A Damsel in Distress Book

George Bevan's life get turned upside down when Maud Marsh jumps into a cab beside him, pursued by a thug that is in fact her brother Percy. Bevan goes to Belpher Castle to find her and win her heart, resulting in the usual Wodehouse tale of mistaken identity and elaborate schemes.

A Damsel in Distress is the usual hilarious Wodehouse tale with some added quirks. The cast at Belpher Castle very much resembles the crew at Blandings and I forgot I wasn't reading a Blandings tale on several occasions. Lord Marshemorton is a younger and more lively version of Lord Emsworth, enthralled with gardening rather than pigs, and his sister is much like Constance. Reggie Byng is cut from the Monty Bodkin/Bertie Wooster cloth. I get the feeling that Wodehouse wasn't completely sold on the Blandings crew after Something Fresh and decided to take another stab at it. Maybe he felt Belpher was unusable at the end of this story.

The story has some unexpected turns, like the fate of Lord Marshemorton. I can't imagine Emsworth doing what Marshemorton did.

While A Damsel in Distress isn't my favorite Wodehouse, it's still smashing. The dedicated Wodehouse fan won't be disappointed.