A Damsel in Distress

Written by P. G. Wodehouse

Narrated by Frederick Davidson

P.G. Wodehouse is at his whimsical best as the characters of Belpher Castle muddle through impending catastrophes and ill-considered love affairs in this comedy of errors.

George Bevan, an American composer of musicals, is in England to attend the performance of one. But when the Lady Patricia Maud Marsh slips into his taxi, he is drawn into the frivolous intrigues of Belpher Castle. Maud has mistaken George for another American she once fell in love with. She is attempting to escape her aunt, Lady Carolyn Byrd, who is trying to marry Maud off to her step-son, Reginald. Meanwhile, her father, Lord John Marshmoreton, has fallen in love with an actress. As the Castle servants make bets on their Lords’ and Ladies’ capricious attachments, Wodehouse weaves a jaunty satire that will leave readers breathless with its twists and antics.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Blackstone Audio
• Release date: Oct 20, 2011
• ISBN: 9780786104802

P. G. Wodehouse

Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse (1881-1975) was an English author. Though he was named after his godfather, the author was not a fan of his name and more commonly went by P.G Wodehouse. Known for his comedic work, Wodehouse created reoccurring characters that became a beloved staple of his literature. Though most of his work was set in London, Wodehouse also spent a fair amount of time in the United States. Much of his work was converted into an “American” version, and he wrote a series of Broadway musicals that helped lead to the development of the American musical. P.G Wodehouse’s eclectic and prolific canon of work both in Europe and America developed him to be one of the most widely read humorists of the 20th century.

Reviews for A Damsel in Distress

[helynrob · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

As always Wodehouse's descriptions of characters and sitautions are hard to beat.

[ArunAndhavarapu · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

it was tops...there was a problem with the audio occasionally though

[jessiqa_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

George is a music writer for several successful plays and Maud hops into his cab in Piccadilly to avoid seeing her brother who thinks she is back home in the country, rather than in London. George falls in love with Maud, but Maud is in love with an American she met in Wales last summer. All the while, her family wants her to marry Reggie who is love with his uncle’s secretary. This confusing set of circumstances all gets sorted out by the end in this comedy by Wodehouse. No one is better at poking fun at the upper classes while untangling a mass of miscommunication and chaos than Wodehouse is and I literally laughed out loud several times while reading this book.

[philsyphe · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This isn’t one of Mr Wodehouse’s finest works, but there are enough laughs to make “A Damsel In Distress” a worthwhile read.

[sueincyprus · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Unusually for Wodehouse, this is essentially a love story. George Bevan is a likeable young man who has made his fortune by writing popular music. He is beginning to feel a bit jaded when, to his astonishment, a beautiful girl leaps into his cab and asks him to hide her.

George rises to the occasion with aplomb, and ends up captivated by the girl, who soon disappears. But he manages to discover who she is, and rents a cottage in the neighbourhood of her home...

Cue typical Wodehouse misunderstandings and confusion as George arrives, and is mistaken for someone else.

In Wodehouse’s hands this story is a wonderful comedy of errors, with his usual subtle and not-so-subtle references to literary figures from works as diverse as the Bible and dubious limericks.

There are one or two unexpected developments in this book, but with Wodehouse it’s not the plot that matters so much as the mixture of people and the surreal situations which, in his hands, seem all-too-real. However the ending was most satisfactory, even if there was a bit of political incorrectness along the way.

Very enjoyable to read on my Kindle - highly recommended to all who enjoy this writer.

[thedivineoomba · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Ok, in a nutshell.Maud Loves GeofferyGeorge Loves MaudeReggie Loves AliceAlice loves fixing peopleLord Marshmoreton loves his roses.Percy, well loves PercyLady Caroline loves powerThe Butler, Keggs, loves moneyand young Albert, the page, isn't as innocent as he appears to be.Who these characters are and what are their roles in this story, well you'll have to read the book. It a cute, lovely novel, set in the early part of the 20th century.

[kellyn_903682 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Once again Jonathan Cecil's narration brings a Wodehouse story truly to life. Many of the descriptions and phases are found in the Jeeves stories yet I still found myself laughing at the antics of character. I loved the resolution.

[olddani_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

As it is seemingly impossible not to enjoy the writing of Wodehouse, I enjoyed this. However, I enjoyed it less than I usually enjoy his works as the denouement was just too glaringly obvious from the start. The usual twists and turns to a happy ending were missing leaving only Wodehouse's wonderful use of language to enjoy.

[ianw_93 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Excellent early Wodehouse, with preliminary drafts of characters and settings that would go on to be Lord Emsworth, Bertie Wooster, Lady Constance Keeble, Blandings Castle etc. The hero looks to be a thinly disguised Guy Bolton, Wodehouse's collaborator on Broadway.