Folio Society

CarltonC: A delightful Wodehouse novel, combining the setting of Blandings Castle, with Lord Emsworth, Lady Constance, Beach, Baxter and the Empress of Blandings as backing characters, and the anarchy that is Uncle Fred (5th Earl of Ickenham) and his unfortunate nephew, Pongo Twistleton. The main story, to the extent that it is important, involves Horace Pendlebury-Davenport (a poet and friend of Pongo) who needs a sum of money (starting at £500 but reduced later to £250) to purchase an onion soup bar, so that he has an income and can marry Polly Pott. Now the Duke of Dunstable (uncle of Horace and the man with the money to fund the soup bar purchase) has invited himself to stay at Blandings Castle. Uncle Fred views Polly Pott as a surrogate daughter and so wants to be able to introduce Polly Pott to the Duke of Dunstable and for him to think well of her, so that he will let Horace have the money to purchase the soup bar. To achieve this, Uncle Fred impersonates Sir Roderick Glossop to get himself (and Polly Pott impersonating his daughter) invited down to Blandings Castle by Lord Emsworth. Lord Emsworth invites Uncle Fred (posing as Glossop) as he wants to evict the Duke of Dunstable, who has shocked him by advising that he wants to take the Empress of Blandings (an enormous, prize winning black Berkshire sow) to make her fit. Uncle Fred (posing as Glossop) is to certify that the Duke of Dunstable is insane, as he throws eggs at gardeners (and others) who whistle or sing The Bonnie Banks o' Loch Lomond, All of this is the recipe for one of the most delightful and amusing stories that I have ever read. Even less than with any of the other Wodehouse novels that I have read is the plot important. The complicated plot and numerous characters just form a structure upon which Wodehouse can place vastly humorous scenes and incidents. It is extremely silly and very funny. I particularly enjoyed the character of Claude "Mustard" Pott, a private detective and former bookie, and having checked Wikipedia am somewhat disappointed that this was Wodehouse's only outing of this character. However, although this is a very funny novel, this is not where to start reading Wodehouse, as the novel benefits from the inclusion of minor characters from other novels, mainly the earlier Blandings novels, so that you appreciate the full humour of some of the scenes with Lord Emsworth, Baxter and Beach, by knowing their previous exploits. There is also a colliding of fictional universes with the cameo appearance of Sir Roderick Glossop, who appears in several Jeeves and Wooster short stories and novels . Highly recommended for those already well acquainted with Wodehouse's timeless stories.

JacobKirckman: Folio at their best: non-academic, footnotes not required, nicely bound and good to hold. As always with Folio, avoid when footnotes and other information is required. (Trollope is light reading as afar as I'm concerned, so I don't really care about references).

CarltonC: Immensely enjoyable autobiography of Laurie Lee, mainly about walking through Spain. It starts in 1934 when he was 20, leaving his village walking to London (via Southampton and the south coast where he busks with a violin to make a living), working as a labourer on a construction site in London for a year and taking part in a brief strike. He then takes a boat to Vigo in Spain and the majority of the book is about walking down through Spain, seeing the squalour that the majority of the population live in, but the hospitality that he is nearly always shown. He makes a living busking and this is well portrayed. He also meets characters on his way. However, his most luminous prose describes the landscape and his journey through it. His story ends in the summer of 1936 as civil war breaks out in Spain and Laurie Lee is taken back to England (collected by a destroyer from Gibraltar). In an epilogue he describes his realisation that the struggle for power in Spain is not over and his return to Spain (to fight in the civil war). A really enjoyable read.

CarltonC: A humorous story of the obstacles arising when Ronnie Fish, an English gentleman, decides that he wants to wed Sue Brown, a chorus girl, which was frowned upon socially in 1930's England. Of course, this is an England that never existed and the action nearly all takes place in Blandings Castle, the country house of Lord Emsworth. The writing is an unmitigated joy, flowing easily with many humorous stories, and the characterisation, although played for comedy with very recognisable types, is well drawn.The plot is tight, keeps moving and is cleverly constructed. The sub-plot, about Lord Emsworth's prize pig, the Empress of Blandings is also well integrated with the main story. The weather in the book may include storms and downpours, but it is a delight to read, and leaving a very warm feeling. Heavy Weather is a direct sequel to Summer Lightning, having many of the same characters and happening just a week or so later, so though hugely enjoyable in its own right, it is best read after Summer Lightning. The Folio Society edition, beautifully and copiously illustrated by Paul Cox, is a joy in itself.

JacobKirckman : When Folio are at their weakest. Beautifully bound and illustrated, and fine paper. But why (especially at the prices charged) exclude the foot and endnotes so important to the serious scholar? I have this two-volume set, sitting almost unused in my library, whilst the Penguin Paperback (same edition) is almost worn through - just because the Penguin is of actual use...