A Damsel in Distress

By: P. G. Wodehouse

Narrated by: Jonathan Cecil

Length: 7 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

When Maud Marsh flings herself into George Bevan's cab in Piccadilly, he starts believing in damsels in distress. George traces his mysterious travelling companion to Belpher Castle, home of Lord Marshmoreton, where things become severely muddled. Maud's aunt, Lady Caroline Byng, wants Maud to marry Reddie, her stepson. Maud, meanwhile, is known to be in love with an unknown American she met in Wales. So when George turns up speaking American, a nasty case of mistaken identity breaks out. In fact the scene is set for the perfect Wodehouse comedy of errors.

©2014 P.G. Wodehouse (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Another gem from PGWodehouse and Jonathan Cecil

This was a clever and engaging story wonderfully performed as usual by Jonathan Cecil. It was fun to meet new characters from the Wodehouse world.

PG Wodehouse + Johnathan Cecil

Very entertaining. So well read. Right ho, right ho, right ho, absolutely! Keggs, the butler, and that blighted Albert, the page-boy. And beware of butter!

Simply topping.

The loving descriptions of golf (why, oh why, did we give up calling them niblicks?) and the horrified disgust of Maud upon finding her “life’s love” grown gross with fat, positively bursting with butter in the enforced year of their separation, are worth the price by themselves. Mr. Cecil’s narration is of course flawless.

Charming!

This is one of my favorite Whodehouse and Jonathan Cecil is the best. You won't be disappointed.

Wonderful

Has all of the elements of an excellent comedic love story. Jonathon Cecil perfect as always.

If you like his other books, you'll love this one

I've listen to quite a few of his books now and I think this is one of his best. Very funny and a great story.

Good Light Relief

Yes, not quite as many 'laugh out loud' moments, but still enjoyable. Pleasant place to have your mind for a few hours of light-heartedness.

Solid but probably for fans only

Written in 1919, A Damsel in Distress has all the elements of a classic Wodehouse farce: a titled aristocrat or two, an imperious butler, an American interloper and, of course, a charming heroine being prevented from marrying the hero by a bossy, interfering aunt who thinks about nothing but class and money.


However, this reads like an early version of the Blandings series: while all the typical characters and setups are there (including the somewhat vague lord of the manor obsessed with an unsuitable agricultural hobby: in the Blandings stories, he's obsessed with his prize pig; here he's obsessed with his roses), the distinctive Wodehouse wit isn't quite as sharp as it becomes later - there aren't a whole lot of laugh-out-loud moments.

Jonathan Cecil is a solid reader (not my personal favourite, but I think I'm in the minority there), and this is definitely worth a listen, but if you're new to Wodehouse, this probably isn't the audiobook to start with.

Good Fun

Normally I wouldn't choose a book like this, but I wanted something different. This book turned out to be a delight. It was a light hearted comedy of errors. It was a fun listen.

One of the characters reminded me of Hugh Laurie's character on Black Adder. See if you can guess which one...

Any Wodehouse is Better than No Wodehouse

Jonathan Cecil enlivens one of P.G. Wodehouse's minor novelettes. If you're unfamiliar with Wodehouse, start with the Jeeves/Wooster stories, not this one. If you're a Wodehouse addict looking for a temporary escape from this crazy world, "A Damsel in Distress" will do.