Something Fresh
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Book Description
'You don't analyse such sunlit perfection, you just bask in its warmth and splendour.' Stephen Fry
Product Description
A Blandings novel
This is the first Blandings novel, in which P.G. Wodehouse introduces us to the delightfully dotty Lord Emsworth, his bone-headed younger son, the Hon. Freddie Threepwood, his long-suffering secretary, the Efficient Baxter, and Beach the Blandings butler.
As Wodehouse wrote, 'without at least one impostor on the premises, Blandings Castle is never itself'. In Something Fresh there are two, each with an eye on a valuable scarab which Lord Emsworth has acquired without quite realizing how it came into his pocket. But of course things get a lot more complicated than this...
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Having read many of the jeeves stories 20 years ago and watched again recently the ITV Jeeves and Wooster starring Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, I thought it was time to get back to Wodehouse for some good cheer. But, I wanted to start on something different, so I decided to start with the first of the Blandings novels. As someone who struggles to get a night sleep because of pain, it was a sheer delight for me to have the tonic of reading this book peopled with its ecentric characthers and its zany plot. Lord Emsworth is the most striking characther here - he is completely potty, not realising he has stolen an american collector's egyptian scarab. The book is about the collector getting the scarab back and it really is hiarlous at times. I will say though that having just read "Leave it to Psmith" that, if anything, the series gets better with its more complex and convoluted characthers with impersonation being a key theme. Anyway enjoy to your heart's content!
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
`Something Fresh' is the first book in what was to become the Blanding's Saga, at the time it was written Wodehouse obviously had no idea how popular the Threepwood family were to become and consequently it does not really fit into the Saga as a whole. In `Something Fresh' Blanding's Castle is no more than a setting for Wodehouse's latest farce and Lord Emsworth one of many comic characters to sit in the background to entertain whilst the romance of Ashe Marson and Joan Valentine is played out.
That is no to say it is a weak novel, it stands head and shoulders above the books Wodehouse was writing at that time and points to the heights he was about to climb. In future Blanding's books the central romance was generally submerged in the tapestry as a vehicle for the members of the household to perform the business of a comedy, here the leads have more work to do and go about it in a workman like way.
Ashe Marson has come to Blanding's posing as valet to J. Preston Peters who has actually employed him to retrieve his priceless Egyptian scarab from Lord Emsworth's collection. Joan Valentine is posing as maid to J. Preston Peter's daughter Aline in order to retrieve the scarab herself and separate the millionaire from a fortune for securing it's return. Matters are confused further by Freddie who is engaged to Aline but is living in fear of been sued for breach of promise by Joan to whom he sent compromising letters when she served in the Chorus on the London Music Hall Scene.
Lord Emsworth is entirely unconscious of the tangle that he initiated by absent-mindedly taking the scarab from Peter's home under the impression it was given to him. The loathsome Rupert Baxter, who serves as Lord Emsworth's secretary, suspects everything is not as it seems but his attempts to take hold of the situation merely serves to loose him his on several occasions.
Can all this confusion be sorted out? Will the boy get the girl? Will the man get the scarab? Will Baxter get the sack? Only Wodehouse can bring us to a safe conclusion, but with Wodehouse as with life, it's not the arriving it's the journey that's important.
That is no to say it is a weak novel, it stands head and shoulders above the books Wodehouse was writing at that time and points to the heights he was about to climb. In future Blanding's books the central romance was generally submerged in the tapestry as a vehicle for the members of the household to perform the business of a comedy, here the leads have more work to do and go about it in a workman like way.
Ashe Marson has come to Blanding's posing as valet to J. Preston Peters who has actually employed him to retrieve his priceless Egyptian scarab from Lord Emsworth's collection. Joan Valentine is posing as maid to J. Preston Peter's daughter Aline in order to retrieve the scarab herself and separate the millionaire from a fortune for securing it's return. Matters are confused further by Freddie who is engaged to Aline but is living in fear of been sued for breach of promise by Joan to whom he sent compromising letters when she served in the Chorus on the London Music Hall Scene.
Lord Emsworth is entirely unconscious of the tangle that he initiated by absent-mindedly taking the scarab from Peter's home under the impression it was given to him. The loathsome Rupert Baxter, who serves as Lord Emsworth's secretary, suspects everything is not as it seems but his attempts to take hold of the situation merely serves to loose him his on several occasions.
Can all this confusion be sorted out? Will the boy get the girl? Will the man get the scarab? Will Baxter get the sack? Only Wodehouse can bring us to a safe conclusion, but with Wodehouse as with life, it's not the arriving it's the journey that's important.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
In the first book in P. G. Wodehouse's Blandings Castle saga, the Hon. Freddie Threepwood, the youngest son of the incredibly vague Earl of Emsworth has just got himself engaged to a very nice American girl, Aline Peters. Of course, this means that Aline and her rather overbearing father have to come to Blandings Castle to meet the family and all might have gone well if Lord Emsworth hadn't absentmindedly walked off with Mr Peters' priceless Egyptian scarab.
Mr Peters daren't kick up a fuss about this in case Lord Emsworth uses this as an excuse to call the engagement off and so he hires Ashe Marson to steal the scarab back and takes them to the castle in the guise of his valet. Naturally, Ashe isn't the only imposter at the castle trying to steal the scarab and the resulting confusion gives a funny and witty story with the inevitable happy ending that makes Wodehouse one of my 'go to' comfort authors.
Although I think the Jeeves and Wooster books are very fine, Blandings Castle is my real home. Just writing the review makes me want to go and read another one.
Mr Peters daren't kick up a fuss about this in case Lord Emsworth uses this as an excuse to call the engagement off and so he hires Ashe Marson to steal the scarab back and takes them to the castle in the guise of his valet. Naturally, Ashe isn't the only imposter at the castle trying to steal the scarab and the resulting confusion gives a funny and witty story with the inevitable happy ending that makes Wodehouse one of my 'go to' comfort authors.
Although I think the Jeeves and Wooster books are very fine, Blandings Castle is my real home. Just writing the review makes me want to go and read another one.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Jarvis and Wodehouse both on top form
The first visit to Blandings sets the scene as it will remain (almost - both the Empress and Lady Constance have yet to arrive) throughout the series: impostors, frustrated love,... Read more
Published 25 days ago by Graham R. Hill
Absolutely fantastic
W o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o dehouse is very good at writing books.
Published 1 month ago by LEO
Sunrise at Blandings
The plot of this glorious novel, the first in the Blandings saga, is as tangled as any in Wodehouse, and begins when Lord Emsworth absent-mindedly pockets a valuable Scarab from... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Paul D
Sans Porc
"Something Fresh" is the first of P.G. Wodehouse's Blandings novels. It was first published in 1915 - as "Something New" in the USA and "Something Fresh"in the UK. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Craobh Rua
Fantastic
A real gem. Simply a great read. It begins dotting from extraordinary character to extraordinary character bringing them together to Blandings Castle where drama, romance and... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Young Errol
A twisted plot of romance, deceit and pigs!
There is always at least one imposter at Blandings in this book! Mr. Peters hires Ashe to steal a scarab, while Aline hires Joan to do the same. The reward for returning it to Mr. Read more
Published on 17 Sep 2000
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