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‘Prepare to be seriously charmed.’ The Times
‘A treat of a book.’ Guardian
‘Utterly charming and very funny’ – Paul Torday, author of Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
A charming novel about an irrepressible man, his long-suffering wife and a Very English dream.
Jack Rosenblum is five foot three and a half inches of sheer tenacity. He’s writing a list so he can become a Very English Gentleman.
List item 41: An Englishman buys his marmalade from Fortnum and Mason.
It’s 1952, and despite his best efforts, his bid to blend in is fraught with unexpected hurdles – including his wife. Sadie doesn’t want to forget where they came from or the family they’ve lost. And she shows no interest in getting a purple rinse.
List item 112: An Englishman keeps his head in a crisis, even when he’s risking everything.
Jack leads a reluctant Sadie deep into the English countryside in pursuit of a dream. Here, in a land of woolly pigs, bluebells and jitterbug cider, they embark on an impossible task…
‘A treat of a book.’ Guardian
‘Utterly charming and very funny’ – Paul Torday, author of Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
A charming novel about an irrepressible man, his long-suffering wife and a Very English dream.
Jack Rosenblum is five foot three and a half inches of sheer tenacity. He’s writing a list so he can become a Very English Gentleman.
List item 41: An Englishman buys his marmalade from Fortnum and Mason.
It’s 1952, and despite his best efforts, his bid to blend in is fraught with unexpected hurdles – including his wife. Sadie doesn’t want to forget where they came from or the family they’ve lost. And she shows no interest in getting a purple rinse.
List item 112: An Englishman keeps his head in a crisis, even when he’s risking everything.
Jack leads a reluctant Sadie deep into the English countryside in pursuit of a dream. Here, in a land of woolly pigs, bluebells and jitterbug cider, they embark on an impossible task…
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Reviews
'The descriptions of England - as friend, adversary and eventually homne - are exquisite. Jack Rosenblum, a foolish, deeply sympathetic protagonist, is exasperating and admirable in equal measure. A touching, surprising and satisfying read.'
'Utterly charming and very funny'
'In her charming debut, Natasha Solomons folds together Jewish baking, golf and Dorset folklore to create a singular comic confection... Solomons crafts a fine pastoral comedy from Jack's eccentric endeavours to reshape the land and from his encounters with rustic labourers who seem to have absconded from the pages of a Hardy novel... Sadie provides a touching counterpoint to the comedy... Much of the delight in this novel stems from Solomons' feeling for types of traditional knowledge that are on the verge of obsolescence.'
Prepare to be seriously charmed.
The descriptions of England - as friend, adversary and eventually homne - are exquisite. Jack Rosenblum, a foolish, deeply sympathetic protagonist, is exasperating and admirable in equal measure. A touching, surprising and satisfying read.
Utterly charming and very funny
In her charming debut, Natasha Solomons folds together Jewish baking, golf and Dorset folklore to create a singular comic confection... Solomons crafts a fine pastoral comedy from Jack's eccentric endeavours to reshape the land and from his encounters with rustic labourers who seem to have absconded from the pages of a Hardy novel... Sadie provides a touching counterpoint to the comedy... Much of the delight in this novel stems from Solomons' feeling for types of traditional knowledge that are on the verge of obsolescence.
The light yet poignant tone makes for an unusual, richly comic novel...a treat of a book.
An affectionate portrait of a spirited man trying to find a little corner of the world where he can truly belong...[Solomons] successfully treads the fine line between comedy and the precarious plight of refugees in an entertaining tale that has resonances in contemporary Britain.
A subtle and moving examination of the dilemma faced by immigrants to modern Britain.
A tender exploration of the nature of home.
Written with and skill, humour and sympathy
[Solomons] has an exceptional feel for the Dorset countryside.
A delightful tale of one man's determination to fulfil his dream.