Another Year

by R.C. Sherriff

Roger Matthews is the Vicar of picturesque village, Little Stanton. He happily tends to his friendly flock and is almost ready to retire but his spirit is restless . . . Roger is pulled towards the slums of London, determined to help the poor and depraved, and arrives in fog-drenched Woodbank. But the people are as unfriendly as the weather, greeting him with slammed doors and suspicious eyes. After months of being ignored, a chance drunken encounter and an abandoned Boat House finally offer hope.

298 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1948

About the author

Robert Cedric Sherriff was an English writer best known for his play Journey's End which was based on his experiences as a Captain in World War I. He wrote several plays, novels, and screenplays, and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay) and two British Academy of Film and Television Arts.

Reviews

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this quite a bit although I did have to suspend my disbelief slightly more than I would typically like.

Sherriff is a better, more nuanced writer than this (like in A Fortnight in September), but if you are after mid-century British with a vicar that reads more like D.E. Stevenson, then this might your cup of tea.

[Martine Geerardyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kan niet tippen aan The fortnight in September of Greengates. Benieuwd naar zijn andere boeken.

[Ian B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Going into this, I was aware that at some point the main character(s) would be transplanted to Hollywood, and part of the appeal was in imagining the means by which the author might make this happen. How does an idealistic middle-aged vicar, who has exchanged a comfortable country parish for a rundown part of London so he can better the lives of the underprivileged, get to California? Others have objected to the unreality of the plotting here, which I understand, but there is also an eccentric consistency to it. Being discovered by Hollywood for potential stardom; what is that but a sort of secular miracle?

This is the fourth of R.C. Sherriff’s novels I’ve read – after The Fortnight in September, The Hopkins Manuscript and Greengates – and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed them all. Write about what you know is common advice, and since Sherriff spent from 1932 to 1944 working on scripts in Hollywood, his account of life there, and of travelling on ocean liners and cross-continental trains is lively and authoritative. In following the advice, he yields also to wish-fulfilment, fantasy, subconscious wishes – whatever you want to call it – and gets into a bit of a pickle, leaving a number of narrative elements unresolved at the end. I didn’t particularly mind: it adds psychological interest to the personality behind the writing.

Sherriff can be rather funny in a dry way, as with our hero Roger Matthews’ conversation with Mr Benfleet, talent scout for Paragon Pictures, about the company’s proposed film version of the Children’s Crusade:

‘Hundreds died on the way, hundreds got kidnapped and taken by pirates and sold into slavery. Just ten of ’em got through to the Holy City, Mr Matthews… ten out of all those thousands… ten heroic kids…’
‘I didn’t know that any actually got there,’ said Mr Matthews.
‘Ten do in our picture,’ retorted Mr Benfleet rather sharply.

[Colin Kitchen · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can always rely on RC Sherriff to tackle life’s dilemmas in a very satisfactory way. Here we have an experienced vicar trying to do some good in a deprived community only to come up against the local church hierarchy. Sherriff uses his life experiences to add to the story, rowing, travelling to Hollywood in the 1930’s and getting involved in the film industry all things that he has done in real life . He is such a good storyteller even when bordering on the incredible. He also deals with the problems of his daughter becoming a childhood film star and the social problem of alcohol and manipulation of young people. His fight with the church the local church hierarchy is particularly real and poignant. If you haven’t read his books try him they are such gentle yet thought provoking books

[hugh d watts · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too much power in church councils

Rather sudden and unexpected end. Feel the author ran out of steam. Rather unhappy view of the power of the laity in the Church of England

[Hannah Reeve · Rating 4 out of 5]

The final third really picked up pace and I was completely caught off guard for the random and bizarre plot twist

[Gareth Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

An odd book. I have previously greatly enjoyed 'The Hopkins Manuscript' and absolutely loved 'The Fortnight in September' so was well prepared to sympathise with Sherriff as an author. The book is odd beacuse it is unclear when it is set. Published in 1948 it makes no mention of the war or any contemporary events other than the names of film stars and the use of the Queen Mary. It is also odd as it shifts gear half way through and has a somewhat unusual ending. Perhaps only one for fans of mid 20th century British fiction. Fortunately I am and I thoroughly enjoyed this book.