R. F. Delderfield

1902-1911 An age of innocence and hope. Before the storm clouds roll over Europe. As Paul Craddock recovers from his Boer War injuries, he starts to plan a new life. As soon as he is able, he invests all he has in a remote but beautiful estate in Devon, determined to make something wonderful of the place and to be...

1942-1964 Paul and Claire Craddock have grown older in years—but not in spirit. The turbulence of war is followed by a penurious peace. Changes are taking place in the countryside, from the way land is farmed to the hopes and expectations of the men and women who live there. Paul Craddock's livelihood, his peace, and his vision of a good...

1912-1940 A generation fallen. A country that will never be the same again. Nowhere in England avoids the searing loss of young men during the First World War, and the remote Devon village of Shallowford is no exception. Many never return, and the lives of those who do come back are changed forever. Paul Craddock must try to rebuild the...

Miner's son David Powlett-Jones returns from the carnage of the Western Front in 1918, shell-shocked and bitterly hardened by the violence of war. He begins life again as a master at a remote Devon school, controlling the destiny of boys barely his junior. As the years pass, David becomes a teacher of rare talent, begins to find peace, and is...