The Fortnight in September Kindle Edition

I recently read about "The Fortnight in September" as a recommended selection by an editor at the London TLS.I cannot say enough about Sherrill's literary gifts. It seems amazing to me this novel was written in 1931. the Stevens family is so real and contemporary. it's contagious joy at spending each late summer 2 week vacation for 20 years at a rather rundown seaside guest house in Bognor, England. it is a touching book, but without bathos. needless to say, I have just ordered more Sherril titles from Amazon!

What a delightful book. Even in current times....there are lots of similar events that take place now as did decades ago when on vacation/holiday.

This is a charming little book. Two weeks at the seaside with a family of five, a day by day account.A lot of the book is interior monologs ruminating on life's ups and downs, disappointments, and hopes.Weighed down by the class system and trying to hold their own....each one is hoping for a brighter future.Beautifully written and very touching.

I found it interesting to follow the family as they took their annual holiday at the shore. The perspective of the husband, wife and three children are represented; the setting and time are pre-WWII.

A wonderful look at a family's visit to the seaside. Some say nothing happens there, but, truly, they all come away happy, refreshed and changed forever.

This book was a pleasure to read. I would recommend it to anyone.

Just reread this beautifully written book.A story about life in Britain in sweeter times.Filled with delightful observations about families and life.Highly recommended.

I own the book, but it is a very old book and I wanted to have it forever!

R.C. Sheriff’s 1930s novel is tightly focused on the daily lives of an ordinary, English family, the Stevens, as they embark on their annual holiday to Bognor Regis, the highlight of their year. The character-driven narrative follows them from their surprisingly fraught preparations, leaving instructions for new neighbours to feed bloaters to their cat – the old ones kept the fish for themselves – to sorting out their luggage to the events of the holiday. It’s a format that could easily have been incredibly dull but somehow Sheriff transforms this into an engrossing, often moving story, in a style that falls somewhere between Woolf and H.G. Wells: he explores the interior worlds of his characters as well as the social group that he’s representing through the father and oldest son who work in clerical jobs in the city, and the oldest daughter a shopworker. The minutiae of life for this Dulwich family constructs a fascinating portrait of everyday existence in the 1930s for the kind of people who often fade into the background in a number of other works from this time; or who, like Leonard Bast in ‘Howards End’ more often serve as a foil for more wealthy protagonists. Sheriff also emphasizes the anxieties and the complicated social negotiations that this type of family faced: deciding how to spend their limited funds, maintaining loyalty to a seaside landlady who’s clearly fallen on hard times, worrying about returning to work, desperately trying to stave off unsettling changes in the world around them. All of which makes this sound like a downbeat novel but somehow the depiction of the small joys that the family carve out for themselves, getting a train carriage to themselves, flying a kite, ginger beer treats, as well as the deep bonds between them combine to make this a tender, subtle and endearing read. It’s oddly contemporary too, so many of the issues that face Sheriff’s characters from dealing with office politics, fretting about paying off the mortgage to the heady sense of liberation from reality that holidays can create, will be easy to identify with for many readers. I liked this book immensely, far more than I anticipated from the plot description, and I’m eager to read more by this author.

Having looked forward to their two weeks' holiday all year, the Stevens family: Mr Stevens (a solid, dependable office-worker), his wife (a rather timid housewife) and their children: Mary (who works as a seamstress), Dick (who has just been helped into his first job in an office by his father); and ten-year-old Ernie, are all four of them excited at the prospect of fourteen days of sun, sea and sand at Bognor - a place that Mr and Mrs Stevens have visited for the past twenty or so years, always staying at the same guest house. Following Mr Stevens' 'Marching Orders', a routine that lists every job that needs to be undertaken before they leave for their holiday, the Stevens family set everything in place and, before bed, Mr Stevens takes a final tour of his garden whilst Mrs Stevens prepares the flask and the boiled beef for sandwiches in readiness for the morning. Next day, with everything going just as planned, they are soon on their way and, after changing trains and worrying they'll miss their connection at Clapham Junction (they haven't yet in all their twenty years of travelling to Bognor, but you never know), they finally arrive at their destination and their longed-for holiday begins. After the initial worry and excitement of the journey and their fears that they will not be able to get a beach hut with a verandah (an additional and very carefully considered expense), the Stevens spend their days swimming, sunbathing, taking walks along the promenade and generally enjoying themselves. However, Dick, who is not happy in his job, feels guilty about his ambition to attain more in life than just being satisfied with an office job like his father; and Mary, longing for some excitement in her life, yearns to to be just like one of the young women she sees attracting attention from the young men along the promenade, but doesn't have the confidence to break free from her family. Ernie, fortunately, is only interested in digging sandcastles, flying his kite and sailing his yacht. And what about Mr and Mrs Stevens? How much are they enjoying their break - a holiday which, now Mary and Dick are practically adults, might be the last they spend as a complete family?First published in 1931and now reprinted by the wonderful Persephone Books, this is a quiet, understated story of an ordinary lower-middle-class family who take pleasure in the simple things of life. But although, on the surface, nothing very much happens in this story, it is nevertheless a very enjoyable read and there's actually more to this novel than initially meets the eye. I must admit that when I first began reading I thought Mr Stevens was a bit of a stodgy character (and when we learn early on in the story about how, feeling he is being taken for granted in his position of secretary of the local boys' football club he decides to shake up the other members by telling them he is going to resign and is then shocked when they happily accept his resignation, I initially felt he almost deserved to have his plan foiled) but, as the story progresses, we see what a kind and thoughtful man he really is and how he does the very best he can for his family. And it was nice to read about Mrs Stevens (who usually spends her time running after her family from dawn till dusk) taking time out every evening with her sewing and her glass of 'holiday port'. It is true that if you enjoy fast-paced, plot-focused novels, this is not for you, but I found this character-driven story a very enjoyable and satisfying downtime read and am almost sorry to have turned the last page.5 Stars.

It was a beautiful book to read to my wife who has a serious degenerative terminal condition when complicated plots would be elusive to her providing delightful invites into aspects of the human personality. Would relish finding more books like it.

A delightful read. RC Sherriff explores the characters in a very kindly way, noticing their quirks and follies but also presenting their good intentions. It's a very realistic picture of family life and times. Nothing much happens, but everything happens. No sensationalism, and yet some deeply significant events for each of the family during their two weeks of annual holiday in Bognor Regis. Written to please himself, without an intention to publish, it pleases the reader too!

This book was recommended as a favourite by an author to read during the Coronavirus lockdown and it did not disappoint.It is deceptively simple in style and the Stevens Family seem rather bland at first, but their characters gradually charm you into empathy. There is barely a plot worth speaking of, but the sentiments and sensitivity make for a delightful read.