H E Bates

Oh! to Be in England H E Bates

In this third sequel to The Darling Buds of May, Charley and Mariette decide to get baby Blenheim christened, leading to a wholesale christening of all seven of the Larkin children. Chaos abounds as the vicar Mr. Candy is run ragged by the naughty twins Zinnia and Petunia and finds himself the object of desire for Pop's second eldest, Primrose. To top it all off, Pop buys a fairground on a whim, and Mademoiselle DuPont arrives to discover that Pop is not a Lord, nor does he live in a mansion. The result is a celebratory ending and a wonderful tribute to Pop's beloved countryside, with its "nightingales and blackbirds, bluebells and primroses, haytime and high summer."