Forever England

by David Luddington

..".And there will be a corner of some foreign field that will be forever England." Only these days it's more likely to be a half finished villa overlooking a championship golf course somewhere on one of The Costas. Following an unfortunate encounter with Spanish gin measures and an enthusiastic estate agent, retired special effects engineer Terry England is the proud owner of a nearly completed villa in a new urbanisation in Southern Spain. Not quite how he'd intended to spend his enforced early retirement Terry nevertheless tries to make the best of his new life. If only the local council can work out which house he's actually bought and the leaf blowers would please stop. Terry finds himself being sucked in to the English Expat community with their endless garden parties and quests for real bacon and Tetley's Tea Bags. Of course, if it all gets too much he can always relax in the local English Bar with a nice pint of Guinness, a roast beef lunch and the Mail on Sunday. With a growing feeling that he might have moved to the 'Wrong Spain', Terry sets out to explore and finds himself tangled in the affairs of a small rustic village in the Alpujarras. It is here where he finds a different Spain. A Spain of loves and passions, a Spain of new hopes and a simpler way of life. A place where a moped is an acceptable means of family transport and a place where if you let your guard down for just a moment this land will never let you go again. Forever England is the tale of one man trying to redefine who he is and how he wants to live. It is a story of hope and humour with an array of eccentric characters and comic situations for which David Luddington is so well known and loved.

Genres: British Literature

260 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 22, 2014

Reviews

[Tony · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr luddington’s books just get better and better. This one is a real treasure, and somewhat along the lines of Leslie Thomas. The same sensitive character development, the sane gentle humour, no nasty surprises lurking around corners.

Mr luddington knows how to rescue starfish.

[Réal Laplaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Forever England, by David Luddington, is a humorous look at an Englishman who is relocating to Spain and starting a new chapter in his life. It's a wonderful look, from the inside, at all the "norms" of a Spanish and small-town culture, which he must adapt to and endure, the quirky business relations, the social circles, and even the quirkier expats from his homeland who have found a new life there. It's well-written, filled with humor, satire and simply the fun side, a look at how it can really be when one leaves the security, maybe even the mediocrity of a secure life and moves to a cultural setting where just about everything except for the internet, is different. The story starts out slow, as the main character steps into his new domain with the hesitant hopes of finding balance in what seems to a mid-life crisis, but as the book progresses, the Spanish lifestyle and ambience of his new surroundings start to change him. He begins to see life in a different, simpler way, and he meets new people, and as the story moves along, so does the excitement, the build-up and insouciance which grows in him - a sort of flippant "let's just live life" - which is rather contagious. It's a fun-filled adventure that will put a smile on your face.

[Phil Altimas · Rating 5 out of 5]

when retired special effects guy moves to Spain he encounters quite a few adventures and some weird folks. from gangsters to swingers . a great yarn and very funny

[John Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gentle and humorous story.

I really enjoyed this tale of expats living in Spain. I certainly engaged with the main character and envied him his lifestyle. Who wouldn't want to live a life like that, especially in retirement. A gloriously researched and well written book. Highly recommended.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very enjoyable story about a husband and wife who retire from England to Spain, only to find themselves in a community of Brits whose sole purpose in life (aside from cocktail parties) is hunting down the local Marks & Spencer for their favorite British foods and conveniences. This suits the wife just fine, but does not sit well with the husband, who feels something is definitely missing... where is all the wonderful Spanish cheese, local fiestas, etc. I would not call this a comedy, but the protagonist is definitely a humorous guy, and we, the reader, identify with him fully. This is a delightful and easy read.

[Tony Duxbury · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this! Terry England and his wife become ex-pats in Spain after a not very well thought out decision. Terry quickly becomes disillutioned. They are surrounded by other Brit ex-pats that are desperately trying to cling to a way of life that they supposedly left behind. They ignore the fact that they have moved to a country with a different language, customs and way of life. As his marriage crumbles, Terry moves away from the ex-pat colony and starts to taste the freedom that a new beginning should bring. Lot's of wry comments and flashes of humour, Mr Luddington has the transplanted Brits down to a T. Lovely read. Recommended reading for everybody.

[Colin Waldron · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one. The main character retires with his wife and mother in law to SpainThey set up home in a gated community full of ex pats. I enjoyed reading about them really getting in with the locals by eating a British food and calling the Spanish food nasty. Just one example of them not integrating.
Anyway the main man accidently buys a house which triggers the breakdown of his marriage and ultimately happiness for him.
I got a bit confused as to how quickly all this took place it seemed that his marriage collapsed after a week. I may have missed something though.
Other than that it wS a good yarn with a fair few laughs

[PIETER · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read many David Luddington books and have always enjoyed the zany characters, crazy plots and situations, fast-paced hilarity. None of that is true of this one. The first eight chapters were tedious, boring even, before Luddington began to find his usual form. It was all back as it should be by the conclusion. But this was no Schrodinger's Cottage or King of Scanlon's Rock. Probably worth reading but not Luddington's finest.

[Jacky Mercury · Rating 4 out of 5]

This the ex pat life as it should be

A lovely tale of Terry, who retired to Spain with wife and mother in law in tow, but ends up with an altogether different life in the anarchic Spanish countryside

[C I KESZEI · Rating 5 out of 5]

His best book to date

Encompasses just about everything you could want in a volume of escapism. Brits abroad, corporate greed, hippies, you name it, its here.
I am now about to embark on reading every last one of the author's works and I suggest you do too.

[ukkindlecustomer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mañana

Humerous journey of self discovery as remedy for mid life crisis with frequent laugh out loud moments. Gentle humour for the sympathetic characters, biting satire for the Costa brits.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great read.

[paul leahy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book, having lived in Spain for a number of years as an expat I can relate to all of the situations, amusing, sad, poignant, a very gentle pleasing read.

[Terry · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reality check

Some nice bits of writing, and a nice pace, but I thought, "Whose reality is this anyway " was more believable.

[Andy Colman]

I'm not even sure how this book ended up on my Kindle but as it was there I thought I would read it.
Not surprisingly then I had no expectations or preconceptions of this book. It turned out to be a very enjoyable yarn which I would highly recommend as a bit of light reading. To say anything about the actual plot would spoil it for you. Just take a look. I think you'll like it.

[Francisca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read with my ears for AudioFile Magazine review (which will appear this summer). Loved both the storytelling and the reader, who matches it quirk for quirk and keeps a copy of characters well-voiced and engaging. Quirkalicious!

[SAMANTHA ANNE TOAL · Rating 3 out of 5]

It has a stag in it

It was a quick easy book to reads with a nice story but seemed little unfinished; loved that the author had chosen that the lead character drove a 1970s Triumph Stag

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun book and topical after the EU referendum vote. This is about ex-pat communities in Spain, a guys quest to find himself. Very witty would be good beach reading .