I've waited for a week before writing a review because I did not have much to say and, as I am typing, I realize I still don't. The large cast of characters began to seem more suitable for a novel of 300 pages than a novella of only eighty.

A Month in the Country - J.L. Carr - Google Books A Month in the Country - J.L. Carr - Google Books

Birkin survived Passchendaele, but was left with a stammer (not reflected in dialogue), intermittent facial palsy on one side, and no wife.

Carr died in 1994 and his funeral service in the Kettering parish church was, in the words of Byron Rogers, 'like the passing of a spymaster. Tom Birkin, a WWI veteran… having suffered the effects of war, was only doing what most soldiers would do — try to find his way back normal.

J. L. Carr | A Month in the Country | Slightly Foxed literary J. L. Carr | A Month in the Country | Slightly Foxed literary

His inner pride and strength—trust in his own abilities to handle the daily hard work—was never a q As he uncovers the painting, he is also uncovering the masterpiece of his self, his wonder at the world and whatever lies ahead. In particular, he forms a close friendship with archaeologist James Moon, another war veteran, who like Birkin has been emotionally scarred.

Carr said he wanted the effect to be something like Hardy’s Under the Greenwood Tree in relation to the local characters. But if giving way to nostalgic reverie allows us not to regret missed opportunites that choke us in waves of self-pity and prompts us to be grateful for small streaks of fortune instead, I will settle on melancholy any given day. A Month in the Country Archived 17 January 2009 at the Wayback Machine at the British Film Institute. The setting was idyllic, rolling hills, sheep, a nice little church with a hidden painting waiting to be revealed by our main character.

A Month in the Country | The Booker Prizes A Month in the Country | The Booker Prizes

Birkin becomes accepted into the Nonconformist family of the station master Mr Ellerbeck, with whom he dines on Sundays; the hospitality of the chapel congregation is contrasted against the established church, which has consigned the penniless Birkin to sleep in the church belfry.The “steady rhythm of living and working… a foot in both present and past” quickly infuses contentment. Birkin is now an old man, looking back at his youth – the novel is signed off “September 1978”, after another World War has passed. Carr creates a vivid, soothing sense of the nature of Oxgodby’s quiet community which ultimately helps Birkin heal. He produced and published from his own Quince Tree Press a series of small books designed to fit into a pocket. Denis Gifford (editor) British Film Catalogue: Two Volume Set - The Fiction Film, Volume 2, 1895-1994, p.

A literary holiday – JL Carr’s A Month in the Country A literary holiday – JL Carr’s A Month in the Country

Thomas Birkin never envisioned being haunted by happiness fifty years after a life-altering moment that presented itself wrapped in balustrades of washed-out color. During his stay in the village, Birkin develops an unspoken love for the vicar’s wife, Alice (Natasha Richardson) and forms a close friendship with archaeologist James Moon (Kenneth Branagh), who is also emotionally scarred by the conflict.

There is plenty of humour, especially about the relationship and rivalry between Church and Chapel, and some wonderful period detail. The churchyard had several gravestones added, including the large box tomb which is a focus of several scenes.