Quirky short portraits about the eccentric inhabitants of a small British town. Nicely written, nicely dovetailing into an overall portrait of place, it taps into a well of nostalgia without running over into soppy sentimentalism. Beautiful, sad, funny, solid.

Advanced readers copy provided by edelweiss, but I don't know if it hasn't been published in the US or if that's for the paperback or what. ( )

I loved these short stories and the setup they're in... and I love this country, a true asylum for lunatics as the author puts it: this is why I love living here, I'm right at home :) ( )

I enjoyed the collection of characters that Louis de Bernieres offers in this set of stories. But that is as far as I can go. I enjoyed it, but I don't think I would be turning to it any time again. ( )

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. ( )

‘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. ( )