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Dulcima
Mass Market Paperback
First published October 28, 1971
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53 people want to read
About the author
H.E. Bates
278 books194 followersHerbert Ernest Bates, CBE is widely recognised as one of the finest short story writers of his generation, with more than 20 story collections published in his lifetime. It should not be overlooked, however, that he also wrote some outstanding novels, starting with The Two Sisters through to A Moment in Time, with such works as Love For Lydia, Fair Stood the Wind for France and The Scarlet Sword earning high praise from the critics. His study of the Modern Short Story is considered one of the best ever written on the subject.
He was born in Rushden, Northamptonshire and was educated at Kettering Grammar School. After leaving school, he was briefly a newspaper reporter and a warehouse clerk, but his heart was always in writing and his dream to be able to make a living by his pen.
Many of his stories depict life in the rural Midlands of England, particularly his native Northamptonshire. Bates was partial to taking long midnight walks around the Northamptonshire countryside - and this often provided the inspiration for his stories. Bates was a great lover of the countryside and its people and this is exemplified in two volumes of essays entitled Through the Woods and Down the River.
In 1931, he married Madge Cox, his sweetheart from the next road in his native Rushden. They moved to the village of Little Chart in Kent and bought an old granary and this together with an acre of garden they converted into a home. It was in this phase of his life that he found the inspiration for the Larkins series of novels -The Darling Buds of May, A Breath of French Air, When the Green Woods Laugh, etc. - and the Uncle Silas tales. Not surprisingly, these highly successful novels inspired television series that were immensely popular.
His collection of stories written while serving in the RAF during World War II, best known by the title The Stories of Flying Officer X, but previously published as Something in the Air (a compilation of his two wartime collections under the pseudonym 'Flying Officer X' and titled The Greatest People in the World and How Sleep the Brave), deserve particular attention. By the end of the war he had achieved the rank of Squadron Leader.
Bates was influenced by Chekhov in particular, and his knowledge of the history of the short story is obvious from the famous study he produced on the subject. He also wrote his autobiography in three volumes (each delightfully illustrated) which were subsequently published in a one-volume Autobiography.
Bates was a keen and knowledgeable gardener and wrote numerous books on flowers. The Granary remained their home for the whole of their married life. After the death of H. E Bates, Madge moved to a bungalow, which had originally been a cow byre, next to the Granary. She died in 2004 at age 95. They raised two sons and two daughters.
primarily from Wikipedia, with additions by Keith Farnsworth
He was born in Rushden, Northamptonshire and was educated at Kettering Grammar School. After leaving school, he was briefly a newspaper reporter and a warehouse clerk, but his heart was always in writing and his dream to be able to make a living by his pen.
Many of his stories depict life in the rural Midlands of England, particularly his native Northamptonshire. Bates was partial to taking long midnight walks around the Northamptonshire countryside - and this often provided the inspiration for his stories. Bates was a great lover of the countryside and its people and this is exemplified in two volumes of essays entitled Through the Woods and Down the River.
In 1931, he married Madge Cox, his sweetheart from the next road in his native Rushden. They moved to the village of Little Chart in Kent and bought an old granary and this together with an acre of garden they converted into a home. It was in this phase of his life that he found the inspiration for the Larkins series of novels -The Darling Buds of May, A Breath of French Air, When the Green Woods Laugh, etc. - and the Uncle Silas tales. Not surprisingly, these highly successful novels inspired television series that were immensely popular.
His collection of stories written while serving in the RAF during World War II, best known by the title The Stories of Flying Officer X, but previously published as Something in the Air (a compilation of his two wartime collections under the pseudonym 'Flying Officer X' and titled The Greatest People in the World and How Sleep the Brave), deserve particular attention. By the end of the war he had achieved the rank of Squadron Leader.
Bates was influenced by Chekhov in particular, and his knowledge of the history of the short story is obvious from the famous study he produced on the subject. He also wrote his autobiography in three volumes (each delightfully illustrated) which were subsequently published in a one-volume Autobiography.
Bates was a keen and knowledgeable gardener and wrote numerous books on flowers. The Granary remained their home for the whole of their married life. After the death of H. E Bates, Madge moved to a bungalow, which had originally been a cow byre, next to the Granary. She died in 2004 at age 95. They raised two sons and two daughters.
primarily from Wikipedia, with additions by Keith Farnsworth
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
June 26, 2024
A brief portrait of Dulcima, a rural femme fatale who moves in with an old alcoholic farmer to take care of him. Not only does she begin to steal his money, but also drives him nuts with lust and jealousy, when she falls for a young hunter. The book is mostly about Dulcima's inner life, her aspirations and her materialism.
November 12, 2014
I just love E H Bates.
This short novella really tells how Dulcima wants money.
She is beautiful and determined and also in terrible danger.
This was made into a film in the late 1970's.
Wonderfully written with a moral tale!
This short novella really tells how Dulcima wants money.
She is beautiful and determined and also in terrible danger.
This was made into a film in the late 1970's.
Wonderfully written with a moral tale!
August 11, 2016
This novella was so wonderfully written. Dulcima and Parker in a powerful exploitation game. I found it totally engrossing. Such a clever writer. A little gem!
January 7, 2021
Easy and quick read. There's a film version of this with John Mills that has a better twist ending.
June 12, 2024
Very good novella with no spare text and brisk pacing. Would rate it 3.5 stars. Now onto the film version.
January 6, 2018
Dulcima by H.E.Bates
In this edition 90 pages across well spaced chapters.
Not being that familiar with Bates, other than a reading of ‘The Triple Echo’, which I throughly enjoyed, not only for its story content, but also its country and wartime backdrop, similarly Dulcima takes the reader rurally into a very engaging plot.
Personally I found the work a real page turner, and the reading of the book compelling.
In this edition 90 pages across well spaced chapters.
Not being that familiar with Bates, other than a reading of ‘The Triple Echo’, which I throughly enjoyed, not only for its story content, but also its country and wartime backdrop, similarly Dulcima takes the reader rurally into a very engaging plot.
Personally I found the work a real page turner, and the reading of the book compelling.
September 28, 2016
I really enjoyed this. A brilliant read for a long journey home from holiday. Beautifully written.
October 26, 2018
This is a nice little story that harks back to simpler times. Although the times were simpler, the people in them were anything but simple. Although first published in 1953, there are part of this book that resonate with my childhood in the 1960s. Simple things like a wash-stand instead of a sink with taps. A world in which you went to the shops, rather than they came to you. A world in which security was to be found in a Post Office Savings book.
That seems to be the core of the story - the gradual awakening of Dulcima form being a shy girl who is dominated by her parents, especially her father, to becoming a rather scheming young woman who manipulates the man for whom she keeps house. What starts as a trade of favours for affection becomes a transaction of favours for money. The actual transaction part is not at all sordid, but it does form a key part of the story.
As Dulcima discovers her power over her employer, she also starts to discover her power over her own body. She learns that, with a few cosmetic tricks, she can become more like the woman she wants to be. It is a by-product that this is also a side of her that is more attractive to men. This attraction sets the scene for the tragic ending. HE Bates introduces a third character as a counter-point between the employer and Dulcima. It creates a romantic triangle that doesn't end well. Dulcima uses the triangle to torment the employer, who takes it out n the innocent young man in a fit of jealous rage.
I quite liked the story. There were parts of Dulcima that I both liked and disliked. I generally didn't like Parker, the employer, but I did feel sorry for him when Dulcima abused him. As for Albert, the only name I can remember for the young man, although being wholly innocent in all of this, I somehow struggle to be entirely sympathetic to him. All in all, the characters are well developed and seem to be full characters.
The narrative is written at a good pace. It has a nice rhythm to it and it just flows along. As far as I'm concerned, this is a nice bedtime read. Not great literature, but a very pleasant diversion.
That seems to be the core of the story - the gradual awakening of Dulcima form being a shy girl who is dominated by her parents, especially her father, to becoming a rather scheming young woman who manipulates the man for whom she keeps house. What starts as a trade of favours for affection becomes a transaction of favours for money. The actual transaction part is not at all sordid, but it does form a key part of the story.
As Dulcima discovers her power over her employer, she also starts to discover her power over her own body. She learns that, with a few cosmetic tricks, she can become more like the woman she wants to be. It is a by-product that this is also a side of her that is more attractive to men. This attraction sets the scene for the tragic ending. HE Bates introduces a third character as a counter-point between the employer and Dulcima. It creates a romantic triangle that doesn't end well. Dulcima uses the triangle to torment the employer, who takes it out n the innocent young man in a fit of jealous rage.
I quite liked the story. There were parts of Dulcima that I both liked and disliked. I generally didn't like Parker, the employer, but I did feel sorry for him when Dulcima abused him. As for Albert, the only name I can remember for the young man, although being wholly innocent in all of this, I somehow struggle to be entirely sympathetic to him. All in all, the characters are well developed and seem to be full characters.
The narrative is written at a good pace. It has a nice rhythm to it and it just flows along. As far as I'm concerned, this is a nice bedtime read. Not great literature, but a very pleasant diversion.
February 14, 2018
Superb novella. Re read after more than 40 years, and my opinion that H E Bates captures the dialogue and language of the working folk of the countryside better than anyone else I have ever read, remains unchanged. If you associate Bates only with the Larkin family nonsense he became famous for (and which, ludicrously, appear to be the only books of his still in print), do yourself a favour and spend 2 or 3 hours reading this book!
March 18, 2021
The story revolves around a love triangle: Parker a farmer, Dulcima, his young housekeeper and Ashby, the handsome neighbour who is the local gamekeeper. The relationship between Dulcima and Parker is a sexual and powerful game of exploitation, threatened by her relationship with Ashby, leading almost inevitable to the tragic conclusion.
This novella was so wonderfully written. I found it totally engrossing. The film in 1971 with John Mills and Carol White is worth a look too.
This novella was so wonderfully written. I found it totally engrossing. The film in 1971 with John Mills and Carol White is worth a look too.
November 22, 2020
This was a gem of a book---a small and perfect novella that reminded me of "On Chesil Beach" and "Mothering Sunday"--- other novella gems. One of this authors best.
8.5/10
8.5/10
August 24, 2025
Perfectly-formed short novella.
September 14, 2015
H.E. Bates' 22K-word novella, Dulcima, was first published in 1953, and is akin to a mid-century Tess of the D'Urbevilles with rather less moral certainty. It was filmed in 1971 with Carol White and John Mills, and both versions are well worth your time.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews