Notwithstanding

Zusatztext “The experience of reading this collection is rather like being wrapped in a tartan blanket and handed a nice mug of cocoa.” — The Guardian “Sketches of lives that settle into the atmosphere of a place and make it unique. . . . The creator of Captain Corelli is fond of an exotic setting and he has found one in his own backyard.” — The Times  (London) “A timely examination of the charming and! at times! heart-wrenchingly sad aspects of English village life. . . . De Bernières’ alchemy is to turn characters who seem destined for farce into nuanced beings.” — Financial Times   “Comic! benignly forgiving and shot through with threads of nostalgic regret. De Bernières has a big heart.” — The Independent “An amusing collection. . . . [De Bernières] perfectly captures the peculiarities! the quirks! and the tenor of a particular time and place with good humor and great affection. Readers will enjoy being transported to Notwithstanding! where they will be introduced to a variety of colorful characters! whose lives are linked together by an accident of location and an abundance of community spirit. Each individual story is a delightful nugget; the collection as a whole! a delectable feast."   — Booklist Informationen zum Autor Louis de Bernières is the author of! among other novels! The Dust that Falls From Dreams! A Partisan’s Daughter! Birds Without Wings! Corelli’s Mandolin! The Troublesome Offspring of Cardinal Guzman! Señor Vivo and the Coca Lord and The War of Don Emmanuel’s Nether Parts . Selected by Granta as one of the twenty Best of Young British Novelists in 1993! de Bernières lives in London. ARCHIE AND THE BIRDS   ‘I’m not in. Over,’ I told my mother, sighing as I held the walkie-talkie in my right hand and with my left continued painstakingly to stick small seeds to the outside of my living-room window.   ‘When will you be back? Over,’ she asked.   ‘Oh, I don’t know. Over,’ I replied.   ‘Well, I hope you’re back soon,’ she said, reprovingly. ‘This is the third time I’ve walkie-talked and you haven’t been there. How am I supposed to talk with my own son if he’s never there? Over.’   ‘But, Mother, I was here. I was busy. And now we are talking. Over.’   ‘What’s keeping you so occupied, anyway? Over.’   ‘I’m sticking seeds to the living-room window, Mother. Over.’   There was a pause for thought, and then my mother said, ‘Well, at least you’re keeping out of mischief. I’ll buzz you later. Over.’   ‘Roger, wilco, over and out,’ I said.   I placed the walkie-talkie on the window ledge, and continued to stick the seeds to the window. It was extremely tedious, and, as I had been at it since breakfast time, I was beginning to find the whole task irksome. I should have been out painting and decorating and bringing in some cash. I even wondered whether this palaver was worth it. Some of the seeds were exceedingly small, and I kept dropping them into the flower bed. I had heard that a lot of the ones in bird food are actually hemp, and I worried that perhaps in the spring these would germinate. If the village bobby happened to pass by, I might get into serious trouble and cause a scandal in the village. So I was spending an undue amount of time on my knees on the damp lawn, looking for the seeds that I had dropped. No doubt many would be found by mice, but then the cat would probably jump on them and I would feel guilty about having lured them to their deaths.   That was the least of my worries. In fact, my whole life was turning into a series of irritating little problems, each of which required altogether too much time to deal with. In this instance it ultimately occurred to me that the sensible thing would be to cover the window with glue, and then just fling the seeds at it in the hope that most of them would...

Product details

• Authors: Louis de Bernieres, Louis de Berniaeres, Louis de Bernieres
• Publisher: Vintage USA
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback
• Released: 31.10.2016
• EAN: 9781101969878
• ISBN: 978-1-101-96987-8
• No. of pages: 384
• Dimensions: 133 mm x 203 mm x 20 mm
• Series: Vintage International; Vintage International
• Subject: Fiction > Narrative literature