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By-road
Hardcover
Published January 1, 1949
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About the author
Adrian Bell
59 books15 followersAdrian Bell is one of the best-known of modern writers dealing with the countryside. His books are noted for their close observations of country life.
The son of a newspaper editor, Bell was born in London and educated at Uppingham School in Rutland. At the age of 19 he ventured into the countryside in Hundon, Suffolk, to learn about agriculture, and he farmed in various locations over the next sixty years, including the rebuilding of a near-derelict 89-acre smallholding at Redisham.
The son of a newspaper editor, Bell was born in London and educated at Uppingham School in Rutland. At the age of 19 he ventured into the countryside in Hundon, Suffolk, to learn about agriculture, and he farmed in various locations over the next sixty years, including the rebuilding of a near-derelict 89-acre smallholding at Redisham.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
August 5, 2023
This book follows on from Bell's farming trilogy. The book opens with Bell selling his farm and renting a cottage while he waits for a farm with lighter soil to become available to buy. Meanwhile, Mr Rayner, a young man with progressive farming ideas moves into the area and buys a small farm. The rest of the book describes how Rayner builds up his farming empire and contrasts his way of living and farming with that of Mr Colville, a farmer of the 'old school'.
Bell is a good writer, but I didn't enjoy this book as much as his trilogy. I think the chief reason is that so much of the book is praising the 'progress' that Rayner is making - he cuts down trees because they 'harbour pests', he sprays his fruit bushes with chemicals to increase yields, he encourages his farm workers to buy cars instead of relying on public transport...all things that Bell obviously saw as 'progress', but which we now view as harmful to the environment compared to the 'inefficient old ways' that Rayner was displacing. While I appreciated Bell's writing style, I also spent much of the book muttering 'Noooooo! Please don't do that!' because, with hindsight, we know how much damage Rayner's new farming methods were causing.
While obviously fictionalised, this book would be of interest to anyone wanting to learn how farming changed between the two world wars.
Bell is a good writer, but I didn't enjoy this book as much as his trilogy. I think the chief reason is that so much of the book is praising the 'progress' that Rayner is making - he cuts down trees because they 'harbour pests', he sprays his fruit bushes with chemicals to increase yields, he encourages his farm workers to buy cars instead of relying on public transport...all things that Bell obviously saw as 'progress', but which we now view as harmful to the environment compared to the 'inefficient old ways' that Rayner was displacing. While I appreciated Bell's writing style, I also spent much of the book muttering 'Noooooo! Please don't do that!' because, with hindsight, we know how much damage Rayner's new farming methods were causing.
While obviously fictionalised, this book would be of interest to anyone wanting to learn how farming changed between the two world wars.
Displaying 1 of 1 review