Oh! To Be in England Volume 4 (Larkin)

H.E. Bates

ISBN 10: 1781980055 ISBN 13: 9781781980057

Publisher: Naxos AudioBooks, 2016

Synopsis

In this third sequel to The Darling Buds of May, Charley and Mariette decide to get baby Blenheim christened, leading to a wholesale christening of all seven of the Larkin children. Chaos abounds as the vicar Mr Candy is run ragged by the naughty twins Zinnia and Petunia, and finds himself the object of desire for Pop's second eldest, Primrose. To top it all off, Pop buys a fairground on a whim, and Mlle DuPont arrives to discover that Pop is not a Lord, nor does he live in a mansion. The result is a celebratory ending and a wonderful tribute to Pop's beloved countryside, with its 'nightingales and blackbirds, bluebells and primroses, hay-time and high summer'. "Perfick."

About this title

About the Author

H. E. Bates was born in 1905 in Northamptonshire. He worked as a journalist and clerk on a local newspaper before publishing his first book, The Two Sisters, when he was twenty. In the next fifteen years he acquired a distinguished reputation for his stories about English country life. During the Second World War he was a Squadron Leader in the R.A.F. The Darling Buds of May, the first of the popular Larkin family novels, was followed by A Breath of French Air (1959), When the Green Woods Laugh (1960), Oh! To Be in England (1963). His works have been translated into sixteen languages. H. E. Bates was awarded the C.B.E. in 1973 and died in January 1974.

From AudioFile

When you want to stop the world and get off, let the Larkin family soothe your troubles. H.E. Bates's recreation of the simple life of the '50's is a balm for the hubbub of the '90's. And the luscious reading by Bruce Montague of the high jinks and activities of the Larkin family is extremely comforting. Even though the series has appeared on TV, it's a fine subject for audio. Montague expands the listener's memory with eccentric accents and smooth tones. Every character is singular. The acting is superb. To quote Pop Larkin, the production is "Perfick, jus' perfick!" J.P. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

About this edition

• Publisher: Naxos AudioBooks
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1781980055
• ISBN 13: 9781781980057
• Binding: Audio CD
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 1