The Darling Buds of May: The Larkin Novels, Volume 1
Written by H.E. Bates
Narrated by Philip Franks
5/5
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About this audiobook
When Cedric Charlton - an unsuspecting tax inspector - arrives at the door of the Pop Larkin farm, he soon forgets the purpose of his visit...
The fun-loving Ma and Pop Larkin distract him at every turn with strawberries, cream, alcohol, and their attractive young daughter, Mariette.
Well known by the popular TV series starring David Jason and Catherine Zeta-Jones, The Darling Buds of May is the quintessential feel-good, country romp. It will have you falling wholeheartedly in love with the Larkin family and their carefree way of life.
So grab a bowl of ice cream, pull out a deck chair and share in the 'perficktion' of country life.
©1958 H. E. Bates (P)2015 Naxos AudioBooks
H.E. Bates
H. E. Bates was born in 1905 in the shoe-making town of Rushden, Northamptonshire, and educated at Kettering Grammar School. After leaving school, he worked as a reporter and as a clerk in a leather warehouse. Many of his stories depict life in the rural Midlands, particularly his native Northamptonshire, where he spent many hours wandering the countryside. His first novel, The Two Sisters (1926) was published by Jonathan Cape when he was just twenty. Many critically acclaimed novels and collections of short stories followed. During WWII he was commissioned into the RAF solely to write short stories, which were published under the pseudonym 'Flying Officer X'. His first financial success was Fair Stood the Wind for France (1944), followed by two novels about Burma, The Purple Plain (1947) and The Jacaranda Tree (1949) and one set in India, The Scarlet Sword (1950). Other well-known novels include Love for Lydia (1952) and The Feast of July (1954). His most popular creation was the Larkin family which featured in five novels beginning with The Darling Buds of May in 1958. The later television adaptation was a huge success. Many other stories were adapted for the screen, the most renowned being The Purple Plain (1947) starring Gregory Peck, and The Triple Echo (1970) with Glenda Jackson and Oliver Reed. H. E. Bates married in 1931, had four children and lived most of his life in a converted granary near Charing in Kent. He was awarded the CBE in 1973, shortly before his death in 1974.
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Related to The Darling Buds of May
Titles in the series (4)
The Darling Buds of May: The Larkin Novels, Volume 1 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Breath of French Air: The Larkin Novels, Volume 2 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Oh! To Be in England: The Larkin Novels, Volume 4 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Little of What You Fancy: The Larkin Novels, Volume 5 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
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Reviews for The Darling Buds of May
27 ratings2 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A very, very funny book made even funnier by Philip Franks's clever characterizations and pacing -- a sort of inverse of Stella Gibbons's Cold Comfort Farm, and like it, distinctly British in its humor.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Gentle humour that warms the heart. Great book, great tv series with David Jason and Catherine Zeta-Jones and now a great audiobook with total masterful charming delivery by the narrator.