Heavy Weather is a novel by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United States on 28 July 1933 by Little, Brown and Company, Boston, and in the United Kingdom on 10 August 1933 by Herbert Jenkins, London. It had been serialised in The Saturday Evening Post from 27 May to 15 July 1933.
It is part of the Blandings Castle series of tales, the fourth full-length novel to be set there, and forms a direct sequel to Summer Lightning (1929), with many of the same characters remaining at the castle from the previous story. It also features the re-appearance of Lord Tilbury, who had previously appeared in Bill the Conqueror (1924) and Sam the Sudden (1925).
Contents
Plot introduction
With the Hon. Galahad's reminiscences removed from the market, publisher Lord Tilbury is anxious to get hold of the manuscript, while Lady Constance Keeble and Sir Gregory Parsloe-Parsloe want to lay hands on it for quite other reasons. Lord Emsworth fears that Parsloe-Parsloe is out to spoil his prize pig Empress of Blandings' chances at the forthcoming county show, and keeps detective Pilbeam on hand to keep watch. Meanwhile, Sue Brown is anxious to hide her old friendship with Monty Bodkin from her jealous fiance Ronnie Fish, giving his mother Lady Julia a chance to talk him out of the unsuitable marriage...
Plot summary
Monty Bodkin, despite his wealth, needs to hold a job down for a full year so when he is sacked from his job, he jumps at a tip that his old job as secretary is available, especially on hearing that his former fiancee will be on the premises.
Hearing that Monty is on his way, and concerned about Ronnie's jealous nature, Sue heads to London, dines with Bodkin and warns him to be distant. On the train back, they both encounter Ronnie's formidable mother and claim not to know each other. Lady Julia, having seen Sue and Monty at lunch together, tells her son about their suspicious behaviour, and Ronnie is at once convinced that Sue loves Monty.
Meanwhile, Connie and Parsloe-Parsloe, unaware of these developments, task Percy Pilbeam with obtaining Galahad's manuscript, used to ensure Sue and Ronnie's marriage is permitted. Lord Tilbury, also wanting the book, visits the castle and is rebuffed. Leaving, he calls on the Empress, but is locked in a shed by Pirbright the pig-man, instructed by a suspicious Lord Emsworth to guard the pig closely. He is released by Monty Bodkin, whom he persuades to steal the book by offering him a year's guaranteed employment—he is worried about his tenure at the castle, as Lord Emsworth suspects him, being the nephew of his rival Parsloe-Parsloe, of scheming to nobble his pig, the Empress.
Beach, catching Pilbeam in the act of grabbing the book, tells Galahad and is instructed to guard the book himself. When he overhears Tilbury and Bodkin plotting in the garden at the Emsworth Arms however, he sees the task is too much for him and hands the book on to Ronnie Fish. Fish is distracted by his loss of Sue's love, but once the storm breaks feels better; he sees Monty Bodkin, drenched from the rain, and is friendly towards him. However, when he sees "Sue" tattooed on Bodkin's chest, his mood turns sour once more.
Sue, having heard Ronnie's kind words, is also cheered and rushes to find Ronnie; when he is once more cold and distant, she breaks down and breaks off the engagement. Bodkin finds Ronnie and asks him a favour—to get Beach to hand over the book, explaining he needs it to marry his girl. Ronnie, inwardly furious, chivalrously hands it over. Gally sees Sue is upset, learns all and confronts Ronnie with his idiocy. He explains about Bodkin and Sue, and Ronnie forgives her. Gally then confronts his sisters, threatening them once more with his book; although Julia is at first unmoved, when Gally relates a few of the stories it contains concerning her late husband "Fishy" Fish, she is defeated.
Characters
Lord Emsworth, absent-minded master of Blandings Castle
Lady Constance Keeble, his domineering sister, chatelaine at the castle
The Hon. Galahad Threepwood, Emsworth's brother
Lady Julia Fish, another sister of Lord Emsworth
Ronnie Fish, Lady Julia's short son
Sue Brown, a chorus girl engaged to Ronnie
Empress of Blandings, Lord Emsworth's cherished prize pig
Pirbright, Emsworth's pig-man
Lord Tilbury, publishing magnate, an acquaintance of Lady Julia
Percy Frobisher Pilbeam, a former employee of Tilbury's, now head of a detective agency
Monty Bodkin, initially employed by Tilbury.
Sir Gregory Parsloe-Parsloe, Emsworth's neighbour and fellow pig-rearer
Beach, butler at the castle
Hugo Carmody, formerly Emsworth's secretary
Jno. Robinson, taxi-driver in Market Blandings
Publication history
The Heavy Weather serial in The Saturday Evening Post was published in eight parts, with illustrations by May Wilson Preston.
The story was included in the 1979 collection Life at Blandings, published by Penguin Books, which also included Something Fresh and Summer Lightning.
Adaptations
In 1988, the book was adapted as a radio drama in the Blandings radio series.
A television film adaptation, also titled Heavy Weather, was made by the BBC, with partners including WGBH Boston, screened on Christmas Eve 1995 in the UK, and shown in the US by PBS on 18 February 1996. It was directed by Jack Gold with a screenplay by Douglas Livingstone.