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Hot Water

By: P. G. Wodehouse
Narrated by: Jonathan Cecil
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Summary

Château Blissac, on its hill above St Roque, is in a setting where every prospect pleases. But it doesn't please its current occupier, J. Wellington Gedge. Mr Gedge wants none of it - and particularly none of the domineering Mrs Gedge's imperious wish that he should become American Ambassador to Paris. Instead he pines for the simpler life of California, where men are men and filling stations stand tall.

Mrs Gedge has powerful allies - including the prohibitionist Senator Opal. But will she get her way? And will the Senator's delightful daughter Jane get her man?

In a plot which involves safe-blowers, con men, jewel-thieves and even a Bloomsbury novelist, few are quite as they seem. But the heady atmosphere of France in the 1930s makes for one of Wodehouse's most delightful comedies.

©2002 Trustees of the Wodehouse Estate (P)2014 Audible, Inc.
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What listeners say about Hot Water

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Wodehouse at his most farcical

Plot is generally secondary in Wodehouse, but in some of his works it's even less important. Hot Water is one of the latter. The plot is ludicrous, there are far too many characters, coincidences abound, identities are mistaken on the thinnest pretexts. But this is Wodehouse, so the result is as light, fluffy and enjoyable as a well-made mousse. Jonathan Cecil's narration is, as ever, peerless.

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One of my favourite Wodehouse stories, but not great performance

I suspect it’s a Marmite thing, with some people thinking J Cecil is the cat’s pyjamas, and some not. I fall into the latter category.
It must be a difficult book to perform, as almost all the characters are American, but I felt that JC blurred the characters, especially during dialogues, to an extent that it sometimes became difficult to be sure who was speaking . Coupled with his slight tendency to gabble, especially in the first half, I found this recording to be less enjoyable than I had anticipated.
Still a worthwhile purchase, but not on my favourites list.

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9 people found this helpful

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Excellent

Another good piece of escapism from the master of storytelling. An enjoyable story with laughs aplenty throughout and typical Wodehouse characters. I enjoyed the reading and would recommend.

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Brilliant and funny

Loved the book, narrator is great but sometimes voices and accents are a bit confused

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Wonderfully performed (as usual) by Jonathan Cecil

Another Wodehouse masterpiece! I enjoyed every minute. Maybe the ending IS predictable... but every step of the journey toward it is delightful.

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Record breaking

Even if you enjoy complex storylines with twists and unlikely coincidences this will challenge you.

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Fabulous

Cecil is marvellous! Absolutely hilarious, serves Wodehouse so wonderfully! His aristocracy shines through every time he says girl🤣

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Brilliant!!

I run out of things to say about Wodehouse. I find his stories so witty and surprisingly relevant today.

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Funny, sweet and well read

An easygoing book with multiple intertwined storylines with fine British humor. Works as a happyness prescription drug. 😀 Jonathan Cecil is the best reader of Wodehouse.

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This is one of the best

I’ve listen to most of PG Wodehouse audiobooks and this is one of my favourites.

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