Notwithstanding: Stories From an English Village

by Louis de Bernières

A funny and heartbreaking new book from one of Britain's favourite and bestselling writers.

Welcome to the village of Notwithstanding where a lady dresses in plus fours and shoots squirrels, a retired general gives up wearing clothes altogether, a spiritualist lives in a cottage with the ghost of her husband, and people think it quite natural to confide in a spider that lives in a potting shed. Based on de Bernières' recollections of the village he grew up in, Notwithstanding is a funny and moving depiction of a charming vanished England.


From the Hardcover edition.

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories, British Literature, Contemporary, Humor, Book Club, Literary Fiction

372 pages, Paperback

First published December 14, 2009

About the author

Louis de Bernières is an English novelist. He is known for his 1994 historical war novel Captain Corelli's Mandolin. In 1993 de Bernières was selected as one of the "20 Best of Young British Novelists", part of a promotion in Granta magazine. Captain Corelli's Mandolin was published in the following year, winning the Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best Book. It was also shortlisted for the 1994 Sunday Express Book of the Year. It has been translated into over 11 languages and is an international best-seller.

On 16 July 2008, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in the Arts by the De Montfort University in Leicester, which he had attended when it was Leicester Polytechnic.
Politically, he identifies himself as Eurosceptic and has voiced his support for the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union.

Reviews

[Petra X · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet little book about a sweet little boy growing up in a sweet little olde English village full of ye olde English eccentrics both of the 'arrr I be's a peasant' to retired old colonel types. Life goes on with scarcely any changes for the modern era or even death.

'Sweet' here is like 'nice'. Good but not that good, just a bit better than middling. Worth reading if you haven't got anything better to do and one or two stories are outstanding but nowhere does it approach the genius of Captain Corelli's Mandolin.

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely delightful. Recollection of his life in the village he grew up, more a collection of vignettes than linked stories, each a glimpse of the wonderful characters that live within. A young boy, Robert who befriend an injured loon, nun who are such had drivers the villagers know to stay put of their way, a pit man, a mole man, an older gent losing his marbles who often forgets to put on his pants. Amusing, sad, humorous and all wonderful. An amazing amount of dogs, cats who specialize, you will have to read this to understand what I mean, some not so friendly things happen to rabbits, but well life anywhere is not always kind.

Characters are mentioned constantly in other characters vignettes, some get a look at the people from many angles. Loved this one, it is wonderfully written, the prose outstanding, a few surprises, people are all so different and the author did a great job of showing us this. I found myself wondering how my neighbors would feel if I wrote about my glimpses of their lives in my small town. Believe you me we have several people here who would provide some raised eyebrows to say the least. Anyway read this one for a small glimpse into an English village of the past.

ARC from publisher.













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[Fabian · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of maestro de Bernieres' later efforts, Notwithstanding contains mere sprinkles of his added element, that is magical realism a-la Britannica, and not the dollops that we are used to, such as in his lauded Latin American trilogy or his most famous novel, "Corelli's Mandolin."

It is tough, though, not to feel a smidgen of disappointment because of this. This is like flat out perusing though sketches by Picasso at some dank gallery in Ft. Lauderdale, NOT like watching his masterworks stab you straight in the heart. This is a smaller, more digestive morsel--alas, NOT the banquet that we're all very much ever so used to...

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Romantic reminiscences of growing up in a typical idyllic English village, complete with eccentric characters. What a shame all this has long vanished!

[Chrissie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't love short stories so I was hesitant to try this, but here we are presented with interconnected short stories about inhabitants of a small English village, so I figured it was worth a try! While the stories are interconnected in that the same characters reappear in the different tales, the book cannot be viewed as anything but a collection of diverse anecdotes; it lacks the cohesiveness of a novel.

This book is a commentary on life in a small British village grounded on the author’s remembrance of his own youth in Surrey. It is fiction, but is based on fond and some not so fond memories. The author stresses in the afterword that he had no desire to romanticize the past.

I mistakenly thought the tales would be humorous. Humor is difficult to define and varies from one reader to another, but I would in no way characterize this as humorous. There are gruesome stories, for example of putrid bodies exploding. Note that bodies is plural - a sick rabbit and a dead soldier. These tales are revolting, horribly vivid and difficult to stomach. The stories have pithy messages, often satirical in tone. Other stories bored me to death and went on and on forever. Part of the time I was sitting in a car listening to this; when my husband and I had arrived at our destination we both agreed we had heard nothing of value for the last hour and a half! A total waste of time.

The stories emphasize British love of eccentricity. I value individualism and variety, but you can carry anything too far. What is said about eccentricity becomes meaningless.

In the afterword it is stated that the author was thinking along the lines of Tim Pears's In The Place of Fallen Leaves, which he praised.

The audiobook is narrated by Mike Grady. He uses a good intonation to capture the Surrey dialect. The narration is fine.

I have loved some of this author's books, so I keep testing to see if I will be pleased again. Nope, I am done with this author. He wrote well in the beginning of his career and I do highly recommend Birds Without Wings (5 stars), but his latest works have sorely disappointed me. I can also recommend his earlier works Red Dog and Captain Corelli's Mandolin, both of which I gave four stars. Skip the others.

[James Tingle · Rating 3 out of 5]

(More a 3.5 out of 5)
This is the first Louis de Bernieres book that I've read, and it was pretty good overall. I think he mainly writes Latin American style novels, possibly a bit magical-realism in style, from what I've heard, and so this will be a bit of a departure for him, I gather. He states in the Afterword at the end of the book, that he grew up in a small English village, and to some extent thinks it was the end of an era regarding quaint, rural village communal life. This novel uses his personal experiences from childhood, and paints a picture of the fictional village of Notwithstanding, somewhere in Surrey, South of England. Its basically a collection of stories, but all set in the village, and with recurring characters, and so someone mentioned in one tale, may pop up for a brief cameo in another...
The book is written in quite a simple and straightforward style, and so makes for easy reading, and the stories range mainly from short to medium, with a few quite long in length here and there. You do get a good feel for the village and the quirky characters, and it does have a very light, breezy sort of tone to it most of the time...
Its not always light, though, as he does have a penchant for making sure the reader is aware that animal death is rife in the countryside, and so its not all uplifting, although I'd say it is for the most part. Some stories are little literary wisps in the breeze, so not much to them, and are fairly forgettable, although still quite cosy. Others have a bit more heft, and you get to know a character a bit better, and there's a bit more of a meaty plot, and these longer, more involved ones are generally the best, I'd say...
It's no Cider with Rosie, with that rich nostalgia wafting up off the page and brimming with lush poetic description, but it is still an enjoyable read, and all the stories have something of interest to them, whether they be slightly mournful tales, or light, quirky-perky ones...not bad at all, really!

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Notwithstanding is like a book of favourite poems to be read again and again. There is so much to this little book, so much heart and insight that you will be thinking of its characters and its truths long after you have put it down.

Beautifully written, it's the life of a country village with all its quirks and eccentrics from "the last peasant", Archie the obsessive black retriever, to the lady who wears plus-fours and shoots squirrels with a 12-bore and to those who talk to George the spider. If it wasn't for the Nuns and naked general, it sounds so familiar I could be living there.

I've read most of Louis de Bernieres' and his insight into the human spirit, the depths of emotion and his wonderful sense of humour and beautiful prose (especially in Birds without Wings) make his books truly memorable and a must for every book shelf - this one in particular.

[Nats · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very beautiful read, where the stories weave together like an old family quilt.

LdeB is one of my favourite writers and I think he could write the weather forecast and make it beautiful.

[Mary Lins · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The England that the English used to love, when England was still loved by the English."​

"Notwithstanding", a collection of interconnected short stories, by Louis de Bernieres, is an utter delight! Almost every story could begin with "Once upon a time..." This is the kind of book you want to read between "tomes", much like the stories of Alexander McCall Smith. Immerse yourself in Notwithstanding village and "The England that the English used to love, when England was still loved by the English."​ with immense enjoyment! Think of paintings by ​Helen Allingham (the British Thomas Kinkade minus all the Disney Dust.)

Notwithstanding is an English country village populated by a vast array of quirky characters. You will come to love these denizens, and miss them when you've reached the last page.(I kept picturing it as a TV series that I would adore.)

There is a character known only as "Archie-master"; his dog, Archie is a black retriever who obsessively retrieves golf balls, and sometimes a bride. Archie-master and his mother communicate via walkie-talkies. Their stories are both hilarious and touching. In the story "The Grit Pike" we have eleven-year-old Robert, gallantly attempting to catch a fabled pike for beautiful Mrs. Rendall. Mrs. Mac lives with her sister and the ghost of he husband, and there is a rather mysterious ditch cleaner who is always finding something in the muck. The "naked" General will break your heart, and there are many stories with "twists" - like the one about serving a fish dinner that might have been "off", and a tale of a housemaid impregnated by the master's son that doesn't follow the usual plot of such things.

"Notwithstanding" spans centuries​ and​ De Bernieres often tells us the future fate of some of the characters, or lets the reader in on a sad secret they have. This serves to endear them to us, and also to view them as real people with real problems​ that we can identify with,​ and not simply "fairy tale" characters. But also, as in real life, some of the happy endings don't stay that way. Have a hanky handy.

[Aneta · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel like I have just come back from a short holiday in Notwithstanding. I simply loved this book and I do feel quite refreshed upon finishing it. In the afterword of the book, I have found what I already know will be one of my favourite quotes, and one of those the best describing British (in my foreign view anyway). The best thing about it is that it is the Briton's comment about the Brits (despite his very misleading French surname):
"Britain really is an immense lunatic asylum. We have a very flexible conception of normality. We are rigid and formal in some ways, but we believe in the right to eccentricity, as long as the eccentricities are large enough. We are not so tolerant of small ones. Woe betide you if you hold your knife incorrectly, but good luck to you if you wear a loin-cloth and live up the trees."
This is the sort of Britain I came looking for eleven years ago, almost out of anthropological interest. I have observed plenty of evidence supporting his description and feel reassured by de Bernieres that there is more of it somewhere there, buried in the English countryside.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

After being supremely disappointed by A Partisan's Daughter, I was very pleasantly surprised by de Bernières' latest offering. Perhaps because many of the short stories in this collection were written years ago and published elsewhere, they felt as if they fit in the same vein as the South American trilogy and Captain Corelli's Mandolin. This is a good thing. In Notwithstanding, de Bernières has seemingly recaptured his form and the reader is treated to an intoxicating blend of the mystical and the banal that were so much the central part of his earlier--and best--works. Fictional nostalgia has rarely provided a more enjoyable read as characters weave in and out of each other's stories, creating a rich tapestry in which I found myself regularly flipping back to an earlier story in order to answer the question: "Now, who was that, again?" The stories stand alone but together, in the complete context, they hearken back to what convinced many that de Bernières is a truly gifted storyteller.

[Richard Newton · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first I thought this was rather a light weight book, but it is the cumulative effect of all of the episodes that create its effect. The quality of the stories is not consistent, but they are all enjoyable. The book reaches its peak with several stories in the middle such as "footprint in the snow", "the happy death of the general" and at the end with "the broken heart" and "the death of miss Agatha Feakes". I thought "Rabbit" especially good. There are a couple stories of a lower standard, but they are pleasant enough and do not detract from the book as a whole.

I don't think this will suit everyone, and some may find it a little romantic and perhaps stereotyped - but I think it does capture a sort of life in the village that has now gone, often replaced by commuters pushing out traditional life and trying to make villages like little towns. I would not claim this is a profound book, but it is a very easy and enjoyable read and there is a wondefully light melancholy which builds across the whole book.

[Rebecca Alcazaze · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

This novel of fragments has afforded me a rare opportunity to agree with ‘The Daily Mail’, whose endorsement on the front cover states the single word, ‘Delightful’.

It truly was a delightful read.

[jaroiva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Je to takové milé, příjemné čtení. O příhodách lidiček ze vsi. Trochu nostalgické, trochu vtipné, nic přehnaného. Takové povídání mimo shon dnešního světa.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will begin with stating that I have never read anything by de Bernières, I am American, and I am just thirty years old. So the appeal of Notwithstanding in terms of its nostalgia and mirror to a part of England's past in its more provincial areas completely eludes me. I happened to come across this title, and it generally is not something to my taste or interest, so I didn't expect it to do much for me.

That said, I was pleasantly surprised by the detailed, woven stories of the inhabitants of Notwithstanding, the fictional English village that our author brings to life in a full way. None of he characters we meet are cardboard cutouts, all have fully realized lives, idiosyncrasies, and eccentricities. I was taken by the number of very serious, sharply observed ideas about people and human nature and past versus present, and the fairly seamless way these ideas are peppered amidst a very cute, quaint overall package, for example in observing how modern visitors or transplants to Notwithstanding view the last, long tenured peasant of the town:

" Jack is considered a 'character', with his teeth like tombstones, his stubble like a filecard, his lips like kippers, his rolling Surrey accent and his eyes as wide as plates, but newcomers avoid him if they can. They moved here in search of picture-postcard England, and are uncomfortable with a real countryman who knows how to wring the necks of a chicken and has no compunction about drowning kittens in a bucket. Jack is an anachronism, but he does not know it..."

There's humor and warmth in the writing too, even if what remains strongest is the sense of nostalgia and the larger theme of death and the passage of time: most of the stories revolve around it, which makes sense as part of a larger lament to the death of a bygone time, place, and feeling united in England. Indeed, de Bernières seems to position the whole collection so that the reader feels they have the same overall view of the work as in this quote about a character's view of the land around him: "The England that Peter saw, and Allingham before him, was the England that the English used to love, when England was still loved by the English."

Overall, I found the writing of good overall quality, and de Bernières style and observation made for a pleasant experience. It only falls to three stars for me because it can be a bit too precious and so is best read in small doses rather than one long sitting, and though many books set in Britain I have no trouble connecting with, it's overwhelming English-ness of a particular time/place ilk occasionally left me out as a modern, non English, understanding contextual clues but perhaps missing some larger emotion and certainly missing the nostalgia de Bernières is hoping to convey.

[Veronica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't buy this book for myself -- it was a present. And I bristled when I glanced at a few GR reviews which said, "If you liked The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, you'll like this." Ugh. I'd also tried and failed to read Captain Corelli's Mandolin some years ago.

Verdict: don't read this book at one sitting, or you'll feel sick from an overdose of cute. But for dipping into, reading one or two stories at a time, I enjoyed it. It may seem overly fey, but actually if you've lived in an English village for any length of time, you'll recognise at least some of the characters and situations here, somewhat exaggerated.

It's saved from tweeness by the fact that Louis de Bernieres is a far better writer than Mary Ann Shaffer, and he successfully mingles humour and pathos with understated artistry, often within a few sentences. By no means everything is sweetness and light here. In All My Everlasting Love, while we smile at his inept attempt at meeting the girl he fancies, the teenaged Peter muses:

[His disaappointment] was like a window through which he perceived for the first time the unsatisfactoriness, the faultiness, the mess and futility of the world. He saw that life would not after all be as he had dreamed. Everything falls away, everything escapes.

And although the spider was a bit much, I really liked the story about the gardener, which was clearly based on personal experience.

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘Notwithstanding’ is the name of a mythical English village, the name picked because the village life is notwithstanding. A set of interconnected stories show us the lives of the various village eccentrics as their way of life dies off. Some have the feel of fairy tale or fable; others are vignettes. Several characters show up multiple times; the most common is the boy Robert, who rescues and rehabilitates injured and orphaned birds, including a talking rook named Lizzie, and catches a legendary pike. Among the other villagers are the widow who goes everywhere with her husband’s ghost, the aging general whose mind is slipping and now goes to town with no pants on, a woman who realizes she’d best try and get on with folks, a Sixth Sense style ghost story, a maid who is seduced by her employer’s son, a ghost who summons the Rector, and more. The thread that binds them together is the erosion of village life by new people; people who complain about roosters crowing in the country, about ponds that aren’t fenced off, and the like. It’s nostalgia (de Bernieres grew up in just such a village and is most likely Robert) and it’s sweet in places, sad in many places, and funny in others. I don’t tend to go for ‘sweet’ or ‘cozy’ books but this one hit me just right.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I originally picked up this book because de Bernieres' quote in Captain Corelli's Mandolin about love and the difference between love and being in love was (and, if I'm being honest, remains) one of my favorites. Then I saw The Guardian's review on the cover - "Reading this collection is rather like being wrapped in a tartan blanket and handed a nice mug of cocoa" - and I was sold.

Probably unsurprisingly, I highly recommend snuggling up with these stories about the villagers of Notwithstanding. While there are some overlaps, this definitely has more of a collection of short stories feel (as opposed to a singular story where each chapter is told from a different character's perspective). While their styles are very different, in a small way de Bernieres reminds me of Colum McCann: they both see the dignity and the beauty in the ordinary and everyday and write in a way that raises the seemingly commonplace into something that is inherently important, integral, and absolutely lovely.

[Beth Bonini · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best bit of this book was the Afterword: “There was a long period during which I persuaded myself into believing that my childhood was a rural idyll.” Inspired by the Surrey village in which he grew up, de Bernieres has created a work of nostalgia - not just about an England that has vanished, but also about an England that continues to exist but is somehow overlooked or disregarded. The book is a series of interconnected short stories, with some recurring characters. The tone of the stories varies quite a bit, but most of them contain elements of both humour and tragedy (mostly of the commonplace kind). I liked it well enough, but it didn’t have the charm for me of the Miss Read stories - which cover similar territory.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always a sucker for anything from Louis de Bernieres. This is such a charming collection. Sort of an English Lake Wobegone, filled with humour and pathos. Love the characters and I especially enjoy the little references buried in one story, referring to another. Another favorite is the recurring "sight" gag of the ditchman, forever scrutinizing his latest find. This is a gem and just what I needed in these turbulent times.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book. I have not been so excited about a book and wished to recommend it to so many people since the Potato Peel Society. Please read it, even if you are not a de Bernieres fan. Tear jerking, laugh out loud funny, cringeworthy - wonderful.

[Melori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nečekaně báječné!

[Linden · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Linked stories of an English village set mostly in the 1960's, with quite a nostalgic tone. Characters appear and reappear, not always chronologically. Quite touching and worth rereading.

[The Book Maven · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Britain really is an immense lunatic asylum."

So writes the author in the afterword of this collection of eccentric stories about eccentric people living in an eccentric village. The author is right, of course, but I feel like the same could be said of any town (or, writ large, any large metropolitan area), at least in the Western Hemisphere, where our relative wealth and freedoms allow us the the ability to express our eccentricities. The inescapable fact is, we are all of us eccentric, with our delightful/charming/annoying/potentially odoriferous quirks. I challenge each of you to have a seat wherever you like to do your writing, and start jotting down some of the people you may know in your life, in your workplace, in your town, who would be splendid characters with splendid backstories in a book.

In this particular book, the characters and their stories take place throughout the 20th century; the author bounces back in forth in time to tell the tales of the various peasants, lords of the manors, rectors, farmers, hedging and ditching men, pensioners, spinsters, mediums, romance novelists, widows and widowers, and intrepid boys who populate the village and the pages. What emerges is not a heap of random stories, but rather a collection of inteconnected vignettes that, once woven together, tell the story of the village of Notwithstanding, a village that seems to be both an echo of the distant, rural past of England and an astute reflection of the island of today. If you are one of those that enjoyed Circle of Friends or Tara Road by Maeve Binchy, the Harmony series by Phillip Gulley, or--heck, even Bill Bryson's stuff, chances are you will dig this work, too.

[in_essence · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read Louis de Bernières' works out of respect for Captain Corelli's Mandolin, though none other book has ever been quite so exquisite.

This is no exception. Sentimental at times to a fault, this idyllic collection of stories is a nice read but not much more though in places the writing is very beautiful. I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of animal interactions frequent throughout. Perhaps the nature of the little stories inhibited my opportunity to connect with his characters but too often death was used as an emotional manipulator. This morbidity was present within many of the stories and served well as a unifying thread, illustrating the inexorable demise of the English village and it's way of life.

I felt at times that the hand of the artist was too clearly visible, as in the story where three characters talk to an absent spider, relating their woes. It's a nice idea, but clumsily done. I don't think that each character, built as they were, would have confided in George as they did. Their speech patterns were too similar, they were too forthcoming etc.

In general, I liked reading this book very much. The revelations about character relationships was pleasing, though at times a little heavy-handed. The picture of the countryside was very well done and I feel as though I can see the village clearly.

I wouldn't read this book again but I would have enjoyed it when I was less jaded and I would recommend it to my mother.

[Alumine Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of my favourite authors and so I'm not surprised to have loved this, his latest novel. A Frenchman once pointed out to de Bernieres that Britain was the most exotic country in Europe and this sent him off on a journey of recollection. He grew up in what people call an idyllic country village which is in fact a community of eccentric people and landscape. He says in the afterword " On reflection I realised that I had set so many of my novels and stories abroad, because custom had prevented me from seeing how exotic my own country is. Britain really is an immense lunatic asylum. We have a very flexible conception of normality. We are rigid and formal in some ways, but we believe in the right to eccentricity, as long as the eccentricities are large enough. We are not so tolerant of small one. Woe betide you if you hold your knife incorrectly, but good luck to you if you wear a loincloth and live up a tree".

In this novel each chapter is a story about someone in the village. Other characters from other chapters play a part as does the landscape and the village so as we read we get a feel for this place. Some of the stories are set in the past and some are of families in different eras. well structured and a pleasure to read.
This is an author who observes people, can spin tale and writes beautifully with a vast vocabulary. Well worth reading all his other work.

[S.P. Moss · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a confession to make: I spent my childhood in the late 60s and early 70s about half-an-hour's drive away from the fictitious village of Notwithstanding's real-life inspiration (Wormley, south of Guildford and the Hog's Back.) So I was pre-disposed to enjoy these tales of a lost world of rhododendrons, shillings and English eccentrics.

'Notwithstanding' is a collection of inter-linked stories about the inhabitants of an English village: human, furred and feathered. Set mainly in the mid 20th century, the period details are perfect, with mention of motor cars such as the Austin Cambridge, the Morris Minor and the Hillman Imp (my mum had one of those - a green one!). The tone is whimsical and affectionate, with moments of quite dark humour.

While some stories inevitably work a little better than others, the whole is delightful, with some quite beautiful descriptive snippets and genuinely moving moments, particularly in the latter stories. 'Notwithstanding' is a homage to the village the author grew up in, and to the idiosyncrasies of the English character, as he says in the fascinating postscript: "We are rigid and formal in some ways, but we believe in the right to eccentricity, as long as the eccentricities are large enough... Woe betide you if you hold your knife incorrectly, but good luck to you if you wear a loincloth and live up a tree."

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love stories about England's villages. Stories by Miss Read, E.F. Benson, and now Louis de Berniere's
novel about the village of Notwithstanding. Wonderful quirky and enjoyable characters in sometimes hysterical situations, and some sad and touching ones. I love Bugger one and Bugger two . Bugger one is a story about a bird, a Rook with violet eyes, that was adopted by a family. Bugger two is a tale about a man who wanted a putting green in his backyard and had a problem with moles. Then there are the crazies. The General who forgets to completely dress himself, and goes to town only to be picked up by the police. Then there's the woman who hates squirrels and goes around shooting them with her double barreled shotgun. The two gardeners, and a lovely girl who works at a stable, who take time out to talk to George, a large spider living in a shed on the property. Takes all kinds but in this village there's a lot of love and care going on.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of short stories, essays really, about a village in Surrey where the author grew up. One might well say, oh yes, very nice, but more of the same. In a way they are; it's an English village, after all. What sets it aside, though, is the author's gift for describing both the most commonplace and the most eccentric characters imaginable, with the utmost charm. While each story tells about a particular incident, people and past events weave through them all in a manner that is particularly satisfying. It really feels as though one has lived right there, forever. One marvellous character is the hedging and ditching man whom one frequently comes across, about his work, and holding, 'in the manner of Hamlet contemplating Yorick's skull,' various wonderful items: a chamber pot, a blue and white enamelled saucepan, a catankerous tortoise, a fox's skull and so on - all by-products of his job keeping the ditches clear. But that is mild. The stories make great reading.

[G · Rating 4 out of 5]

"...one can live in a village for so many years, and yet know others so slenderly."

Wow. At his best de Bernieres can write as well as anyone I've read.

This collection rivals Rushdie and Marquez for sheer imagination and inventiveness. It seems to me that his most recent novel, The Dust that Falls from Dreams had it's foundation here, perhaps most recognizably in the final story.

I suppose some people would say this book is idyllic and designed to tug on nostalgic heart-strings. The characters and situations in the stories never devolved into mere sentimentality. There is darkness and pain here and the stories are alive and true because of that.

Thank you for these stories, Mr. de Bernieres. I didn't want it to end and would anxiously pick up any future edition that revisited the village of Notwithstanding.