Just as the Blandings series were growing a bit samey, what with someone planning on stealing a pig every time, this installment moves in a different direction. Oh, we get many of the usual Wodehouse traits, which is a good thing, but it’s not another novel based around the Empress being stolen.

One notable change is, following on from the previous book, Lady Constance has gone off and married. In her wake, Lord Emsworth's more formidable sister Hermione takes up residence at Blandings. Although I like Constance better, it made a change to have someone else in her place, opening more storylines.

One change I’d never want would be to replace Lord Emsworth. Eh? Did I say, “replace Lord Emsworth”? Well, bless my soul, that’d be dashed impossible! You can’t have too much of Lord Emsworth. He’s capital. Yes, capital. Capital. Capital. ( )

Another fun entry in the Blandings series. ( )

With his formidable sister Lady Constance married off, Lord Emsworth is looking forward to peace and quiet at Blandings Castle. But coming back from Constance's wedding, Lord Emsworth is horrified to find that his sister Hermione has moved in with her husband and daughter and she has hired the terribly efficient Sandy Callender to be his new secretary. If that wasn't enough, Hermione is determined that Lord Emsworth should get remarried and has invited a widowed friend of hers to stay at Blandings Castle.

Lady Hermione is appalled when Lord Emsworth tells her that her prospective millionaire son-in-law is bankrupt and is selling apples on the streets. She immediately orders her daughter to write a letter breaking off the engagement. Of course it turns out that the absent-minded Lord Emsworth has muddled his facts as usual. Now, how to recover the letter before her daughter's fiance reads it?

Meanwhile, Galahad introduces yet another impostor (Sandy Callender's ex-fiance) to the castle as pig expert Augustus Whipple. But then the real Augustus Whipple arrives in the village hoping to get a look at Lord Emsworth's prize-winning pig, Empress of Blandings.

This is another laugh out loud read from P.G. Wodehouse and one of his best works. ( )

Wodehouse has long been one of my favourite authors and in my current grief-stricken situation I felt the need for uncomplicated levity.

While there may not have been quite the same number of guffaws per page as in his earlier work Galahad at Blandings still warmed my heart and tickled my funny bone to no small degree.

Wodehouse was at time of writing (1965) a little past his golden years, where every word, dripping with sparkling wit, tripped off the page. I have a theory that the slight drop-off in standard in PG's later books was in part due to the death of his step-daughter Leonora/Snorkey in 1944. Not only must he have been rocked by the tragic loss of his beloved step-daughter, from whom he was separated by during his wartime interment, but I suspect she was also his greatest critic/proof-reader.

I found myself wondering in the first few chapters whether he'd truly lost his spark, as some of the dialogue and descriptive passages seemed uninspired. I should not have doubted, however, Wodehouse's ability to weave a beautifully complicated yet perfectly dovetailed plot. Even when not at his best, Wodehouse was a comedic master. ( )

Lord Emsworth brother, Galahad, has a grand time trying to make smooth the course of young love. ( )