I am a seasonal reader, often craving books with sizzling settings in the summer months and snowy locales in the winter. Last week I saw a review for J. L. Carr's Man Booker winning A Month in the Country and was intrigued enough by the title to read it for myself. Using stunning prose combined with well developed characters, Carr's novella is perfect for a leisurely summer morning.

Penelope Fitzgerald on A Month in the Country by J.L. Carr Penelope Fitzgerald on A Month in the Country by J.L. Carr

Perhaps It is this simplicity and normality that affects Birken the most profoundly, for his life has been shredded by the war. There is also the mystery of the painting, which Birkin uncovers, and the grave that Moon seeks, to add an extra touch of interest. But then, inevitably, as happens to most of us, first through Saturday umpiring, later Sunday chapel, I was drawn into the changing picture of Oxgodby itself. But, oddly, what happened outside was like a dream. It was inside the still church, before its reappearing picture, that was real. I drifted across the rest. As I have said--like a dream. For a time." There are some sad lines here, about what Tom thinks God looks like in the small town where he's working: “uncompromising. . . no, more—threatening. This is my hand. This is what you did to me. And, for this, many shall suffer the torment, for thus it was for me.” The sound of these forging from flower to flower….cloudless skies….butterflies….blue jays….wood-pigeons…wild plants….poppies….bilberry scrubs…and those long summer days of warm weather…..brought the feelings of youth and love.

Featuring Colin Firth

The plot concerns Tom Birkin, a World War I veteran employed to uncover a mural in a village church that was thought to exist under coats of whitewash. At the same time another veteran is employed to look for a grave beyond the churchyard walls. Though Birkin is an unbeliever, there is prevalent religious symbolism throughout the book, mainly dealing with judgement. The novel explores themes of England's loss of spirituality after the war, and of happiness, melancholy, and nostalgia as Birkin recalls the summer uncovering the mural, when he healed from his wartime experiences and a broken marriage. I tried to make the point that the healing journey of Tom Birkin is universal, timeless, that it applies to all of us. It's important though to note that the process is neither simplistic, nor easily defined. Most of all, it is unique to each of us, depending on our temperament, sensibilities, baggage of past experiences. Most of all it is a journey from the outside in, from the harsh realities of an adverse society to the discovery of our own compass or inner strength.

A Month in the Country by J.L. Carr | Goodreads A Month in the Country by J.L. Carr | Goodreads

We can ask and ask but we can't have again what once seemed ours for ever--the ways things looked, that church alone in the fields, a bed on a belfry floor, a remembered voice, the touch of a hand, a loved face. They've gone and you can only wait for the pain to pass. Denis Gifford (editor) British Film Catalogue: Two Volume Set - The Fiction Film, Volume 2, 1895-1994, p. 960, at Google Books There is sadness ….a death …. some mystery…. art revealed…conflicted feelings….powerful memories…..but really….. Book Genre: 20th Century, Art, British Literature, Classics, European Literature, Fiction, Historical, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Literature, Novella, Novels

Title of error

Birkin is not the only outsider. There’s the grumpy vicar, Keach (who resents the disruption caused by the restoration), his very young and beautiful wife, Alice, and finally, Charles Moon. All four are 30 or younger, though Keach in particular seems older.

A Month in the Country – J. L. Carr, A Beautiful Novel A Month in the Country – J. L. Carr, A Beautiful Novel

Tom Birken is summoned to the countryside from the teaming streets of London to practice his craft revealing a Medieval painting that was originally painted 500 years previously, and had been whitewashed over about a hundred years later. It is a picture of doom predating the fantastical, terrifying visions of Bruegel by at least a hundred years.

That this is, nevertheless, a hopeful book, regardless of regrets, is a huge tribute to the author. Upon its release in 1987, the film was generally well received by critics. Rita Kempley, writing in The Washington Post suggested "It's all rather Arthurian, with its chivalric hero on his spiritual quest, the atmosphere suffused, seeming to dance with once and future truths." [16] Janet Maslin, writing in The New York Times praised O'Connor's direction, suggesting it lent the film "a strong sense of yearning, as well as a spiritual quality more apparent in the look of the film than in its dialogue." [17] Desmond Ryan of The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote "Rarely has the impossibility of love been more wrenchingly presented than in the scenes of dashed hope between Firth and Richardson. [18]