![]() "Mr Peters would rise on stepping-stones of his dead self to higher things, and while never soaring into the class which devours curried lobster and smiles after it, might yet prove himself a devil of a fellow among the mutton cutlets." - Ashe Marson pleased about how his employer has taken to his exercise regime Something Fresh is P.G Wodeouses's first foray into the world of Blandings Castle. Anyone thats familiar with the authors other work such as Jeeves and Wooster would immediately recognise the wordplay, colourful descriptions and ridiculous scenarios the reader finds the colourful and endearing characters to be in. Something fresh does not disappoint with a cast of memorable characters such as Lord Emsworth, The Hon. Freddie Threepwood, The Efficient Baxter and Beach the Butler. The charm of P.G Wodehouse books lies in his description of a vanishing (and exotic world to most readers) world where the reader has the reassaurance that the worst thing that can happen to a character is getting entangled in breach of promise cases, insufferable sons and Stolen Scarabs from the Cheops 4th Dynasty. It's incredible how the author managed to juggle so many characters in a convoluted plot that like Ashe's The adventure of Gridle Quayle the detective is resolved most satisfactorily. The mix of colourful characters, ridiculous plots and beautiful wordplay is what makes the world of Blandings an excellent choice for some light bed time reading. Favourite Quotes "The scared cat proceeded on her journey upstairs, while Freddie, touching the stairs at intervals, went on down" - Freddie falling down the stairs "It is the saddest spectacle in the world, that of the crowd collected by a "Wanted" advertisement.. they are so palatably not wanted by any purpose whatsoever" - Ashe dismayed by the crowd that has responded to Mr. peter's advertisement for a "Capable man" "Perhaps the greatest hardship in being an invalid is the fact that people come to see you and keep your spirits up. The Hon. Freddie Threepwood suffered extremely from this." "Freddie, swelling himself out like an embarassed frog and gulping had uttered that memorable speech beginning "I say, you know, its like this, don't you know,' and ending, 'What I mean is, will you marry me, what?' - Freddie's eloquent proposal to Aline Peter's Book details Something Fresh - Goodreads World of Blandings - Goodreads
0 Comments
![]() "Maybrick was entirely within his rights to say it was Mabel layton, and that it would have been highly macabre for him to have nominated himself, even though he was the last person, and will remain so as there is no more room" Like the small churchyard in pankot which could no longer accomodate any bodies, so too was the attitude towards the British who decided to stay on after the Raj had faded away. This was Paul Scott's last novel and is chronologically set after the events of the Raj Quartet and covers the post colonial period and the experience of a retired colonel and his wife who decided to "stay on" after independence. The characters in question were featured in the Raj Quartet and intersect with the Laytons and the event that took place in Pankot. While the book is more of a short story compared with the main novel, but it in no way has diminished Paul Scott's evocative prose. "I thought perhaps after all the sun would come out again, between us but it didn't.. except once - and that paradoxically was after sunset" - The tenderness Tusker showed towards Lucy at the ceremony for the transfer of power We mainly see the story from Lucy Smalley; the military wife of an unambitious colonial officer in the British Raj. The daughter of a parson and a poor relation of a minor aristocrat who had to "suffer the indignity" of having to work a regular job, Lucy's first impression of India is that it would be an escape from the rigid hierarchical class structures at home only to subsequently find that these constraints had followed her across the seas. "I'd been brought up to know my place, but when I married Tusker and came out that all that was over... but he was only taking me back to the Vicarage" - Lucy Smalley The novel also deals with the social changes that took place post independence and the realization that some legacies of colonialism such as the rigid class structure left behind continued to endure albeit in a native form. "I don't mean this India...I sometimes don't see a great difference between theirs and the one in which I was a Memsahib, but our India, British India, which kept me in my place, ...brain-washed me into believing that nothing was more improtant than doing everything my place required me to do" - Lucy Smalley A surprising aspect of the the novel was that it felt more lighthearted than the Raj Quartet novels particularly as a result of the larger than life Villain like character of Mrs. Bhoolabhoy and the farcical relationship with "management". but it does not shy away from the societal issues and prejudices and difficulties touched on in the colonial and post colonial world. It was also a pleasant surprise to learn about the fate of some of the key characters in the Raj Quartet such as the Laytons after the event of the novel. Overall a great send off to this simply brilliant series. Favourite Quotes "Another example of how you have deprived me, of the fullness of my life in order to support and sustain the smallness of your own" - Lucy berating to Tusker on him not giving permission for her to act in a drama out of fear that she might outshine the wives of the higher ranking officials "I was always on this committee and that committee I was on it but not of it" - Lucy on the social hierachies that continued to be maintained even in India "at the end of one's life all that was left was one's dignity and one was damned lucky to have the chance to show it." - Lucy when Tusker had a heart attack at the party "It was different for the new generations of English and Indians who met and made friends with one another; ..the generation that had experienced all the passions and prejudices, there was somehow in that relationship a distant and diinishing but not yet dead echo of the sound of the tocsin" - Lucy reflecting on Mrs. Desai's welcome at their Holi party "Suddenly the powers that be say, Right, Smalley, we’re not wanted here any more, we’ve all got to bugger off, too bad you’re not ten years younger or ten years older. I thought about this a lot at the time and it seemed to me I’d invested in India, not money which I’ve never had, not talent (Ha!) which I’ve only had a limited amount of, nothing India needed or needs or has been one jot the better for, but was all I had to invest in anything. Me." - Tusker reflecting on his life in a letter to Lucy Book Details - Goodreads ![]() "John calls you Light, the book of kings call you Lord, The creation calls you God, man calls you father; but Solomon calls you compassion, and that is the most beautiful of all names" The Theme of compassion and redemption permeates throughout this amazing book where merely reading it is an experience unto itself. While there is no denying that some segments of the book are tedious, (Particularly the digressions which run for several chapters which describe diverse topics from philosophy, gardening to the history of the French Sewer is a testament to the sheer breadth of the authors interests") the are unforgettable. The whole novel has a strong poetic quality to it where the prose is meant to be savored slowly and deliberately. With regard to the characters, I was quite surprised to learn how tightly knit the characters of the novel were compared with the musical and the film and how they were interrelated with even minor characters such as Gavroche and colonel Pontmercy. It was also intriguing to see how much more complex and nuanced the motives of the characters are. Ie: Jean valjean and his relationship with Cosette and his opposition to Marius is testatment to the fact that even he struggled with his human nature. The death of Eponine, Jean Valjean deciding to reveal his identity in court, Javert giving Jean Valjean his liberty and the bittersweet final meeting of Cosette and Jean Valjean are particularly poignant and moving scenes. Favourite quotes "The beautiful is as useful as the useful" He added after a pause, more so perhaps" - Bishop Myril on why they are growing flowers instead of something more useful like Salads. "To be a saint is the exception; to be an upright man is the rule" - Bishop Myriel "It is very easy to be kind; the difficulty lies in being just" - Javert to Jean Valjean at their first meeting "Let us never fear robbers nor murderers, those are dangers without, petty dangers. let us fear ourselves. Prejudices are the real robbers" - Bishop Myriel "And by the easy, Monsieur Marius, I believe that I was a little bit in love with you" - Eponine's final words "It is nothing to die, it is dreadful not to live" - Jean Valjean's final words Book details -Goodreads |
AuthorAvid reader of Historical fiction, High fantasy novels, Comics & Graphic Novels. Passionate about teaching & the future of education in general. Categories
All
Archives
December 2023
|