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England and Other Stories
A collection of new stories from the Booker-prize winning author of Last Orders, and of the Sunday Times bestseller Mothering Sunday. Meet Dr Shah, who has never been to India, and Mrs Kaminski, on her way to Poland via A&E. Meet Holly and Polly, who have come to their own Anglo-Irish understanding; Charlie and Don, who have seen the docks turn into Docklands; Daisy Baker, terrified of Yorkshire; and Johnny Dewhurst, stranded on Exmoor. Binding these stories together is Graham Swift's affectionate but unflinching instinct for the story of us all: an evocation of that mysterious body that is a nation, deepened by the palpable sense of our individual bodies finding or losing their way in the nationless territory of birth, ageing, sex and death. Praise for Mothering Sunday: 'Bathed in light; and even when tragedy strikes, it blazes irresistibly...Swift's small fiction feels like a masterpiece' Guardian 'Alive with sensuousness and sensuality ...wonderfully accomplished, it is an achievement' Sunday Times 'From start to finish Swift's is a novel of stylish brilliance and quiet narrative verve. The archly modulated, precise prose (a hybrid of Henry Green and Kazuo Ishiguro) is a glory to read. Now 66, Swift is a writer at the very top of his game' Evening Standard 'Mothering Sunday is a powerful, philosophical and exquisitely observed novel about the lives we lead, and the parallel lives - the parallel stories - we can never know ...It may just be Swift's best novel yet' Observer
274 pages, Paperback
First published July 3, 2014
About the author
Graham Swift
48 books639 followersGraham Colin Swift FRSL (born May 4, 1949) is an English author. He was born in London, England and educated at Dulwich College, London, Queens' College, Cambridge, and later the University of York. He was a friend of Ted Hughes.
Some of his works have been made into films, including Last Orders, which starred Michael Caine and Bob Hoskins and Waterland which starred Jeremy Irons. Last Orders was a joint winner of the 1996 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction and a mildly controversial winner of the Booker Prize in 1996, owing to the superficial similarities in plot to William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying. Waterland was set in The Fens; it is a novel of landscape, history and family, and is often cited as one of the outstanding post-war British novels and has been a set text on the English Literature syllabus in British schools.
Some of his works have been made into films, including Last Orders, which starred Michael Caine and Bob Hoskins and Waterland which starred Jeremy Irons. Last Orders was a joint winner of the 1996 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction and a mildly controversial winner of the Booker Prize in 1996, owing to the superficial similarities in plot to William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying. Waterland was set in The Fens; it is a novel of landscape, history and family, and is often cited as one of the outstanding post-war British novels and has been a set text on the English Literature syllabus in British schools.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews
May 23, 2024
4 stars
short review for busy readers: if you're a fan of Swift, like I am, this collection is for you. If you're looking for some melancholic, literary stories about ordinary English people in ordinary, but highly impactful, situations, this is also for you. No really happy tales. Lots of grief. However, superbly written and rendered. Swift won the Booker Prize once way back when. (Last Orders)
in detail:
This collection contains 25 stories of 8 to 20 pages in length. (My faves are asterisked and a short description of a few is given at the end of this review.)
Going Up in the World
Wonders Will Never Cease
People Are Life*
Haematology
Remember This
The Best Days
Half a Loaf*
Saving Grace*
Tragedy, Tragedy*
As Much Love as Possible
Yorkshire
Holly and Polly*
Keys
Lawrence of Arabia*
Ajax
Was She the Only One?
Knife*
Mrs Kaminski*
Dog
Fusilli*
I Live Alone
Articles of War
Saint Peter
First on the Scene
England
I'm a big Swift fan, but I completely understand why others aren't.
Swift's themes are the slow passing of time, history, loss, grief, death and irrevocable change. His characters - often older couples - are highly pensive and not given to much outward action beyond daily activities.
The writing flows brilliantly, and is charged with what I'd term "English repressed sentiment". That is, emotions felt deeply, but not expressed or sometimes even acknowledged, which leaves the narrative and characters half submerged under the surface of events.
The stories in this collection are like Swift novels in miniature. Some are slice of life, others have a deeper meaning that only becomes apparent in the final paragraph. How well this technique works will differ from one reader to the next.
I read the German edition of this collection superbly translated by Susanna Höbel. She did an amazing job of rendering the tone and imagery so typical of Swift.
Descriptions of a select few of my faves...
Tragedy, Tragedy is about the sudden heart attack death of a fork lift driver. Two of his colleagues discuss if every death can be termed 'tragic' or if other words, such as 'comic,' might better apply...even to their own demises.
Holly and Polly is about two young lab technicians who work with semen and pregnancy problems. They find out they are both lesbian and become a couple...but are unsure about making that public at the lab. One of the few lighter, happy ending stories.
Lawrence of Arabia is about a bewildered woman contemplating her feelings for her recently deceased husband and their marriage. The fact he died on the same day as actor Peter O'Toole (who played Lawrence) and was a heartthrob in his day, she feels must have some significance.
Mrs Kaminski is a conversation between a lively 91-year old woman and a 25-year old doctor. Mrs Kaminski has no more family, she says, they've all "gone to Poland" and she's on her way there, too. The doc doesn't cotton on that Poland is Mrs Kaminski's word for death/heaven and thinks she's simply a confused old lady.
Fusilli shows us a father dealing with the very recent death of his son, who was a soldier in Afghanistan. The last time he spoke to his son was when the son randomly called him while he was in the pasta aisle of the local supermarket. Now that insignificant convo and the type of pasta his son recommended has become a life line in his grief.
short review for busy readers: if you're a fan of Swift, like I am, this collection is for you. If you're looking for some melancholic, literary stories about ordinary English people in ordinary, but highly impactful, situations, this is also for you. No really happy tales. Lots of grief. However, superbly written and rendered. Swift won the Booker Prize once way back when. (Last Orders)
in detail:
This collection contains 25 stories of 8 to 20 pages in length. (My faves are asterisked and a short description of a few is given at the end of this review.)
Going Up in the World
Wonders Will Never Cease
People Are Life*
Haematology
Remember This
The Best Days
Half a Loaf*
Saving Grace*
Tragedy, Tragedy*
As Much Love as Possible
Yorkshire
Holly and Polly*
Keys
Lawrence of Arabia*
Ajax
Was She the Only One?
Knife*
Mrs Kaminski*
Dog
Fusilli*
I Live Alone
Articles of War
Saint Peter
First on the Scene
England
I'm a big Swift fan, but I completely understand why others aren't.
Swift's themes are the slow passing of time, history, loss, grief, death and irrevocable change. His characters - often older couples - are highly pensive and not given to much outward action beyond daily activities.
The writing flows brilliantly, and is charged with what I'd term "English repressed sentiment". That is, emotions felt deeply, but not expressed or sometimes even acknowledged, which leaves the narrative and characters half submerged under the surface of events.
The stories in this collection are like Swift novels in miniature. Some are slice of life, others have a deeper meaning that only becomes apparent in the final paragraph. How well this technique works will differ from one reader to the next.
I read the German edition of this collection superbly translated by Susanna Höbel. She did an amazing job of rendering the tone and imagery so typical of Swift.
Descriptions of a select few of my faves...
Tragedy, Tragedy is about the sudden heart attack death of a fork lift driver. Two of his colleagues discuss if every death can be termed 'tragic' or if other words, such as 'comic,' might better apply...even to their own demises.
Holly and Polly is about two young lab technicians who work with semen and pregnancy problems. They find out they are both lesbian and become a couple...but are unsure about making that public at the lab. One of the few lighter, happy ending stories.
Lawrence of Arabia is about a bewildered woman contemplating her feelings for her recently deceased husband and their marriage. The fact he died on the same day as actor Peter O'Toole (who played Lawrence) and was a heartthrob in his day, she feels must have some significance.
Mrs Kaminski is a conversation between a lively 91-year old woman and a 25-year old doctor. Mrs Kaminski has no more family, she says, they've all "gone to Poland" and she's on her way there, too. The doc doesn't cotton on that Poland is Mrs Kaminski's word for death/heaven and thinks she's simply a confused old lady.
Fusilli shows us a father dealing with the very recent death of his son, who was a soldier in Afghanistan. The last time he spoke to his son was when the son randomly called him while he was in the pasta aisle of the local supermarket. Now that insignificant convo and the type of pasta his son recommended has become a life line in his grief.
May 3, 2018
Remember This
In his Man Booker Prize winning novel, Last Orders (1997), Swift followed a quartet of elderly men as they drive out from the East End of London to cast an old friend's ashes into the sea. The point of that quiet, detailed, but slow-moving book is to ask the question of all of them: "What have we become?" As I recall, Swift has few surprising revelations, only the gradual recognition that there can be a rightness, even a kind of beauty, in quite ordinary lives. Now in this collection, Swift once more mines the same vein, offering 25 further occasions for reflection, as rather ordinary characters look back on rather ordinary lives. Individually, I found them quite beautiful, since the eight-to-ten-page length perfectly suits the brief moment of reflection before moving on. So far, I have read rather more than half of them, and will enjoy the rest over the next few weeks. This is a book to savor over time; the stories are rather too similar to be read all at once.
The funeral theme recurs several times here. In "Lawrence of Arabia," a widow riding on a bus the day after her husband's funeral sees the headline that Peter O'Toole has died. In "People Are Life," a barber gives a trim to a customer before his wife's funeral. The death in "The Best Days" is that of a former headmaster, but the funeral occasions the private reflections of two old friends about their sexual adventures while at school. And there are several other bereaved people: the septuagenarian in "First on the Scene" who goes on country walks to recapture weekends he enjoyed with his wife finds a body in a woodland clearing; the fiftyish osteopath in "Half a Loaf" rejoices in the sexual kindness of a much younger woman, even though he realizes that the affair will probably not last.
But not all the moments of reflection are occasioned by death. "As Much Love as Possible" is about two friends having a men's night in while their wives enjoy a girls' night out; "Wonders Will Never Cease" has a man bringing his wife to stay with a recently married old friend; both stories gently probe the paradoxes of marriage and the little jealousies that can arise between even the closest of friends. In "Going Up in the World," the two friends are older, partners in a window-cleaning firm, but the focus is on the rising careers of their respective sons. This is reversed in "Saving Grace," where British-born Indian doctor examines his relationship with his own father.
There are a few exceptions to the general pattern, most notably "Haematology," consisting of a letter from Sir William Harvey, the former Royal Physician to King Charles I, to an old friend in the entourage of Oliver Cromwell. In "England," the title story that ends the collection, a man helps a stranded traveler on an Exmoor road; I am not sure that it works, since the encounter is so bizarre that it detracts from what I think is its main point, which is to have the Samaritan (an off-duty coastguard) reflect on the limitations of his own life. Although the basic situation of "Yorkshire" — a long-married couple in their seventies — is similar to that of other stories, this is exceptional in that the triggering event is of quite a different order of seriousness. But my favorite of all is probably "Remember This," which reverses the pattern of looking back. In it, a recently-married couple visit a solicitor to make their wills. Feeling it like a reaffirmation of their marriage, they return home and make love. Then, while his wife is sleeping, the husband gets up to write her a letter for the future:
I wrote the review above early in 2015. Editing it now, I am struck by the resonance of that final quotation with the theme of Swift's 2016 novella, Mothering Sunday, a beautiful work that shows him at the very height of his achievement.
In his Man Booker Prize winning novel, Last Orders (1997), Swift followed a quartet of elderly men as they drive out from the East End of London to cast an old friend's ashes into the sea. The point of that quiet, detailed, but slow-moving book is to ask the question of all of them: "What have we become?" As I recall, Swift has few surprising revelations, only the gradual recognition that there can be a rightness, even a kind of beauty, in quite ordinary lives. Now in this collection, Swift once more mines the same vein, offering 25 further occasions for reflection, as rather ordinary characters look back on rather ordinary lives. Individually, I found them quite beautiful, since the eight-to-ten-page length perfectly suits the brief moment of reflection before moving on. So far, I have read rather more than half of them, and will enjoy the rest over the next few weeks. This is a book to savor over time; the stories are rather too similar to be read all at once.
The funeral theme recurs several times here. In "Lawrence of Arabia," a widow riding on a bus the day after her husband's funeral sees the headline that Peter O'Toole has died. In "People Are Life," a barber gives a trim to a customer before his wife's funeral. The death in "The Best Days" is that of a former headmaster, but the funeral occasions the private reflections of two old friends about their sexual adventures while at school. And there are several other bereaved people: the septuagenarian in "First on the Scene" who goes on country walks to recapture weekends he enjoyed with his wife finds a body in a woodland clearing; the fiftyish osteopath in "Half a Loaf" rejoices in the sexual kindness of a much younger woman, even though he realizes that the affair will probably not last.
But not all the moments of reflection are occasioned by death. "As Much Love as Possible" is about two friends having a men's night in while their wives enjoy a girls' night out; "Wonders Will Never Cease" has a man bringing his wife to stay with a recently married old friend; both stories gently probe the paradoxes of marriage and the little jealousies that can arise between even the closest of friends. In "Going Up in the World," the two friends are older, partners in a window-cleaning firm, but the focus is on the rising careers of their respective sons. This is reversed in "Saving Grace," where British-born Indian doctor examines his relationship with his own father.
There are a few exceptions to the general pattern, most notably "Haematology," consisting of a letter from Sir William Harvey, the former Royal Physician to King Charles I, to an old friend in the entourage of Oliver Cromwell. In "England," the title story that ends the collection, a man helps a stranded traveler on an Exmoor road; I am not sure that it works, since the encounter is so bizarre that it detracts from what I think is its main point, which is to have the Samaritan (an off-duty coastguard) reflect on the limitations of his own life. Although the basic situation of "Yorkshire" — a long-married couple in their seventies — is similar to that of other stories, this is exceptional in that the triggering event is of quite a different order of seriousness. But my favorite of all is probably "Remember This," which reverses the pattern of looking back. In it, a recently-married couple visit a solicitor to make their wills. Feeling it like a reaffirmation of their marriage, they return home and make love. Then, while his wife is sleeping, the husband gets up to write her a letter for the future:
The overwhelming thought came to him: Remember this, remember this. Remember this always. Whatever comes, remember this.+ + + + + +
I wrote the review above early in 2015. Editing it now, I am struck by the resonance of that final quotation with the theme of Swift's 2016 novella, Mothering Sunday, a beautiful work that shows him at the very height of his achievement.
January 18, 2015
This is an interesting collection of stories – there are a couple set in the past, one in 1805 and another in an England torn by Civil War –but most have a contemporary setting. They deal mostly with situations that are quite ordinary; a man remembering the day he visited a solicitor with his new wife to make out their wills, two old school friends at the funeral of their former headmaster, a man remembering how his parents viewed a neighbour they thought was a little odd, a widowed osteopath with a young client, a man who locks himself out of his house… However, all of these initially normal situations are given a twist, to show what goes on below the surface. Whether it is a hairdresser chatting to a customer, or a man shopping for pasta in Waitrose, the author uncovers the depth of human feeling. This is a book which deals with grief, loneliness, isolation, friendship, the bonds of childhood and loss. A very good collection of short stories, which I enjoyed very much. Lastly, I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.
September 30, 2014
4.5
A very good short story collection.
The stories are like little snapshots of people's lives, most of them very ordinary. The characters tend to be called Andy or Mick with wives called Ruth or Lynn.
Many have the theme of loss, be it bereavement, illness, divorce or just the passage of time changing things. This makes many of them very poignant and I felt there was an air of reflective sadness over the collection. The story entitled Fusilli was heartbreaking.
If you have a touch of the blues then this isn't an uplifting read, but the stories are so beautifully written. Recommended.
A very good short story collection.
The stories are like little snapshots of people's lives, most of them very ordinary. The characters tend to be called Andy or Mick with wives called Ruth or Lynn.
Many have the theme of loss, be it bereavement, illness, divorce or just the passage of time changing things. This makes many of them very poignant and I felt there was an air of reflective sadness over the collection. The story entitled Fusilli was heartbreaking.
If you have a touch of the blues then this isn't an uplifting read, but the stories are so beautifully written. Recommended.
September 26, 2014
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 18, 2021
A collection of short stories. Slices of England. On the whole this book left me cold, there was the odd glimmer of interest but nothing much to hook me in.
June 27, 2016
I am one of those who believe (and have often said) that writing a good short story is more difficult than writing a good novel because a short story writer has to create believable characters and plots wholly within the limited number of pages he allows himself to get the job done. He has to capture the engagement and imagination of his readers, and he has to do it quickly. That is why it is always such a welcome event when a favorite novelist of mine decides to join the ranks of short story writers, or in the unusual case of Graham Swift, returns to that genre after an absence of almost thirty years.
Swift's England and Other Stories is a remarkable collection of twenty-five stories about people who, regardless of their age, have reached a point in their lives where regret and self-doubt are something they confront every day. These are people living in fear that their lives may never again be as good as they were at some point in the past. Not only do they fear that possibility, they feel sure that it is the truth.
What makes this collection a bit unusual is that none of the stories have been previously published elsewhere. These are all new stories (written, I'm guessing, within the amount of time it would normally have taken Swift to produce his next novel), and taken as a whole they present the diversity of a country that is all too often confined to its stereotypes in the minds of foreigners. There are stories about newlyweds, about elderly couples who have been together for decades, about men and women grieving their lost spouses, about grown children still trying to figure out exactly who their parents were, about cheating spouses, about minorities who self-identify as "English" despite how others perceive them, and even about lesbian lovers who are key workers in a sperm bank. And that is far from all.
Among my favorites is "Yorkshire," in which an elderly couple (71 and 72 years old) sleep across the hall from each other for the first time after the man has been accused by his adult daughter of unspeakable crimes committed against her when she was a child. In just a few pages, Swift engulfs the reader in the pain and anguish that fill those two bedrooms but leaves it up to his readers to judge the truth of the woman's charges. Another favorite is "Fusilli," which tells of the man who receives a phone call from his soldier son while shopping in his local grocery store. He marvels at the technology that makes such a thing possible, all the while feeling uneasy about their conversation.
Do read these stories in the order they are presented because, layer by layer, they add up to a cohesive picture of England as she is today, one in which it is easily imagined that characters from the various stories just might one day cross paths and enjoy each other's company - or not. They seem that real.
Swift's England and Other Stories is a remarkable collection of twenty-five stories about people who, regardless of their age, have reached a point in their lives where regret and self-doubt are something they confront every day. These are people living in fear that their lives may never again be as good as they were at some point in the past. Not only do they fear that possibility, they feel sure that it is the truth.
What makes this collection a bit unusual is that none of the stories have been previously published elsewhere. These are all new stories (written, I'm guessing, within the amount of time it would normally have taken Swift to produce his next novel), and taken as a whole they present the diversity of a country that is all too often confined to its stereotypes in the minds of foreigners. There are stories about newlyweds, about elderly couples who have been together for decades, about men and women grieving their lost spouses, about grown children still trying to figure out exactly who their parents were, about cheating spouses, about minorities who self-identify as "English" despite how others perceive them, and even about lesbian lovers who are key workers in a sperm bank. And that is far from all.
Among my favorites is "Yorkshire," in which an elderly couple (71 and 72 years old) sleep across the hall from each other for the first time after the man has been accused by his adult daughter of unspeakable crimes committed against her when she was a child. In just a few pages, Swift engulfs the reader in the pain and anguish that fill those two bedrooms but leaves it up to his readers to judge the truth of the woman's charges. Another favorite is "Fusilli," which tells of the man who receives a phone call from his soldier son while shopping in his local grocery store. He marvels at the technology that makes such a thing possible, all the while feeling uneasy about their conversation.
Do read these stories in the order they are presented because, layer by layer, they add up to a cohesive picture of England as she is today, one in which it is easily imagined that characters from the various stories just might one day cross paths and enjoy each other's company - or not. They seem that real.
July 9, 2015
I have always loved short stories. The writing is spare and not a word is wasted. Yet in this collection of 25 stories, I sensed the hand of a novelist, rather than a short-story writer. (Indeed! Graham Swift is a best-selling author and a Booker Prize winner.)
The characters are mostly middle-class Brits, mostly male, leading ordinary lives. In some stories, the ordinary is all that happens. In others, something out of the ordinary happens that causes a character either confusion or a means of examining his life.
I struggled to connect with the characters. The author tends to tell us, not show us, what a character is like -- kind of like British mystery shows where the perp spills all in the last few minutes, crime solved. Dialog is sparse in some stories, and unrevealing in others. At times, characters seem to act or think as the author wants them to, not as they really would. For example, in "First on the Scene," a man comes upon a dead body in the woods, and as the story ends, he calls the police. "He hadn't a clue how to begin," the author writes as the call is answered. Wouldn't he just say, Hey, there's a body in the woods? Yet I suppose it's meant to suggest that the man hadn't a clue how to make sense of his life. In "Dog," a husband heroically fends off a dog attacking a baby in a park, becoming disheveled and clawed in the battle. The author writes, "He hadn't the slightest idea how he was going to explain away these things to Julia [his wife]." What's to explain away? Wouldn't he just tell her what happened? I guess I'm too much of a realist.
And, I have to say, I was offended at how casually the author has male characters feeling up their girlfriends' or wives' derrieres in public, and how his female characters are silent about it or tacitly appreciative. I'm sorry, but it's offensive and humiliating to be groped in public, no matter who's doing the groping. With all the talk about "Uncle Joe" Biden feeling up women these days, it's just something that struck me as unsavory, and I lost all interest in a story at that point.
I once read this advice: "Never end your story with a character realizing something. Characters shouldn't realize things: readers should." That was running through my head as I got to the end of some stories only to read something like, "Now he understood..." I didn't want to be told what a character understood. I wanted to understand it myself. Yet, for the most part, I just didn't understand.
The characters are mostly middle-class Brits, mostly male, leading ordinary lives. In some stories, the ordinary is all that happens. In others, something out of the ordinary happens that causes a character either confusion or a means of examining his life.
I struggled to connect with the characters. The author tends to tell us, not show us, what a character is like -- kind of like British mystery shows where the perp spills all in the last few minutes, crime solved. Dialog is sparse in some stories, and unrevealing in others. At times, characters seem to act or think as the author wants them to, not as they really would. For example, in "First on the Scene," a man comes upon a dead body in the woods, and as the story ends, he calls the police. "He hadn't a clue how to begin," the author writes as the call is answered. Wouldn't he just say, Hey, there's a body in the woods? Yet I suppose it's meant to suggest that the man hadn't a clue how to make sense of his life. In "Dog," a husband heroically fends off a dog attacking a baby in a park, becoming disheveled and clawed in the battle. The author writes, "He hadn't the slightest idea how he was going to explain away these things to Julia [his wife]." What's to explain away? Wouldn't he just tell her what happened? I guess I'm too much of a realist.
And, I have to say, I was offended at how casually the author has male characters feeling up their girlfriends' or wives' derrieres in public, and how his female characters are silent about it or tacitly appreciative. I'm sorry, but it's offensive and humiliating to be groped in public, no matter who's doing the groping. With all the talk about "Uncle Joe" Biden feeling up women these days, it's just something that struck me as unsavory, and I lost all interest in a story at that point.
I once read this advice: "Never end your story with a character realizing something. Characters shouldn't realize things: readers should." That was running through my head as I got to the end of some stories only to read something like, "Now he understood..." I didn't want to be told what a character understood. I wanted to understand it myself. Yet, for the most part, I just didn't understand.
May 7, 2015
Swift returns to his perpetual themes of loss and what it’s like to be different. Oddly one of my least favorite stories in the book is ‘England’ but other than that there wasn’t a clunker in the book. Most are short and he gets to his point in very few pages. There’s an undercurrent of emotion but it’s restrained which makes the tales more effective. He comes to the point slowly but it has an impact. Most of the narrators are male but are still universally relatable.
Some of the stories are dark but the violence takes place offstage so to speak or it’s merely implied. War and military men are featured as well and again the violence is hinted at though the impact on their loved ones’ emotion of their loss or potential loss or sometimes just physical or mental damage is explicit and heartbreaking. Along with this comes perceived betrayal. Did the widow already have an intimate relationship with her next husband before she loses her current beloved? Has the soon to be single woman relieved when her soldier is killed at war? Betrayal is usually just a blind with the theme of loss having the pride of place. Swift is wonderful at capturing a child’s viewpoint as well. He isn’t a cheerful writer but he’s compelling.
Thank you to the publisher for providing an ARC.
Some of the stories are dark but the violence takes place offstage so to speak or it’s merely implied. War and military men are featured as well and again the violence is hinted at though the impact on their loved ones’ emotion of their loss or potential loss or sometimes just physical or mental damage is explicit and heartbreaking. Along with this comes perceived betrayal. Did the widow already have an intimate relationship with her next husband before she loses her current beloved? Has the soon to be single woman relieved when her soldier is killed at war? Betrayal is usually just a blind with the theme of loss having the pride of place. Swift is wonderful at capturing a child’s viewpoint as well. He isn’t a cheerful writer but he’s compelling.
Thank you to the publisher for providing an ARC.
June 9, 2016
I got this book as a gift from my friend Cheryl and what a lovely gift it turned out to be. The book is not a long one, a little over 200 pages, but it took a really long time for me to read. This was not because it was hard to digest or badly written, quite the opposite. All of the short stories in this collection were masterclasses in the execution of the art form. If I had read it quickly I would not have done the stories justice, each was both deceptively simple and so incredibly rich in ideas, texture and feelings that it was not possible to read more than two or three in one sitting. All of the stories are set in England, and most start out with the simplest and most mundane of premises, but that is where any common thread ends. You will end up marveling at what an accomplished writer can achieve in 6-10 pages of tight prose, how much truth and meaning can be exposed in the simplest of observations. This has to be one of the best books I've read this year and certainly one of the best collections of short stories I've read in a while. I would recommend this book to anyone.
June 30, 2015
Το βιβλίο αυτό διετέλεσε τον σκοπό του: επαγγελματικό ταξίδι, περιορισμένος χρόνος και διάθεση, αλλά αναγνωστική πείνα πρέπει να ικανοποιηθεί. Τα μικρά διηγηματικά μεζεδάκια της καινούρια συλλογής του Σουίφτ θα ήταν ό,τι πρέπει.
Και τελικά, ήταν: μικρές ιστορίες καθημερινών ανθρώπων στη Αγγλία. Την άλλοτε αστική, άλλοτε επαρχιακή, στην οποία γυναίκες και άντρες ζούνε τα μικρά δράματα και τις μικρές νίκες τους. Δεν συμβαίνει κάτι δραματικό εδω πέρα, δεν συμβαίνει κάτι ηρωικό, κάτι που δεν βλέπουμε γύρω μας. Μα καμιά φορά αυτό ακριβώς χρειαζόμαστε, να διαβάσουμε κάτι καλογραμμένο, ήσυχο και απαλό. Το οποίο μέσα στην απλότητά του, ��ε οξυδέρκεια δοσμένο, μπορεί να γίνει διασκεδαστικό και καμιά φορά αστείο.
Δεν είχα ξαναδιαβάσει Γκράχαμ Σουίφτ, μα τούτο εδώ δείχνει συγγραφέα με μια φωνή ανθρώπινη και μια πέννα δεξιοτεχνική. Δεν είναι συγκλονιστικός τουλάχιστον εδώ. Μα δε νομίζω να είχε τέτοιους σκοπούς.
Και τελικά, ήταν: μικρές ιστορίες καθημερινών ανθρώπων στη Αγγλία. Την άλλοτε αστική, άλλοτε επαρχιακή, στην οποία γυναίκες και άντρες ζούνε τα μικρά δράματα και τις μικρές νίκες τους. Δεν συμβαίνει κάτι δραματικό εδω πέρα, δεν συμβαίνει κάτι ηρωικό, κάτι που δεν βλέπουμε γύρω μας. Μα καμιά φορά αυτό ακριβώς χρειαζόμαστε, να διαβάσουμε κάτι καλογραμμένο, ήσυχο και απαλό. Το οποίο μέσα στην απλότητά του, ��ε οξυδέρκεια δοσμένο, μπορεί να γίνει διασκεδαστικό και καμιά φορά αστείο.
Δεν είχα ξαναδιαβάσει Γκράχαμ Σουίφτ, μα τούτο εδώ δείχνει συγγραφέα με μια φωνή ανθρώπινη και μια πέννα δεξιοτεχνική. Δεν είναι συγκλονιστικός τουλάχιστον εδώ. Μα δε νομίζω να είχε τέτοιους σκοπούς.
May 26, 2019
Le britannique Graham Swift écrit et raconte très bien. Ce recueil de nouvelles en est une autre preuve. Chacun des 25 textes immerge le lecteur dans un nouveau cadre, sans lien temporel ni contextuel avec le précédent. En quelques lignes, on sait où on est et on comprend où on va. On se lie rapidement aux personnages et aux intrigues. Malgré que les chutes soient douces, leurs impacts demeurent satisfaisants pour le lecteur.
Certains textes sont si forts ou ont un potentiel d’expansion manifeste tel qu’ils auraient pu (dû) faire l’objet d’un roman complet. Swift sait créer des univers dans lesquels les sentiments des personnages sont réels et auxquels le lecteur s’identifie malgré le fait que ce monde n’a qu’une vingtaine de pages pour faire son effet.
Ma préférée : LES AUTRES, C’EST LA VIE. Une simple chronique dans laquelle un barbier avoue être parfois las d’écouter les histoires racontées par ses clients. C’est touchant et merveilleusement écrit (et bien traduit).
Certains textes sont si forts ou ont un potentiel d’expansion manifeste tel qu’ils auraient pu (dû) faire l’objet d’un roman complet. Swift sait créer des univers dans lesquels les sentiments des personnages sont réels et auxquels le lecteur s’identifie malgré le fait que ce monde n’a qu’une vingtaine de pages pour faire son effet.
Ma préférée : LES AUTRES, C’EST LA VIE. Une simple chronique dans laquelle un barbier avoue être parfois las d’écouter les histoires racontées par ses clients. C’est touchant et merveilleusement écrit (et bien traduit).
August 23, 2015
I felt I had the rhythm of his writing and was in sync with the stories until I got to "The Best Days." What is it with male writers and their obsession with teenage boys sleeping with their schoolmates mom's? This absurd notion appears in fiction in out-sized proportion to the occurrence in real life, so what's the deal? What are these men saying? Older women lust after boys? Do they really believe that women everywhere are pedophiles? Or just the ones who have become mothers, usually with a daughter and a lousy husband? If these writers truly believe that, they're fucked up and I have no interest in whatever else they may have to say in their fiction or real life.
September 26, 2014
From BBC Radio 4 Extra:
The 25 short stories that comprise England and Other Stories mark Swift's return to the short form after seven acclaimed novels. The stories dwell on the essence of Englishness and those chosen place us on the eve of the Battle of Trafalgar, in a barbers, a supermarket, a laboratory and Macintyre's warehouse, and in each place and time, Swift perfectly captures a universal truth from the minutiae of lives.
The 25 short stories that comprise England and Other Stories mark Swift's return to the short form after seven acclaimed novels. The stories dwell on the essence of Englishness and those chosen place us on the eve of the Battle of Trafalgar, in a barbers, a supermarket, a laboratory and Macintyre's warehouse, and in each place and time, Swift perfectly captures a universal truth from the minutiae of lives.
May 29, 2020
Took me blooming ages to read this slim volume containing twenty-five slim stories.
And when I say stories, I really mean twenty-five instances of different characters (mostly a man in his fifties) relating thoughts about some event or object that they have encounters.
Man thinks while someone breaks the news to him that he has a brain tumour. Man thinks when he comes across a car in a ditch. Man thinks as he tells the history of his ethnic origins to a patient. Man thinks as he drives another man's wife somewhere. Man thinks and thinks and thinks.
Each character thinks different things, but all in the same sort of style. It reminds me of the way I assume that people thought in the 1950s. Kind of like an old fashioned way of thinking from a generation before mine. Even the stories set in the twenty-first century seem somehow to be set in the nineteen-fifties. It's something to do with the tone, I think.
And it's not that these characters aren't interesting in the way that they think, it's just that it's all a bit samey-samey. I was glad to finish the book.
Next up, in June, I'll be reading a set of Jo Nesbo books. Stories of the exploits of some detective or other that the wife raves about. I'll enjoy them, but ultimately I'll probably get bored with the sameness. So, perhaps it's just my nature to get bored. Let's see.
Read this if you're not about the action, but more about the thoughts behind the action. Avoid it if you like variety in a collection of short stories.
And when I say stories, I really mean twenty-five instances of different characters (mostly a man in his fifties) relating thoughts about some event or object that they have encounters.
Man thinks while someone breaks the news to him that he has a brain tumour. Man thinks when he comes across a car in a ditch. Man thinks as he tells the history of his ethnic origins to a patient. Man thinks as he drives another man's wife somewhere. Man thinks and thinks and thinks.
Each character thinks different things, but all in the same sort of style. It reminds me of the way I assume that people thought in the 1950s. Kind of like an old fashioned way of thinking from a generation before mine. Even the stories set in the twenty-first century seem somehow to be set in the nineteen-fifties. It's something to do with the tone, I think.
And it's not that these characters aren't interesting in the way that they think, it's just that it's all a bit samey-samey. I was glad to finish the book.
Next up, in June, I'll be reading a set of Jo Nesbo books. Stories of the exploits of some detective or other that the wife raves about. I'll enjoy them, but ultimately I'll probably get bored with the sameness. So, perhaps it's just my nature to get bored. Let's see.
Read this if you're not about the action, but more about the thoughts behind the action. Avoid it if you like variety in a collection of short stories.
April 4, 2022
3.5 stars. An interesting, varied collection of twenty-five short stories set in England. In ‘Saving Grace’, an Indian doctor who has never been to India, recalls how his Anglophilic father was glad the Second World War brought him to a land he had come to love in books. In ‘Remember This’, a young couple make their wills and on that day the husband writes a letter describing his love for his wife. In ‘Fusilli’, a father recalls the last time he spoke to his son on the phone. In ‘England’, a coast guard helps a black comedian get his car out of a ditch. The comedian, Johnny Dewhurst, is in Exmoor, touring England.
This book was first published in 2014.
This book was first published in 2014.
December 3, 2022
In the movie The Banshees of Inisherin, a lifelong friendship ends when one of them decides the other only really fills his life with dull conversation. Graham Swift is literary dull conversation. I got one useful bit of insight for a story I’m working on, but otherwise it’s just dithering. A whole collection of dithering. A book I stopped reading. Didn’t cut any fingers off, if you were wondering. So there’s that.
July 23, 2022
This collection includes lots of really short stories (most 5-10 pages). Most were more 'slice-of-life' portraits. I liked the writing quite a bit, but the brief nature of the tales was less than satisfying as a reading experience in many cases.
April 3, 2017
Quiet tales that would like to have a little more room to grow.
January 6, 2022
Thought provoking mix of short stories. I enjoyed most of them, some were a little too depressing. I like his literary style.
Read
March 7, 2023Interesting stories with good characters, if often a little depressing!
April 9, 2021
Much as I have genuinely loved Swift's novels, in particular Mothering Sunday and Waterland, these (very) short stories did nothing for me. In fact I didn't even read the last couple - apologies Mr Swift. I need to feel some emotional reaction to character or situation, and nothing here moved me much at all.
April 7, 2018
I love Graham Swift's writing. This collection of twenty five stories give us glimpses into the lives of normal people in different parts of the country. A couple have a historical setting but most are contemporary and many explore his favourite themes of loss and grief.
January 17, 2016
Hmm, halfway through this collection I was leaning towards two stars, but it grew on me slightly, so I'm generously upgrading it to three. I do often read short stories but these are very different from my normal fare of Alice Munro or Elizabeth Strout. Munro and Strout encompass whole lives in 30 or 40 pages. Most of the stories here are very short; the longest around 15 pages, the shortest half a dozen, and tend to focus on a single small incident, with no plot as such. The kind of thing you might read to stave off boredom in a doctor's waiting room. In the worst cases, they read like sterile creative writing exercises; in the best, they offer insights into a whole range of different people at a distressing or remarkable moment in their lives. There's a lot of death, divorce, loss, fear, approached in almost all cases with very British restraint.
A few highlights: Remember This, Half a Loaf, Ajax, First on the Scene. Black marks for the predictable, annoying, middle-aged-man fantasy fulfilling of Keys and The Best Days. But I've been disappointed with almost all Swift's work since his early work, especially the wonderful Waterland, still one of my favourite novels. In fact I stopped reading him altogether after the terrible Tomorrow, and I still won't particularly go out of my way to read more.
A few highlights: Remember This, Half a Loaf, Ajax, First on the Scene. Black marks for the predictable, annoying, middle-aged-man fantasy fulfilling of Keys and The Best Days. But I've been disappointed with almost all Swift's work since his early work, especially the wonderful Waterland, still one of my favourite novels. In fact I stopped reading him altogether after the terrible Tomorrow, and I still won't particularly go out of my way to read more.
April 13, 2015
4.5/5
England and Other Stories by Graham Swift is an exceptional collection of twenty-five short stories, which capture the essence of England, past and present. Each short story is detailed, atmospheric and comprised of well thought out and well placed characters. Whether the story is from the Civil War era or about the neighbor next door, each short story will captivate the mind of the reader and draw the reader into each story. Swift is a rather brilliant storyteller and his latest collections of short stories is clearly a testament to his exceptional grasp of the human spirit, be that of a child or of the aging, and his exceptional prose. I highly recommend England and Other Stories to those who enjoy short stories as well as those who are uncertain, Swift’s writing is that exceptional.
May 15, 2015
I'm not quite sure how I feel about this short story collection. Maybe I'm just not intellectually equipped to understand the brilliance of this author. He did win a Booker after all! I was bored by most of the stories and didn't really see the point. They just seemed like short little snippets of ordinary life for the most part. With one or two, just as things were potentially getting interesting the story was over. Maybe I'm just not cut out to read short stories because they leave me wanting more. My favorite story was the creepy "Ajax" but it was really the only one I felt any interest in. None of the stories resonated with me and I forgot them right after finishing. The book was very well written but it just wasn't subject matter that interested me.
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads. Thank you!
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads. Thank you!
September 11, 2014
This is a nice collection of short stories in the style we are used to by Graham Swift. His stories focus on normal people and events that have shaped their lives. He shows them where they are now with the occasional flashback.
As with every coleection of short stories I liked some more than others, but of course didn't write down which.
I can only recommend this to any fan of Graham Swift and also stories about everyday people looking back at their past and how that is connected to their present.
As with every coleection of short stories I liked some more than others, but of course didn't write down which.
I can only recommend this to any fan of Graham Swift and also stories about everyday people looking back at their past and how that is connected to their present.
February 7, 2016
This book has often come up as a recommendation and I had great hopes for it with its collection of short stories about different people living in England. Unfortunately I came away from it feeling a little disappointed. Don’t get me wrong, it contains some great stories and the first one was certainly a great start and they are well written (as you’d expect of such a prominent writer), but sadly many were entirely unmemorable and I couldn't really see why some of the stories had been told. In the end though it was a pleasant read and had some interesting nuggets and it was worth a read.
March 10, 2016
This is a good read. Graham Swift catches, perfectly, the disparate voices of contemporary England. See my full review of this, together with Julian Barnes' 'Pulse' at http://thestorybazaar.com/short-stories/
December 22, 2014
A beautiful collection of short stories. Each with its own specific atmosphere and self contained story. Amazing skill to paint so much within a few pages. Truly magnificent. The following are short notes more to jog the memory than to present merit of each story.
Going up In the World
Charlie Yates - a small, compact man, met Don Abbot in the kindergarten and they became friends for life. They set up a window washing company operating in the city of London. They made their way in life, moved to a better suburbs and live comfortable lives. Charlie's son is marine biologist, whilst Don's works in stock broking. Story ends just before financial crisis in 2008. Charlie jogs every morning and stared worrying about Don being unfit and obese. He does not want to loose his big friend.
Wonders Will Never Cease
Aaron and a narrator are young PE teachers. Aaron was the one after whom girls were running, while the narrator was taking up his rejects. He married one of them - Patty. A few years after college Aaron asked the narrator to be is witness at his marriage ceremony to Wanda. It turned out Wanda was a competition runner and Aaron ended up training with her and running behind her as she was much more fit than Aaron. The narrator and Patty found it humorous.
People Are Life
A narrator is a barber in his sixties. He is about to finish for the day and is cutting hair of his last customer. Having asked his customer if he had any friends, he answered he had meetings. He told him he had friends when he was young.They hung around together all the time. They never thought about it. That was having friends. Meeting people, talking to them is not having friends. The barber himself had two sons, who were working in IT and ashamed their father to be barber. He enjoyed coming home and being on his own.
Remember This
Nick and Lisa - freshly married, decide to make their wills and see Mr Reeves. They get dressed for occasion and celebrate this event. At night, Nick gets up and writes a letter to Lisa that she is the love of his life. He writes that she should remember this. He doesn't deliver his letter. Years later they divorce and Nick continues to read his letter thinking of himself as a poor fool, who was so happy when he was young and all this changed.
The Best Days
Two old school friends meet at funeral of their principal. They come across a girl who they were both chasing. She still looks good. She is with her mother and father. Mother dressed like her daughter and looking tacky. One of the friends, when at school found the girl's bag left on the bus. He walked to her home to return it. Mother took the bag and asked him to wait for her daughter as she was away. Soon after she made the boy to have sex with her. No one was told about that but boy was affected for life. When they met at funeral boy told his friend to realise that when they were younger they were chasing women, but then years later that was what they ended up with.
Half a Loaf
Having lost his wife the narrator meets a young woman less than half of his age. He shares her with her boyfriend. He is afraid she breaks the contact. He feels he can hear his wife wishing him happiness but worries that, as his mother used to say - all good things must end, and he will loose his contact with his deceased wife.
Saving Grace
Dr Shah, a cardiologist of Indian father and British mother likes to reminiscence with his recovered patients about his father who signed up in India to fight for British, was sent to landing in Normandy and got heavily wounded, ending up in the leg ward of hospital in Dorset. He was to undertake his leg amputation but thanks to a junior Indian doctor advice decided to attempt other cure. None of his patient friends wanted to be helped by the Indian doctor and ended up loosing their limbs. Dr's Shah's father recovered and married one of the nurses working in hospital. After the war he worked as a porter for number of years and finally was promoted to a lowest grade clerk. Thanks to his Indian doctor's advice he recovered and had his son study medicine. In that he regained his dignity and felt happy living his life.
Tragedy, Tragedy
A discussion between two friends working at warehouse at their break. One questions a word tragedy used to describe accidents. Like all the other stories, a delightful situation and self-contained story.
As Much Love as Possible
Bill visits his best friend Alec and his wife Sue, having been invited by Alec to share a bottle of single malt while Sue is to spend evening out with girls. It turns out Alec forgot to book a taxi for Sue and Bill offers her lift. On arrival he attempts a pass at Sue.
Yorkshire
Daisy Leight married a pilot - Larry Baker during the war. They had a daughter. Many years later, when Larry is over 70 he is accused by his daughter of abuse when child. The whole story focuses on a night before Larry is to go to Police station to clear his name and Daisy thinking about her life and her daughter.
Holly and Polly
Holly and Polly work in a birth clinic in England as clinical embryologists. Both came from Ireland. Become close friends.
Keys
John takes his wife Clare to the station, as she is to visit her brother who is very sick. John hates the man and considers him a week person, unlike himself. He intends to spend weekend working at home on his work project. Having arrived back home he notices that he left his keys inside. Plans to borrow a ladder from one of the neighbours to get in through the first story window to his office. He realises that both his neighbours are away on holidays. He notices a cleaner entering next door. He asks her to let him in to get a ladder. As it's raining she suggests he waits till rain stops. Soon after he ends up in bed with her and stays the night. He realises his power over women which he hoped he would loose by getting married. Unfortunately, this has not happened and the cleaner girl is just one of many.
Lawrence of Arabia
A woman just lost her husband. On her way home from hospital where her husband has passed away she sees people reading newspapers with obituaries of Peter O'Toole who played Lawrence of Arabia in the movies. She question if it's fair to Peter O'Toole to be shown as Lawrence of Arabia, who physically was very different. She wants to be with her husband but this is not possible anymore.
Ajax
A story about young boy and his elderly educated neighbour, considered as weird by his parents, as he was exercising in his backyard, vegetarian and was involved in alternative healing. The boy helps the neighbour to clean his drains with Ajax and then discovers the neighbour wasn't vegetarian as there was some meat stuck in the drain.
Was She the Only One?
A story from First World War. A young woman marries a station master who gets called to the front. She wears his shirt as a talisman. The husband gets shell shocked at the front and given leave. On his return he notices his shirt, dirty and crumpled and attacks his wife in fit of jealousy. She washes his shirt and he return to front only to get killed. After the war the widow gets married again and has children. Her marriage is happy.
Knife
A 12 years old boy returns from school. He hears his mother in the room having sex with her boyfriend. His father left them long time ago. The boy belongs to a gang and wants to take a knife from the kitchen as his older gang members want him to commit a crime to tie him up with the gang.
Mrs Kaminski
An old widow, who was married a polish pilot is taken to hospital. She lives in her old world with spirits of her long lost husband and her son who went to Poland in the 60s and never came back. This is perhaps the best story of the whole book. A conversation between the widow and the young nurse is brilliant.
Dog
Adrian, in his fifties takes his very little daughter in a pram to the local park. He loves taking his daughter for a walk. He is married to much younger woman. In the park a dog on a loose attacks another young girl. Everyone freezes but Adrian retains his cool and fights the dog off. He becomes a hero and feels good especially that the young fathers present there did not have as much courage as he and consequently saved the life of the girl.
Fusilly
A man is dong his shopping. He reminds himself a phone call from his son serving in Iraq. This was the last time he talked to him. Soon after his son got killed. Family is devastated by this.
I Live Alone
A middle aged lawyer visits his doctor to learn that the reason behind a blackout he suffered from recently is incurable disease which is terminal. He remembers all the people who died before him, starting with his colleague when he was 12 years old and ending on his wife who died when they got thrown off their yacht and she was never seen again. He decides to behave in a professional manner and walks back to his office where as nothing happened attends to an interview with woman trying to get divorce.
Articles of War
A young officer arrives at Plymouth to join one of the ships to be in charge of artillery. He stays overnight at the Bell. He is full of anxiety what is going to happen. The year is 1805 and England is at war with French. He considers his future behaviour in case he sees action. He is determine to remain calm and give good example to his crew.
Saint Peter
A story of vicar's son, who lost his father when he was eight years old. He remembered quite distinctly when at the start of Easter holiday his father picked him up from the school and walked home. He never did that before. When they got home he told him a story of Saint Peter, and that he was human not a saint. His father died before Christmas of the same year. His mother did not cry. Soon after he got a step father - a local teacher called Peter. When Peter left his mother 20 years later his mother cried a lot. Her son could not understand it.
First On the Scene
A widower with symptoms of Parkinson's enjoys his walks in the country to remind himself about a great pleasure he derived from them when his wife was alive and both instead of driving into the country used to take a train and then walk in the countryside. On one of his walks he crosses through the dense forest to a spot where he used to have a picnic with his wife. From a distance he notices a red square, which he takes for some other people using his spot. However, when coming closer he notices a young woman laying dead. The widower starts to panic and wishes his wife were there as she could tell him what to do. He starts shaking but tries to control his involuntary movements. At the end his gathers his courage and rings emergency. It's not known if he managed to get through with it though.
England
Early in the morning,a coastguard drives through the moor on his way to work. He comes across a car that slipped off the road. He decides to check on the car. It turns out the car was driven by a black comedian who had come across a young deer and in order to avoid it slipped off the road. The coast guard helps the man and drives away. He realises that he hasn't seen much life staying in one place most of his life.
Going up In the World
Charlie Yates - a small, compact man, met Don Abbot in the kindergarten and they became friends for life. They set up a window washing company operating in the city of London. They made their way in life, moved to a better suburbs and live comfortable lives. Charlie's son is marine biologist, whilst Don's works in stock broking. Story ends just before financial crisis in 2008. Charlie jogs every morning and stared worrying about Don being unfit and obese. He does not want to loose his big friend.
Wonders Will Never Cease
Aaron and a narrator are young PE teachers. Aaron was the one after whom girls were running, while the narrator was taking up his rejects. He married one of them - Patty. A few years after college Aaron asked the narrator to be is witness at his marriage ceremony to Wanda. It turned out Wanda was a competition runner and Aaron ended up training with her and running behind her as she was much more fit than Aaron. The narrator and Patty found it humorous.
People Are Life
A narrator is a barber in his sixties. He is about to finish for the day and is cutting hair of his last customer. Having asked his customer if he had any friends, he answered he had meetings. He told him he had friends when he was young.They hung around together all the time. They never thought about it. That was having friends. Meeting people, talking to them is not having friends. The barber himself had two sons, who were working in IT and ashamed their father to be barber. He enjoyed coming home and being on his own.
Remember This
Nick and Lisa - freshly married, decide to make their wills and see Mr Reeves. They get dressed for occasion and celebrate this event. At night, Nick gets up and writes a letter to Lisa that she is the love of his life. He writes that she should remember this. He doesn't deliver his letter. Years later they divorce and Nick continues to read his letter thinking of himself as a poor fool, who was so happy when he was young and all this changed.
The Best Days
Two old school friends meet at funeral of their principal. They come across a girl who they were both chasing. She still looks good. She is with her mother and father. Mother dressed like her daughter and looking tacky. One of the friends, when at school found the girl's bag left on the bus. He walked to her home to return it. Mother took the bag and asked him to wait for her daughter as she was away. Soon after she made the boy to have sex with her. No one was told about that but boy was affected for life. When they met at funeral boy told his friend to realise that when they were younger they were chasing women, but then years later that was what they ended up with.
Half a Loaf
Having lost his wife the narrator meets a young woman less than half of his age. He shares her with her boyfriend. He is afraid she breaks the contact. He feels he can hear his wife wishing him happiness but worries that, as his mother used to say - all good things must end, and he will loose his contact with his deceased wife.
Saving Grace
Dr Shah, a cardiologist of Indian father and British mother likes to reminiscence with his recovered patients about his father who signed up in India to fight for British, was sent to landing in Normandy and got heavily wounded, ending up in the leg ward of hospital in Dorset. He was to undertake his leg amputation but thanks to a junior Indian doctor advice decided to attempt other cure. None of his patient friends wanted to be helped by the Indian doctor and ended up loosing their limbs. Dr's Shah's father recovered and married one of the nurses working in hospital. After the war he worked as a porter for number of years and finally was promoted to a lowest grade clerk. Thanks to his Indian doctor's advice he recovered and had his son study medicine. In that he regained his dignity and felt happy living his life.
Tragedy, Tragedy
A discussion between two friends working at warehouse at their break. One questions a word tragedy used to describe accidents. Like all the other stories, a delightful situation and self-contained story.
As Much Love as Possible
Bill visits his best friend Alec and his wife Sue, having been invited by Alec to share a bottle of single malt while Sue is to spend evening out with girls. It turns out Alec forgot to book a taxi for Sue and Bill offers her lift. On arrival he attempts a pass at Sue.
Yorkshire
Daisy Leight married a pilot - Larry Baker during the war. They had a daughter. Many years later, when Larry is over 70 he is accused by his daughter of abuse when child. The whole story focuses on a night before Larry is to go to Police station to clear his name and Daisy thinking about her life and her daughter.
Holly and Polly
Holly and Polly work in a birth clinic in England as clinical embryologists. Both came from Ireland. Become close friends.
Keys
John takes his wife Clare to the station, as she is to visit her brother who is very sick. John hates the man and considers him a week person, unlike himself. He intends to spend weekend working at home on his work project. Having arrived back home he notices that he left his keys inside. Plans to borrow a ladder from one of the neighbours to get in through the first story window to his office. He realises that both his neighbours are away on holidays. He notices a cleaner entering next door. He asks her to let him in to get a ladder. As it's raining she suggests he waits till rain stops. Soon after he ends up in bed with her and stays the night. He realises his power over women which he hoped he would loose by getting married. Unfortunately, this has not happened and the cleaner girl is just one of many.
Lawrence of Arabia
A woman just lost her husband. On her way home from hospital where her husband has passed away she sees people reading newspapers with obituaries of Peter O'Toole who played Lawrence of Arabia in the movies. She question if it's fair to Peter O'Toole to be shown as Lawrence of Arabia, who physically was very different. She wants to be with her husband but this is not possible anymore.
Ajax
A story about young boy and his elderly educated neighbour, considered as weird by his parents, as he was exercising in his backyard, vegetarian and was involved in alternative healing. The boy helps the neighbour to clean his drains with Ajax and then discovers the neighbour wasn't vegetarian as there was some meat stuck in the drain.
Was She the Only One?
A story from First World War. A young woman marries a station master who gets called to the front. She wears his shirt as a talisman. The husband gets shell shocked at the front and given leave. On his return he notices his shirt, dirty and crumpled and attacks his wife in fit of jealousy. She washes his shirt and he return to front only to get killed. After the war the widow gets married again and has children. Her marriage is happy.
Knife
A 12 years old boy returns from school. He hears his mother in the room having sex with her boyfriend. His father left them long time ago. The boy belongs to a gang and wants to take a knife from the kitchen as his older gang members want him to commit a crime to tie him up with the gang.
Mrs Kaminski
An old widow, who was married a polish pilot is taken to hospital. She lives in her old world with spirits of her long lost husband and her son who went to Poland in the 60s and never came back. This is perhaps the best story of the whole book. A conversation between the widow and the young nurse is brilliant.
Dog
Adrian, in his fifties takes his very little daughter in a pram to the local park. He loves taking his daughter for a walk. He is married to much younger woman. In the park a dog on a loose attacks another young girl. Everyone freezes but Adrian retains his cool and fights the dog off. He becomes a hero and feels good especially that the young fathers present there did not have as much courage as he and consequently saved the life of the girl.
Fusilly
A man is dong his shopping. He reminds himself a phone call from his son serving in Iraq. This was the last time he talked to him. Soon after his son got killed. Family is devastated by this.
I Live Alone
A middle aged lawyer visits his doctor to learn that the reason behind a blackout he suffered from recently is incurable disease which is terminal. He remembers all the people who died before him, starting with his colleague when he was 12 years old and ending on his wife who died when they got thrown off their yacht and she was never seen again. He decides to behave in a professional manner and walks back to his office where as nothing happened attends to an interview with woman trying to get divorce.
Articles of War
A young officer arrives at Plymouth to join one of the ships to be in charge of artillery. He stays overnight at the Bell. He is full of anxiety what is going to happen. The year is 1805 and England is at war with French. He considers his future behaviour in case he sees action. He is determine to remain calm and give good example to his crew.
Saint Peter
A story of vicar's son, who lost his father when he was eight years old. He remembered quite distinctly when at the start of Easter holiday his father picked him up from the school and walked home. He never did that before. When they got home he told him a story of Saint Peter, and that he was human not a saint. His father died before Christmas of the same year. His mother did not cry. Soon after he got a step father - a local teacher called Peter. When Peter left his mother 20 years later his mother cried a lot. Her son could not understand it.
First On the Scene
A widower with symptoms of Parkinson's enjoys his walks in the country to remind himself about a great pleasure he derived from them when his wife was alive and both instead of driving into the country used to take a train and then walk in the countryside. On one of his walks he crosses through the dense forest to a spot where he used to have a picnic with his wife. From a distance he notices a red square, which he takes for some other people using his spot. However, when coming closer he notices a young woman laying dead. The widower starts to panic and wishes his wife were there as she could tell him what to do. He starts shaking but tries to control his involuntary movements. At the end his gathers his courage and rings emergency. It's not known if he managed to get through with it though.
England
Early in the morning,a coastguard drives through the moor on his way to work. He comes across a car that slipped off the road. He decides to check on the car. It turns out the car was driven by a black comedian who had come across a young deer and in order to avoid it slipped off the road. The coast guard helps the man and drives away. He realises that he hasn't seen much life staying in one place most of his life.
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