Reviews for A Pelican at Blandings

The average rating for A Pelican at Blandings based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2012-05-19 00:00:00 Karen Andes A Pelican at Blandings, the 11th book in the Blandings Castle series, was a big disappointment for me. I always expect P.G. Wodehouse to buck me up with his humor, but this one lacked the funny. It's typically Wodehousian in its convoluted plot, but the writing feels dull. I have a tendency to blame the author's mounting years, after all he was about 88 when he wrote this, however he did go on to write another half dozen or so novels, and the one or two I've read were much better than this. No, the problem is that this feels more like one of his early works where romance tended to trump comedy. The plot is fine, but the comedic edge is missing. There's too much exposition all together, but also redundant explanations, especially in the dialogue, which in other books Wodehouse was smart to gloss over. Sure it's important to keep your readers abreast of the action, but at some point you need to be aware not to beat them over the head with it. Ah well, I still have about 30 or 40 more Wodehouses to read. I'm sure there are some good ones left!

Review # 2 was written on 2018-10-30 00:00:00 Nicholas J Dodds A Pelican at Blandings (1969) is another latter day gem from P.G. Wodehouse. I always enjoy the Blandings Castle books and A Pelican at Blandings is another winner. Many familiar characters return including the Earl, his stern sister Lady Constance, his brother Galahad "Gally" Threepwood, and the irascible Alaric Pendlebury-Davenport aka the Duke of Dunstable. All combine with the usual array of love-lorn lovers, American millionaires, con men, imposters, and - of course - the inimitable Beach the butler. As usual, magic ensues. There's one memorable sequence which had me guffawing for minutes. The Earl of Emsworth is locked out of Blandings in the small hours and has to enter, via the window of the garden suite, and so disturbs an unimpressed Alaric, Duke of Dunstable. Minutes later the Duke of Emsworth becomes convinced a painting has been stolen. After consultation with a mischievous Gally, they wake up Alaric for a second time. I was convulsed with laughter. A Pelican at Blandings was the last full length novel in the Blandings series to be fully completed by P.G. Wodehouse. He finished the series on a real high. 4/5 A Pelican at Blandings by P.G. Wodehouse