A Pelican at Blandings

By: P. G. Wodehouse

Narrated by: Nigel Lambert

Length: 7 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's Summary

Clarence, ninth Earl of Emsworth, sank back in his chair, looking like the good old man in a Victorian melodrama whose mortgage the villain had just foreclosed. He felt the absence of that gentle glow which customarily accompanied the departure of one of his sisters. Lord Emsworth needed Galahad. There are tricky corners to be rounded, and assorted godsons, impostors, and pretty girls to be paired off. Fortunately, many years’ membership of the Pelican Club means the Hon. Galahad Threepwood is able to keep cool, stiffen his upper lip, and always think a shade quicker than the next man.

©2012 The Trustees of the Wodehouse Estate (P)2012 AudioGO

Not Quite Up to Sample

Once upon a time, I had this book on cassette tape, read by Frederick Davidson. And even then, with my favorite Wodehouse reader at the mic, I thought it was a shade or two below perfection. Seeing Nigel Lambert's rendition, I thought I'd give it another go. Maybe I just missed the gist last time around.

No really. In the chorus line of books P. G. Wodehouse managed to assemble in his long and productive life, this is one of the few that's out of step. The pacing, which is everything in a Wodehouse story, just isn't snappy enough. The plot isn't tangled enough. Chesney, a criminal who's wormed his way into the castle by way of Freddie Threepwood's introductory letter, isn't given a chance to create any real chaos. In fact, every plot device, from the fresh batch of imposters to the latest medical bulletin from the Empress' sty, have been handled with much greater dexterity--and generate much greater delight--elsewhere in the Wodehouse canon. As Bertie Wooster might say, this one just isn't up to sample.

I think that's why Nigel Lambert, another one of my favorite Wodehouse readers, sounds like he's trying too hard. His younger females, who usually sound charming, come off as goofy here. And Galley Threepwood, a man whose efforts to bring the young folks together are always fueled by the memory of his own broken romance, needs to be a little more worldly-wise, a tad less perky, than Lambert plays him.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Funny<br />

Great British humor. Interesting read and worth the time. Laugh out loud in some places.

Happy story

Great narration with all the different characters voices. I love Wodehouse and his happy stories of old England.