The Darling Buds of May by H.E. BatesMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Celebrating 60 perfick years of the Larkins
Wonderful stuff. I loved the TV adaptations of the Larkin family, broadcast in the 90s. Saw this Penguin reissue with the delightful art-deco cover and snapped up a copy. H.E. Bates used my neck-of-the-woods as the location - the garden of England - the county of Kent, near the village of Pluckley. Pure nostalgia for me - strawberry picking, cherry blossom, home baking, balmy Kent evenings and the song of the nightingale.
The Darling Buds of May follows the raucous adventures of the Larkin clan and the local tax collector. Ma and Pop Larkin have a large brood, living in 1950s rural England. Six children, the eldest is Mariette (they were going to name her Marie-Antoinette but thought it too long!). When the local tax inspector Cedric Charlton arrives to challenge Pop Larkin that he has never filled in a tax return, well - the fun begins. Soon to be called Charley by the family (found 'Cedric' too pretentious) he becomes smitten with the beautiful Mariette and persuaded not to go back to his office but enjoy a prolonged stay with the Larkins....
It's fun, it's full of laugh out loud moments - a comedy of country manners - and takes me right back to my childhood in the 50s in the unspoilt countryside of Kent. Full of wonderful characters and hilarious moments.
I loved it!
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