Down the River
- 145 stránek
- 6 hodin čtení
A journey down the banks and in the waters of two contrasting Midland rivers, the Nene and Ouse







A journey down the banks and in the waters of two contrasting Midland rivers, the Nene and Ouse
Set during World War II, the story follows an English bomber pilot who is shot down over occupied France. Rescued by a French family, he must stay behind to recover from his injuries while his crew escapes. As he heals, he develops a romantic bond with the homeowner's daughter, and together they embark on a journey through France, navigating danger and uncertainty in their quest to return to England. The novel explores themes of love, sacrifice, and resilience amidst the backdrop of war.
A warm summer night. The moon shines down on the quiet houses and gardens. Everyone is asleep. Everyone except the man in pyjamas and slippers, standing on the wet grass at the end of his garden, watching and waiting ... In these three short stories, H.E. Bates presents ordinary people like you and me. But as we get to know them better, we see that their feelings are not at all ordinary. In fact, what happens to them - and in them - is passionate, and even extraordinary. Could this happen to you and me?
4 hrs.A year has passed, and in this third novel of the Pop Larkin series, Pop Larkin is preparing to build the bungalow he promised Charley and Mariette upon their engagement. He buys a country home slated for demolition, intending to convert it for the two, but it is not long before a London couple persuade him to sell it. Pop, ever the trickster, sells it for an extortionate price, as the two social climbers know little about country life. Party throwing and cocktail mixing abound until a rocky boat and a misplaced pair of hands have Pop before the local magistrate....
‘The Darling Buds of May, which came out in 1958, was the first of five Larkin novels and in it readers witness the transformation of Mr. Charlton from a undernourished and timid tax clerk to ‘Charlie’, a fully-converted member of the Larkin way of life: an easygoing celebration of nature, food, drink, and family. In the process, the reader is introduced to the Brigadier, Miss Pilchester, and Angela Snow. Setting the style for the series, the book ends with a grand celebration, and the announcement of the wedding of Charlie and Mariette. The novel was filmed with the title ‘The Mating Game’, and between 1991 and 1993, Yorkshire Television produced a highly-successful television series called ‘The Darling Buds of May’. This first book in the Larkin series was very successful, appearing first in the United States and then in Britain, where it sold 40,000 in the first two months. Many critics felt that Bates deserved better than to be remembered mostly for the Larkin novels, but they were very profitable. The immensely popular Larkin series of comic novels consisted of ‘The Darling Buds of May’, ‘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). Bates, speaking of how he was inspired to create the Larkins, recalled the real junkyard that he often passed near his home in Kent; and he remembered seeing a family -- a father, mother and many children, sucking at ice-creams and eating crisps in a "ramshackle lorry that had been recently painted a violent electric blue". He tried writing a brief tale based on the family, but soon decided that he couldn’t waste such a rich gallery of characters to a short story." Pop is a wonderful character who hates pomp, pretension and humbug; loves his family, but doesn’t hesitate to break a few rules... and his and the Larkins' secret is “that they live as many of us would like to live if only we had the guts and nerve to flout the conventions." See also the Pop Larkin Chronicles, which contains all five Larkin books.
Now the basis for a major motion picture from the producers of Howard's End and The Remains of the Day--a brooding, suspenseful novel of sensuality and vengenance, set amid the fields and villages of 19th century England. Bella Ford, jilted by her unscrupulous lover, plans revenge that ends in a catastrophic act of violence.
Short stories about people who seem perfectly ordinary, but as we get to know them better we see that their feelings are not at all ordinary. High interest low vocab for Adult Literacy and learners. Vocabulary: 1000 words.
Pauline, young and beautiful, despairs of escaping from her bullying, drunken father, Quintus Harper, and the miserable poverty of the street where she lives. Then she falls in love with Masher Jonathan, a sensitive man whose quiet talk of justice and freedom transforms her beliefs. But their decision to leave Charlotte's Row bring with it violence and pain of a kind they did not anticipate.
Perfick, Perfick! The Story of the Larkin Family (The Pop Larkin The Darling Buds of May; A Breath of French Air; When the Green Woods Laugh; Oh! To Be In England; A Little of What You Fancy)
Autor je svetoznámy románopisec a majster modernej poviedky. Poviedky v tejto knihe sú akousi pestrofarebnou paletou ľudských osudov z rôznych tematických okruhov - detstvo, staroba, rodičovská láska, no najčastejšie sa predsa len autor vracia ku vzťahu muža a ženy