The Clicking of Cuthbert
by P. G. Wodehouse (Herbert Jenkins, 1922)
audiobook read by Frederick Davidson (Blackstone, 1998)
Ten golfing short stories, diverting enough when taken individually but together not unlike hacking at the Lernaean Hydra with a niblick. Wodehouse evinces his usual way with words but, tongue-in-cheek fantasy historical tale ‘The Coming of Gowf’ notwithstanding, lacks for club selection.
Something Fresh
by P G Wodehouse (Methuen, 1915)
audiobook read by Frederick Davidson (Blackstone, 1995)
The first Blandings Castle novel evinces much of Wodehouse’s penchant for twisty intertwinings of plot, and even more of his fondness (particularly in the early days) for facetious observation and scathing characterisation. Compared to later works, however, it’s all a bit artificial.
The Innocence of Father Brown
by G. K. Chesterton (Cassell, 1911); audiobook read by Frederick Davidson (Blackstone, 2012)
Engaging short stories, particularly as read by Frederick Davidson. Father Brown’s deductions are more believable (and in their way no less impressive or trenchant) than those of, for example, Sherlock Holmes. The scenarios themselves, however, are often rather improbable in their construction.
A Damsel in Distress
by P G Wodehouse (Herbert Jenkins, 1919); audiobook read by Frederick Davidson (Blackstone Audio, 1993)
For readers without a Blandings Castle novel to hand, this early Wodehouse comedy will oblige most admirably as a surrogate. While the plot involves misunderstandings of romantic entanglement, these serve merely to backdrop the page-by-page brush swirl of Wodehouse’s exquisitely trenchant prose.
A Gentleman of Leisure
by P. G. Wodehouse (Alston Rivers, 1910); audiobook read by Frederick Davidson (Blackstone, 2012)
An early example of the comings-and-goings type novel that Wodehouse would bring to perfection in his Blandings Castle series. While the plot in this instance is a twist or two short, the prose is fresh and the characterisation typically Wodehouseian. Audiobook recommended.
The Adventures of Sally
by P G Wodehouse (Herbert Jenkins, 1922); audiobook read by Frederick Davidson (Blackstone, 1997)
Wodehouse’s American stories tend to be a little more staid than those set in England. The plot here is clever and the prose witty. Sally is a winning protagonist. But Davidson’s audiobook reading plays no small role in enlivening the whole shebang.