Heavy Weather

Continuing where SUMMER LIGHTNING left off, Martin Jarvis expertly narrates Wodehouse's 1933 comic novel about shenanigans among the inmates of Blandings Castle. Lord Emsworth's sisters are adamant that nephew Ronnie Fish not marry a chorus girl. As in nearly all Wodehouse stories, there are complications of theft and star-crossed love running through the plot. With the possible exception of the attractive chorus girl, Sue Brown, Jarvis's accents and characterizations are spot-on. As he weaves seamlessly from the doddering Lord Emsworth to his dandy brother, Galahad, from butler to games keeper to tawdry private detective, Jarvis nails down the subtleties of British class distinction, giving appropriate lilts, mumbles, and drones to each. While the story follows standard Wodehouse formulas, it's a laugh-aloud masterpiece brought to life by Jarvis. S.E.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine