A Breath of French Air by H. E. Bates || Reprint, 1959

Description The Details:This copy is in good condition. Mild yellowing and spotting. Some light staining on the boards. The Dust jacket is in good condition. Back has staining and scraping. The Story:‘I should like to go to France,’ said Ma.‘God Almighty,’ Pop said. ‘What for?’‘For a holiday of course,’ Ma said. ‘I think it would do us all good to get some sun.’ And so at the end of a rainy English August the Larkins – all ten of them, including little Oscar, the family’s new addition – bundle into the old Rolls and cross the Channel to escape the hostile elements. But far from being the balmy, sunny and perfick spot Ma Larkin hoped for, France proves less than welcoming to an eccentric English family. The tea’s weak, the furniture breakable and the hotel manager is almost as hostile as the wind and the rain they’ve brought with them! And when the manager learns that Ma and Pop are unmarried yet sharing a room under his roof, the trouble really begins… (GoodReads) The Author:Herbert Ernest Bates, CBE is widely recognised as one of the finest short story writers of his generation, with more than 20 story collections published in his lifetime. It should not be overlooked, however, that he also wrote some outstanding novels, starting with The Two Sisters through to A Moment in Time, with such works as Love For Lydia, Fair Stood the Wind for France and The Scarlet Sword earning high praise from the critics. His study of the Modern Short Story is considered one of the best ever written on the subject. (GoodReads) Related