To Serve Them All My Days [Paperback]

R. Delderfield (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

[L]ush and descriptive... (Grace Loiacano Books Like Breathing 20090930)

Delderfield's love of the boys and the teachers is contagious and provides a touching tribute to this time in British history. (Kristen M We Be Reading 20091001)

Delderfield takes his time in telling his story... filled with details. (Tripp Book Are My Only Friends 20091005)

A rich and complex story... the author brings the story full circle in a charming way. (Carey Anderson The Tome Traveller's Weblog )

I can't thank Sourcebooks enough for reprinting the R.F. Delderfield novels. All of them are wonderful reads, engrossing and comforting at the same time. (Sandie Kirkland Booksie's Blog )

Fascinating... a book to savor. (Tricia Seguine Library Queue )

Reading To Serve Them All My Days is an experience, not merely an activity and it is one of those books that give you a story you will not soon forget, that will give you characters that you will know, inside out, and you will crave to meet one more time. (Lilly Swistek Reading Extravaganza )

About the Author

Born in South London in 1912, R.F. Delderfield was a journalist, playwright, and a highly successful novelist, renowned for brilliantly portraying slices of English life. He has remained one of England's most beloved novelists, with many of his novels being adapted into television and film, including the landmark BBC miniseries of To Serve Them All My Days.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 608 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark (March 3, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402218249
• ISBN-13: 978-1402218248
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #426,080 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another time another place, May 21, 2010

By 

Observer (Ojai, CA USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: To Serve Them All My Days (Paperback)

I love this book. It's old and about a time even older. Set between the two world wars in an English 'public' (that is private) school, it's a tale of dedication and love of ones calling such that we rarely understand nowadays. Such times are gone, but like the hero of the story, we can review a piece of history through an engaging story of one man's life and those around him. Great for a wet weekend with the T.V. turned off.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Story about Teachers, February 13, 2010

By 

Sirius - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: To Serve Them All My Days (Paperback)

Goodness I love this book, story about traumatized soldier coming back from first world war and finding his calling as a Teacher in the boarding school. A lot of teachers in this book are teachers with capital T and while it may seem a bit idealized teachers who love the kids that much do exist in real life thankfully :)

I adored so many characters - David's first headmaster, his daughter, many of his students. I highly recommend this book to anybody.

13 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating Read, November 22, 2009

By 

Sandra Kirkland (High Point, North Carolina United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: To Serve Them All My Days (Paperback)

David Powlett-Jones returns from three years experiencing the horrors of trench warfare during World War I. Injured and suffering the after-effects of shell-shock, he turns to teaching. He finds a job teaching history at Bamfylde School in Cornwall, England.

Driven by his experiences, David soon finds that he is not as interested in teaching history as it has always been taught at Bamfylde; a dry complilation of dates, battles and rulers as he is in opening the eyes of his students to the reality of war. He believes that there is rarely a reason for war, and that the damage is so severe that only as a last resort should it be contemplated. The boys he teaches are quite interested in this viewpoint, and David becomes a popular master with them. His theories find opposing views among some of the other masters, however. The chief of his opponents is Carter, who teaches science and heads up the student Cadet Corps. He vehemently opposes Powlett-Jones, and tries to thwart his teaching style however he can.

As David heals, he also finds love. He marries a nurse, Beth, and they are blessed with twin daughters. David's happiness is short-lived, however, as Beth and one of the daughters are killed in a car accident. Following this, David's life is one of depression, and only teaching and the need to provide for his surviving daughter pulls him through the next decade.

When the headmaster who hired David retires, several candidates for headmaster are considered. David is one candidate, while his nemesis, Carter, is another. The decision is made not to choose either internal candidate for fear of creating havoc at the school. An outsider is chosen. Unfortunately, this outsider is a dictatorial rule-follower, who ruins morale and brings the school close to chaos. When he dies, David is chosen to be the new headmaster.

This coincides with his new relationship. He remarries to Christine, and they have a son. Now in his 40's, David has finally found resolution to many of his questions and concerns, and is in a stable period. But, the drums of war are starting to beat again. David is faced with the prospect of World War II, and readying his students to face another world convulsion.

I can't thank Sourcebooks enough for reprinting the R.F. Delderfield novels. All of them are wonderful reads, engrossing and comforting at the same time. To Serve Them All My Days is an interesting look at not only one man's life and his reaction to war, but a glimpse into the world of British education and the society that had to face two world wars within forty years. It is difficult to comprehend today the amount of death and destruction that was everyday life for most of the world during this time period. This book is recommended for lovers of historical fiction or for anyone interested in a great read.