When the Brigadier, a luncheon guest of the Larkin’s is offered a cup of tea after this hearty repast he heartily declines and thinks to himself…

Mariette rose to fetch it from the kitchen, together with a jug of real Jersey…īates has a wonderful raucous sense of humor. There were also big blue boats of applesauce and gravy… It was time for ice cream. Other blue dishes stood about the table containing green peas and new potatoes veined with dark sprigs of mint, baked onions, asparagus, roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, and broad beans in parsley sauce. Half an hour later two of the three geese were laying side by side, browned to perfection, deliciously varnished with running gravy, in a big oval blue meat dish on the table under the walnut tree. There is a description of a typical Sunday lunch enjoyed in the garden that one should not read on an empty stomach… Far beyond them, in broken, throaty tones, a cuckoo called, almost in its June voice, and when it was silent the entire afternoon simmered in a single marvelous moment of quietness, breathlessly. Outside, somewhere in the yard, a dog barked and the drove of turkeys seemed to respond in bubbling chorus.

He has a genius for capturing a rural scene with a few swift brushstrokes and describing the epicurean delights of food and love quite like him. He has a marvelous ability to capture the art of living a full and plentiful life. On hindsight, I consider the choice a stroke of genius. It seems an unusual book to assign as school curriculum to young impressionable minds. I was first introduced to the book The Darling Buds of May by HE Bates by an English teacher at the tender age of twelve. This is the story of a dreamy summer in the life of the Larkin’s and a glimpse into their beguiling and unconventional way of life This is aided by the fact that he falls under the spell of the Larkin’s eldest daughter- beautiful Mariette. He doesn’t get very far because the Larkins ply him with good food, drink and heartfelt hospitality and quite soon he forgets the real purpose of his visit. Short synopsis of the Story: Cedric Charlton, an official from the tax payer’s office comes to the Larkin residence to question Pop Larkin on the matter of his unpaid taxes.

Main Characters: Pop Larkin (farmer, junk dealer), Ma Larkin, their children- Mariette, Montgomery, Primrose, Zinnia, Petunia and Victoria Cedric Charlton or ‘Charlie’ – an officer from the Inspector of Taxes. Location of the Story: Rural Essex, England.

The darling buds of may by he bates