Oh! to be in England [Audio Cassette]

H. E. Bates (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 31, 1989

�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 �

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

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. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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 --This text refers to an alternate Audio Cassette edition.

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Listen for Pleasure (December 31, 1989)
• ISBN-10: 1858481228
• ISBN-13: 978-1858481227
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,884,621 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The christening, November 27, 2007

By 

Beverley Strong (Australia) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Oh! to Be in England (Hardcover)

When Mariette and Charley, the Larkin's eldest daughter and son-in-law decide to have their new baby son christened, Ma and Pop Larkin decide that it's time that all of their brood are christened and plan a huge party to follow the event. They ask Madame Duponte to be their baby son's godmother and that unsuspecting lady, their landlady from their trip to France, arrives in England for the first time, to fulfill this solemn religious ceremony. Still under the impression that Pop is some kind of English Mi'lord, her stay at the Larkin household is somewhat of a shock to her. The second Larkin daughter, Primrose, is maturing very quickly and promises to be even more of a beauty than Mariette and, then and there, decides that the Vicar, mousy little Mr.Candy, is the mate for her and pursues him with vigour. It's another delightful Larkin family romp which will amuse the many fans of H.E.Bates.