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Louis De Bernières

Notwithstanding: Stories from an English Village Hardcover – 1 Oct. 2009

by Louis de Bernieres (Author)

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A Frenchman once pointed out to Louis de Bernières that Britain was the most exotic country in Europe, adding that it was 'an immense lunatic asylum'. Casting his mind back to the village in southern Surrey where he grew up in the sixties and seventies, but plagued by a novelist's inability to stick to the truth, Louis de Bernières brings us in Notwithstanding stories of a vanished England which will delight readers of his much-loved novels.

The English village was a place where a lady might dress as a man in plus fours and spend her time shooting squirrels with a twelve bore, or keep a vast menagerie in her house. A retired general might give up wearing clothes, a spiritualist might live in a cottage with her sister and the ghost of her husband, and people might think it quite natural to confide in a spider that lives in a potting shed.

De Bernières' characters roam through the book, appearing in each other's stories and painting a picture of an entire community. Here we find the atmosphere of those times as it was in the countryside. Notwithstanding is not about an imagined idyll; it is about people who are worth remembering, whose lives are worth celebrating, and who would otherwise have been forgotten.

Print length

288 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Harvill Secker
Publication date

1 Oct. 2009
Dimensions

13.97 x 2.54 x 22.23 cm
ISBN-10

184655330X
ISBN-13

978-1846553301
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Product description

Review

A timely examination of the charming and, at time, heart-wrenchingly sad aspects of English village life...testament to the rude health of the author's own imagination. (Adam O’riordan Financial Times)

The stories are sketches of lives that settle into the atmosphere of a place and make it unique. (Kate Saunders The Times)

Delightful collection...exquisitely told. (Clare Colvin Daily Mail)

Book Description

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

From the Inside Flap

A Frenchman once pointed out to Louis de Bernières that Britain was the most exotic country in Europe, adding that it was 'an immense lunatic asylum'. Casting his mind back to the village in southern Surrey where he grew up in the sixties and seventies, but plagued by a novelist's inability to stick to the truth, Louis de Bernieres brings us in Notwithstanding stories of a vanished England which will delight readers of his much-loved novels.

The English village was a place where a lady might dress as a man in plus fours and spend her time shooting squirrels with a twelve bore, or keep a vast menagerie in her house. A retired general might give up wearing clothes, a spiritualist might live in a cottage with her sister and the ghost of her husband, and people might think it quite natural to confide in a spider that lives in a potting shed.

De Bernières's characters roam through the book, appearing in each others' stories and painting a picture of an entire community. Here we find the atmosphere of those times as it was in the countryside. Notwithstanding is not about an idyll that never was; it is about people who are worth remembering, whose lives are worth celebrating, and who would otherwise have been forgotten.

From the Back Cover

A PARTISAN'S DAUGHTER

'Sublimely funny and moving...by the time I'd finished this sleek little novel I'd laughed out loud numerous times and, eventually, cried. That's as true a testimony to a book's loveliness as I know.'

Independent

BIRDS WITHOUT WINGS

'Captivating and compelling...a masterpiece.'

Independent of Sunday

'A magnificent, poetic, colossal novel...It is, in every sense, a sublime book.'

Irish Times

CAPTAIN CORELLI'S MANDOLIN

'An emotional, funny, stunning novel which swings with wide smoothness between joy and bleakness, personal lives and history...it's lyrical and angry, satirical and earnest.'

Observer

About the Author

Louis de Bernières is the best-selling author of Captain Corelli's Mandolin. His most recent novels are Birds Without Wings and A Partisan's Daughter.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harvill Secker; First Edition (1 Oct. 2009)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 184655330X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1846553301
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 13.97 x 2.54 x 22.23 cm

Best Sellers Rank: 269,871 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 10,559 in Short Stories (Books)
- 26,773 in Literary Fiction (Books)
- 34,749 in Contemporary Fiction (Books)

Customer reviews:
312 ratings

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About the author

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Louis De Bernières

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Louis de Bernieres was awarded the Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best Book Eurasia Region in 1991 and 1992, and for Best Book in 1995. He was selected by Granta as one of the twenty Best of Young British Novelists in 1993, and lives in Norfolk, East Anglia.

Photo by Taken by Flickr user Walnut Whippet. (Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons.) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.

Customer reviews

5 star		64%
4 star		25%
3 star		6%
2 star		2%
1 star		2%

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Top reviews from United Kingdom

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Sonia Smith

Lovely read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 20 December 2021

Verified Purchase

I prefer Louis's other books if I am honest

Helpful

I Readalot

Hilarious, poignant and unforgettable

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 3 December 2009

Verified Purchase

An episode of Black Books had Bernard saying the words 'You'll laugh, you'll cry and it will change your life', at last I have found a book I can recommend in that way. I have read most of de Bermieres' books and up until now Birds Without Wings was my favourite. I think the reason I enjoyed this so much is because it is set in a part of England that I know and visited in my childhood. The early stories are hilarious and had me laughing out loud with their celebration of the English Village as it used to be. Later the stories take on a different tone as village life changes, children, whose families have lived there for generations can no longer afford to stay as the 'yuppy' generation forced up house prices. The last 2 stories in particular actually did make me cry. The village and characters became real people for me and I was sorry to say goodbye as I closed the book.

If you are a fan of de Bernieres then you won't be disapointed with this offering and if you haven't read him before then this would be a perfect starting point.

35 people found this helpful

Helpful

Hereward the Wakeful

Albeit

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 12 June 2016

Verified Purchase

I’m doing my very best to persuade myself that the raw philosophy behind these stories is not “life’s a bitch and then you die” because there are stings of joy, albeit it on a fluffy bed of beautiful sadness. Come to think of it, and to be fair, there are characters here that live lives with their glasses half full. It all reminds you of something you used to know or of echoes you thought had faded, so much that there is a danger of the author’s imaginings melding with your own memories. There is no-one without a bitter-sweet past and it is that flavour which swells in your chest as you read this book. In a way that might be slightly un-English I feel strangely grateful to the author for re-making connections I had begun to forget. With some regret I know how to hold a knife correctly and I will never live in a tree wearing nought but a loincloth. Live for the day but delight in the past, if you can

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

Lizzy

A sweet book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 18 January 2021

Verified Purchase

This was such a sweet book which harps back to a more holsom countryside.
Lots of short nostalgic stories and full of eccentric locals.
My favorite was the story about the pike.

I bought another copy as a gift for an elderly friend.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 1 June 2021

Loved it

idylic novel but with lots of funny moments

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 13 July 2020

Verified Purchase

I loved this story, it was absolutely gorgeous. The stories of the village were beautifully written and intertwined with each other, All the characters came to life in wonderful tales. Highly recommend to everyone over the age of 40

Helpful

Marnie

This is an excellent book of short stories - each one different and ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 17 December 2014

Verified Purchase

This is an excellent book of short stories - each one different and appealing to all. I chose this for my Book Club about 2 years ago
and it was loved by all. However, wishing to retain my copy, I purchased another "used" edition from you (not having done this
before) for use at the Care Home in which my sister now resides. I have not actually taken this to them, as very disappointed in
the yellow state of the pages and general quality - will never purchase a "used" book again. I know it was only pennies relatively
speaking and perhaps I am over fussy, but we each have our own standards.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 3 March 2014

Verified Purchase

I've bought this pre-used as it's a book group choice and if I'm not going to enjoy it [sometimes I don't like their recommendations] I didn't want to pay full price either. I have tried to read this author before without success. The style just wasn't right for me. The blurb on the back cover appeals to me so far and I'm looking forward to seeing if I can get on with it. Perhaps he's changed!

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Notwithstanding: Stories from an English Village Hardcover – 1 Oct. 2009

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