A Month in the Country
Book description
Penguin Decades bring you the novels that helped shape modern Britain. When they were published, some were bestsellers, some were considered scandalous, and others were simply misunderstood. All represent their time and helped define their generation, while today each is considered a landmark work of storytelling.
J. L. Carr's A…
Why read it?
2 authors picked A Month in the Country as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
There is so much to love about this short, Booker-shortlisted novel. It’s narrated by Tom Birken, who reflects on a summer spent in the small Yorkshire village of Oxgodby in 1920. Still reeling from his experiences in the trenches of the First World War and the recent break-up of his marriage, Tom is tasked with restoring a medieval mural on the wall of the village church.
What follows is a tender, introspective story which, on one hand, explores the loss of youth and times gone by and, on the other, examines the human spirit’s capacity for resilience and the enduring…
A writer friend recommended this book about a young veteran of the First World War who spends a summer in a small Yorkshire village to uncover a mural in a church. The peaceful setting, local friendships, and the simplicity of his life in the clock tower, as well as the focus on work, heals him.
This is a gentle embrace of a book, a reminder of beauty and kindness that soothed me profoundly.
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