling Blandings story is far better, dash it all, than 99.9999% of the cripple-crapple to be found on bookshelves. And you will feel better reading it. Dead certain, in fact.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An Entertaining Romp,
By
This review is from: Pelican at Blandings (A Blandings Story) (Paperback)
Typical of the Castle Blandings series, Wodehouse serves up a dose of wacky mahem. The story this time centers around a painting purchased by the Duke of Dusntable and a troubled romance. In the beginning, Lord Emsworth is troubled by the news that his sister Connie, a dragon of a woman, is returning to Castle Blandings for a visit. The troubled Lord Emsworth calls on his brother Gallahad Threepwood, a member of the Pelican club and the Pelican mentioned in the title, to provide him moral support in the face of his sister. Before going to the castle, Gallahad finds out that his godson is engaged to the neice of the Duke of Dunstable, which his sister Connie has invited to the castle. However, the engagement goes bad, and Gallahad must think of a way to get his godson into the castle to mend the relationship. Pure Wodehouse.
This story is a good read, but not the best of the series. However, if you're a Wodehouse fan, you probably should pick this up.
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