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Nov 25, 2007

Ian rated it:

‘Summer Lightning’ is the third novel in the Blanding’s saga and the fist in which the residents of Blanding’s themselves take centre stage. In ‘Something Fresh’ Blanding’s was a standard Wodehouse setting for a typical Wodehouse farce and in ‘Leave it to Psmith’ the family and staff were acting as supporting roles for Psmith to bring home his typical ‘vim and vigour’. After writing ‘Leave it to Psmith’ Wodehouse had written a series of magazine stories based on the Threepwood family which had c More...

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Aug 20, 2009

Chris rated it:

The third full-length Wodehouse novel at Blandings Castle, first published in 1929 and entitled Fish Preferred in the UK and Summer Lightning in other markets and in reprints such as the 1954 Penguin paperback I found in Amsterdam for 3 Euros. (For a backgrounder on the Blandings Castle series, see here): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blandings_C...

By 1929, Wodehouse was at least a decade into his absolute creative peak, and would be for another decade at least. As such, Summer Lightni More...

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Jul 14, 2010

Bettie rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Oct 27, 2010

Lana. rated it:

The butler did it! Or did he?

While Wodehouse lets the reader know exactly "whodunnit", Lord Emsworth is left in distress - his prize pig has been stolen! While his mind is completely preoccupied, the entire household is wrapped up in unsuitable love matches, the threat of a revealing memoirs, misunderstandings, plus a pesky private detective. No surprise, will you note, that everyone knows everyone (within 2 degrees of separation) and there are aunts (and other strong More...

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Nov 08, 2009

Bonnie rated it:

Another delightfully wacky tale-featuring a tell all autobiography, a showgirl hiding her identity, young love (always a feature of these tales), rival landowners, an evil private secretary, a rarely flustered butler, and especially-the Empress of Blandings, prize porker supreme and obseesion of Lord Emswood who is determined to once again win the prize at the county fair for the fattest pig. This tale involves the pignapping (by more than one party)of the Empress and multiple attempts to steal More...

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Mar 11, 2011

Gary rated it:

P. G. Woodehouse is the quintessential writer of light, comic fiction. Summer Lightning is the first of the Blandings novels. It is a true situation comedy, among other things involving a stolen pig, the ups and downs of two couples whose family does not want them to marry, a detective, a memoir in progress that threatens to reveal the secret pasts of prominent people in the upper class neighborhood. Woodehouse so deftly weaves these various elements together that the reader does not realize More...

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Dec 18, 2011

Ensiform rated it:

Ronnie, Emsworth's nephew, wants to marry a chorus-girl named Sue, and Millicent, his niece, wishes to marry Hugo, Emsworth's new secretary. Meanwhile, Galahad is writing his memoirs, which threaten to scandalize all, to Lady Constance's horror. A detective is hired to find and destroy the manuscript, Sue pretends to be an heiress, and Ronnie kidnaps the Empress of Blandings so as to win Emsworth's favor. Couples trade engagements, chaos abounds, and, naturally, Baxter is found under Sue's be More...

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Mar 29, 2011

Deedee374 rated it:

it always used to annoy me when people would talk about Jeeves and Wodehouse and how witty they were, and it just sounded soooo pretentious and Anglophile and all. But then I heard an audiotape of one of the Jeeves books (Jonathan Cecil is the best), and I became one of those people because Wodehouse is just hilariously, deliriously funny in a kind of screwball way that never feels icky & isn't precious at all.

I love "Summer Lightning" for its amazing characters, includi More...

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May 10, 2011

Anne rated it:

So much love for Wodehouse! I've actually only ever read one Wodehouse book, and it was a Jeeves and Wooster. I much preferred this one, actually, probably because it was not so much isolated episodes as it was a real novel. The characters are, of course, completely stereotypical, especially Lady Constance and Lord Emsworth, but when written in Wodehouse style, they become completely fresh and hilarious again. And I'll say it again--enormous pigs called the Empress of Blandings are always, a More...

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Dec 01, 2009

Melissa rated it:

"Nevertheless, it seemed to me that they, like you, lacked vision, This pig, you see, is a prize pig. Don't picture to yourself something with a kink in its tail sporting idly in the mud. Imagine, rather, a favourite daughter kidnapped from her ancestral home. This is heavy stuff, I assure you. Restore the animal in time for the Agricultural Show and you may ask of Lord Emsworth what you will, even unto half his kingdom."

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Jul 16, 2009

Scot rated it:

The Blandings Castle books are often overshadowed by the more popular Jeeves and Wooster series, but deserve a visit in their own right. As is true of most Wodehouse, the zaniest of machinations fail, then succeed, true love wins in the end, and the aristocracy bumble their way through life saved only by the wisdom from the service class. Very enjoyable characters and strong writing throughout. Very, very funny.

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Jul 13, 2009

Dan rated it:

Summer Lightning is one of Wodehouse's Blandings Castle series, a series which is slowly replacing Jeeves & Wooster in my affections.

Most of the stories in the Blandings Castle series use the same plot devices: a broken engagement (or two), an imposter (or two), and the kidnapping of Lord Emsworth's pig, the Empress of Blandings. Summer Lightning is no different. Wodehouse gets a lot of mileage out of the old formula but it never fails.

Hugo Carmody and Ronnie Fish both More...

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Apr 08, 2011

Algernon rated it:

I had a jolly good time reading about the mishaps of the Blandings Castle crowd. Such joy in the use of language and such spirited comedy of errors feels to me very fresh today and has picked up my mood considerably. I will make sure to check out more of Wodehouse writings in the future.

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Nov 27, 2011

Maria rated it:

This was a great little book. Light reading and easy (3 hours). Lots of characters and the funny prose had me laughing out loud. This was my first wodehouse book. I will be reading more.

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Aug 25, 2011

Adam rated it:

Pure comic genius; a tale of epic complexity involving more prize pigs being stolen, threats to aristocratic reputations, impostors, dismissed and possibly insane secretaries, 'briliant' plots, butlers in distress, and lovers in situations approaching the maximum of thickness than is fair to throw at a reader who tends to read in public, and has a family history of heart problems.

This was the first book to really focus on Blandings Castle and its inhabitants and not just use it as a More...

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Sep 29, 2009

Dory rated it:

Absolutely hilarious! Has a wonderful description of a night-time collision on the stairs in which two suspicious guests unexpectedly try to occupy the same space at the same time...

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Jun 24, 2009

Lee Ann rated it:

Not his best but very funny. It reprises a lot of familiar characters, Lord Emsworth, Lady Constance, the Efficient Baxter etc. It's a late madcap farce. Great fun.

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Sep 29, 2011

Rowan rated it:

One of his best although they are all so great why quibble? Leave it to Psmith will explain the flowerpot references to anyone who can't bear not to know.

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Oct 04, 2010

Ian rated it:

An absolute riotous read; from start to finish I enjoyed, often with an out-loud laugh, this superb 'mystery' about a stolen prize pig. The characters, the location, the plot: all came together in the most wondrous way in this book I read far quicker than I realised as I could simply not put it down.

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Dec 28, 2010

Michelle rated it:

I had to re-read most of this, since I was away from it all summer, and it was hysterical the second time through also! That is high praise indeed.

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Jan 29, 2012

Sandra rated it:

True to Wodehouse, lots of escapades involving losing and gaining and trading fiance(e)s mixed with butlers and pigs. Very enjoyable.

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Jan 01, 2012

Ak rated it:

As always, Wodehouse is delicious. I read this book with a constant smile punctuated with regular intervals of LOL's. Highly recommended!

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Jan 23, 2012

Melissa rated it:

A very funny book -- I loved the cast of characters and the complexity and hilarity of the plot. I was chuckling throughout.

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Jul 27, 2011

Xin rated it:

As the inimitable Stephen Fry said: 'You don't analyse such sunlit perfection, you just bask in it's warmth and splendour.'

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Jan 29, 2011

Doc & Charly rated it:

I want to live in P.G.'s imagination; a world of ladies and gentlemen where love prevails and everything works out in the end

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Jan 22, 2011

Satishchandra rated it:

First read on Wodehouse. Nice time reading it.
"A must read for anyone who has a pig, or an aunty - or a sense of humour."

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Sep 18, 2011

Douglas rated it:

Read this before, some thirty years ago I think. All of them are entertaining, but this one is a notch above.

1 comment like

Oct 23, 2011

Kevin rated it:

Audiobook. Classic Wodehouse silliness, and the narrator was excellent.

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Jun 30, 2009

Caroline rated it:

Another Blandings castle story -- love and misunderstandings among the upper classes.

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Oct 10, 2011

K. rated it:

Not as good as leave it to psmith, but he can mold a plot like the best of 'em.

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