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Extracts

The Darling Buds of May by H. E. Bates

Inspiration for the ITV drama The Larkins starring Bradley Walsh

A Breath of French Air

Celebrating 60 perfick years of the Larkins

Take a perfick trip to France in the second book of this much-loved series, inspiration for the ITV drama THE LARKINS starring Bradley Walsh 
 
'I should like to go to France,' said Ma. 
 
'God Almighty,' Pop said. 'What for?' 
 
'For a holiday of course,' Ma said. 'I think it would do us all good to get some sun.' 
 
And so at the end of a rainy English August the Larkins - all ten of them, including little Oscar, the family's new addition - bundle into the old Rolls and cross the Channel to escape the hostile elements. 
 
But far from being the balmy, sunny and perfick spot Ma Larkin hoped for, France proves less than welcoming to an eccentric English family. The tea's weak, the furniture breakable and the hotel manager is almost as hostile as the wind and the rain they've brought with them! 
 
And when the manager learns that Ma and Pop are unmarried yet sharing a room under his roof, the trouble really begins . . .

They are absolute comfort books . . . All five titles are being rereleased just in time for summer

Pop Larkin, Ma and their progeny ... are essentially English of the rich and ribald England of Chaucer and Shakespeare. A superb and timeless comedy

As funny as Evelyn Waugh and as enchanting as Laurie Lee's Cider with Rosie. Don't miss it

Pop is as sexy, genial, generous, and boozy as ever. Ma is a worthy match for him in all these qualities

A pulsing comedy of country manners. Just about perfick

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 (1958), 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) and A Little of What You Fancy (1970). His works have been translated into sixteen languages. H. E. Bates was awarded the C.B.E. in 1973 and died in January 1974.

'I should like to go to France,' said Ma. 
 
'God Almighty,' Pop said. 'What for?' 
 
'For a holiday of course,' Ma said. 'I think it would do us all good to get some sun.' 
 
And so at the end of a rainy English August the Larkins - all ten of them, including little Oscar, the family's new addition - bundle into the old Rolls and cross the Channel to escape the hostile elements. 
 
But far from being the balmy, sunny and perfick spot Ma Larkin hoped for, France proves less than welcoming to an eccentric English family. The tea's weak, the furniture breakable and the hotel manager is almost as hostile as the wind and the rain they've brought with them! And when the manager learns that Ma and Pop are unmarried yet sharing a room under his roof, the trouble really begins . . .

A Little of What You Fancy

They are absolute comfort books . . . all five titles are being rereleased just in time for summer

Pop Larkin, Ma and their progeny . . . are essentially English of the rich and ribald England of Chaucer and Shakespeare. A superb and timeless comedy

A wistful daydream about innocence and happiness

The high mid-summer pomps of tree and flower are evoked with gusto

'Teetotal!' Ma said. 'It's a libel. He'll never live it down. He'll never be able to hold his head up again. Whatever will people think? What's he going to say when anybody asks him to have one?' 
 
'No,' said Dr Conner. 
 
'You'll have to strap him down,' Ma said. 'You'll have to put the handcuffs on.' 
 
And so after a mild heart-attack - caused by rather too much of what you fancy - Pop Larkin finds himself off the booze, off the good food and off the good life generally, much to his own and everyone's else's horror and upset. 
 
And while Ma tries to find ways around 'doctor's orders', young Primrose is finding her own way round a rather flustered - not to say flushed - Mr Candy ...

Oh! to be in England

Join the Larkins for another adventure in the much-loved series, inspiration for the new ITV drama starring Bradley Walsh 
 
'Christening? We never said nothing about no christening, Ma, did we?' 
 
And so with the appearance of a letter announcing the imminent arrival of Madame Dupont, Pop and Ma Larkin learn that little Oscar and Blenheim - Charley and Mariette's new boy - are to be christened. 
 
In fact, once Mr Candy - who will be officiating (much to raven-haired Primrose's delight) - learns that Pop and Ma have neglected the entire Larkin brood, the whole family seems set for a dunking! 
 
Pop, who needs no excuse to open a few bottles of Dragon's Blood and host the perfick party, rushes out and buys a fun fair to celebrate. 
 
But there are one or two gatecrashers even Pop hadn't counted on turning up . . .

Pop Larkin is a living, breathing quotable character, cast large in the heroic mould

A gently, anarchic wish-fulfilling daydream

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.

'Christening? We never said nothing about no christening, Ma, did we?' 
 
And so with the appearance of a letter announcing the imminent arrival of Madame Dupont, Pop and Ma Larkin learn that little Oscar and Blenheim - Charley and Mariette's new boy - are to be christened. In fact, once Mr Candy - who will be officiating (much to raven-haired Primrose's delight) - learns that Pop and Ma have neglected the entire Larkin brood, the whole family seems set for a dunking! 
 
Pop, who needs no excuse to open a few bottles of Dragon's Blood and host the perfick party, rushes out and buys a fun fair to celebrate. But there are one or two gatecrashers even Pop hadn't counted on turning up . . .

When the Green Woods Laugh

Take a trip to Larkin country in the much-loved series, inspiration for the ITV drama THE LARKINS starring Bradley Walsh 
 
'There!' Pop said. 'There's the house. There's Gore Court for you. What about that, eh? How's that strike you? Better than St Paul's, ain't it, better than St Paul's?' 
 
And so Pop Larkin - junk-dealer, family man and Dragon's Blood connoisseur - manages to sell the nearby crumbling, tumbling country home to city dwellers Mr and Mrs Jerebohm for a pretty bundle of notes. Now he can build his daughter Mariette the pool she's long been nagging him for. 
 
But the Larkin's new neighbours aren't quite so accepting of country ways - especially Pop's little eccentricities. 
 
In fact, it's not long before a wobbly boat, a misplaced pair of hands and Mrs Jerebohm's behind have Pop up before a magistrate . . .

'Pop Larkin, Ma and their progeny . . . are essentially English of the rich and ribald England of Chaucer and Shakespeare. A superb and timeless comedy'

The Larkins live - these novels please us by escaping definition

Like Wodehouse's Jeeves, Bates' Larkins must continue in their own delightful milieu - the Kentish countryside

'There!' Pop said. 'There's the house. There's Gore Court for you. What about that, eh? How's that strike you? Better than St Paul's, ain't it, better than St Paul's?' 
 
And so Pop Larkin - junk-dealer, family man and Dragon's Blood connoisseur - manages to sell the nearby crumbling, tumbling country home to city dwellers Mr and Mrs Jerebohm for a pretty bundle of notes. Now he can build his daughter Mariette the pool she's long been nagging him for. 
 
But the Larkin's new neighbours aren't quite so accepting of country ways - especially Pop's little eccentricities. In fact, it's not long before a wobbly boat, a misplaced pair of hands and Mrs Jerebohm's behind have Pop up before a magistrate . . .

Fair Stood the Wind for France

'Perhaps the finest novel of the war .... A fine, lovely book which makes the heart beat with pride' Daily Telegraph

When John Franklin brings his plane down into Occupied France at the height of the Second World war, there are two things in his mind - the safety of his crew and his own badly injured arm. It is a stroke of unbelievable luck when the family of a French farmer risk their lives to offer the airmen protection. During the hot summer weeks that follow, the English officer and the daughter of the house are drawn inexorably to each other...

Herbert Ernest Bates (1905-1974), worked as a journalist and clerk on a local newspaper before publishing his first book, The Two Sisters. His most famous work of fiction is the bestselling Fair Stood the Wind for France (1944). Other well known novels include Purple Plain (1947), Jacaranda Tree (1949), Scarlet Sword (1950), and Love for Lydia (1952). 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) and A Little of What You Fancy (1970). His last works included the novel The Triple Echo (1971) and a collection of short stories, The Song of the Wren (1972).

When John Franklin brings his plane down into Occupied France at the height of the Second World war, there are two things in his mind - the safety of his crew and his own badly injured arm. It is a stroke of unbelievable luck when the family of a French farmer risk their lives to offer the airmen protection. During the hot summer weeks that follow, the English officer and the daughter of the house are drawn inexorably to each other...

H. E. Bates

'Home looks nice. Allus does though, don't it? Perfick' 
 
 The Larkins - Pop, Ma, Mariette, Zinnia, Petunia, Primrose, Victoria and Montgomery - return home one May evening to discover a visitor: one Cedric Charlton, Her Majesty's inspector of taxes. 
 
 Mr Charlton is visiting to find out why junk-dealer Pop hasn't paid his tax - but nothing's that simple at the Larkins. Mariette takes a shine to 'Charley' and before long the family have introduced the uncomplaining inspector to the delights of country living. 
 
 In fact, soon Charley can't see any reason to return to the office at all . . .

H. E. Bates

The Darling Buds of May

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