Akenfield by Ronald Blythe - ISBN: 9780141187921
Paperback
Voices of a vanished English village echo through time and change.

$39.11

  • Paperback

    400 pages

  • Release Date

    26 September 2005

Check Delivery Options

Summary

‘Still the best portrait of modern rural life in England, subtle and compassionate’ - Roger Deakin, BBC Wildlife magazine

This colourful, perceptive portrayal of English country life reverberates with the voices of the village inhabitants, from the reminiscences of survivors of the Great War evoking days gone by, to the concerns of a younger generation of farm-workers and the fascinating and personal recollections of, among others, the local schoolteacher, doctor, blacksmith, saddler,…

Book Details

ISBN-13:9780141187921
ISBN-10:0141187921
Author:Ronald Blythe
Publisher:Penguin Books Ltd
Imprint:Penguin Classics
Format:Paperback
Number of Pages:400
Release Date:26 September 2005
Weight:290g
Dimensions:197mm x 128mm x 25mm
Series:Penguin Modern Classics
What They're Saying

Critics Review

‘A hundred years from now, anyone wanting to know how things were on the land will turn more profitably to Akenfield than to a sheaf of anaemically professional social surveys.’ the Guardian

A hundred years from now, anyone wanting to know how things were on the land will turn more profitably to Akenfield than to a sheaf of anaemically professional social surveys. * The Guardian *Blythe lovingly opens the curtains of legend and landscape, revealing the inner, almost clandestine, spirit of the village behind. His book consists of direct-speech monologues, delivered by 49 Suffolk residents, and interpretatively linked by the author. The effect is one of astonishing immediacy: it is as if those country people have looked up for a moment from their plow, lawnmower or kitchen sink, and are talking directly (and disturbingly frankly) to the reader * The New York Times *Exquisite

About The Author

Ronald Blythe

Ronald Blythe wrote poetry, short stories, history and literary criticism, much of it reflecting his East Anglian background. He was the author of A Treasonable Growth, The Age of Illusion and The View in Winter and the editor of The Penguin Book of Diaries. His work has been translated and has received a number of literary awards. Blythe died in 2023. He is hailed today as one the greatest British nature writers.

Returns

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.