About this item
Highlights
- "R.F. Delderfield is a born storyteller.
- About the Author: Born in South London in 1912, R.F. Delderfield was a journalist, playwright, and a highly successful novelist, renowned for brilliantly portraying slices of English life.
- 608 Pages
- Fiction + Literature Genres, Historical
Description
About the Book
"To Serve Them All My Days" is the moving saga of David Powlett-Jones, who returns from World War I injured and shell-shocked.Book Synopsis
"R.F. Delderfield is a born storyteller." -- Sunday Mirror
To Serve Them All My Days is the moving saga of David Powlett-Jones, who returns from World War I injured and shell-shocked. He is hired to teach history at Bamfylde School, where he rejects the formal curriculum and teaches the causes and consequences of the Great War.
Eventually David earns the respect of his students and many of his fellow teachers, against the backdrop of a country struggling to redefine itself. As David falls in love and finds himself on track to possibly take on the headmaster role, he must search to find the strength to hold true to his beliefs as the specter of another great war looms.
To Serve Them All My Days is a brilliant picture of England between the World Wars, as the country comes to terms with the horrors of the Great War and the new forces reshaping the British government and society.
Subject of a Landmark BBC Miniseries
Includes Bonus Reading Group Guide
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING:
"Mr. Delderfield's manner is easy, modest, heartwarming."--Evening Standard
"He built an imposing artistic social history that promises to join those of his great forebears in the long, noble line of the English novel. His narratives belong in a tradition that goes back to John Galsworthy and Arnold Bennett."--Life Magazine
"Sheer, wonderful storytelling."--Chicago Tribune
"Highly recommended. Combines tension with a splendid sense of atmosphere and vivid characterisation. An excellent read." --Sunday Express
Review Quotes
"[L]ush and descriptive... " -- Books Like Breathing
"A beautifully-written, emotionally charged and complex tale of one man's life, tragedies, hope and healing, set at an English boarding school. Absolutely engrossing." -- Bookfoolery and Babble
"A rich and complex story... the author brings the story full circle in a charming way." -- The Tome Traveller's Weblog
"Delderfield takes his time in telling his story... filled with details." -- Book Are My Only Friends
"Delderfield's love of the boys and the teachers is contagious and provides a touching tribute to this time in British history." -- We Be Reading
"Fascinating... a book to savor. " -- Library Queue
"I can't thank Sourcebooks enough for reprinting the R.F. Delderfield novels. All of them are wonderful reads, engrossing and comforting at the same time." -- Booksie's Blog
"Reading To Serve Them All My Days is an experience, not merely an activity and it is one of those books that give you a story you will not soon forget, that will give you characters that you will know, inside out, and you will crave to meet one more time." -- Reading Extravaganza
About the Author
Born in South London in 1912, R.F. Delderfield was a journalist, playwright, and a highly successful novelist, renowned for brilliantly portraying slices of English life. He has remained one of England's most beloved novelists, with many of his novels being adapted into television and film, including the landmark BBC miniseries of To Serve Them All My Days.