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A Month in the Country

Penguin Classics
Series: Little Clothbound Classics
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Brief Description
J. L. Carr's beautiful portrayal of the countryside and the healing it brings, in an irresistible Little Clothbound Classics edition designed by Coralie Bickford-Smith. A damaged survivor of the First World War, Tom Birkin finds refuge in the quiet village church of Oxgodby where he is... Read More
Format: Hardback
$3700
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J. L. Carr's beautiful portrayal of the countryside and the healing it brings, in an irresistible Little Clothbound Classics edition designed by Coralie Bickford-Smith.

A damaged survivor of the First World War, Tom Birkin finds refuge in the quiet village church of Oxgodby where he is to spend the summer uncovering a huge medieval wall-painting. Immersed in the peace and beauty of the countryside and the unchanging rhythms of village life, he experiences a sense of renewal and belief in the future.

Now an old man, Birkin looks back on the idyllic summer of 1920, remembering a vanished place of blissful calm, untouched by change, a precious moment he has carried with him through the disappointments of the years.

Adapted into a 1987 film starring Colin Firth, Natasha Richardson and Kenneth Branagh, A Month in the Country traces the slow revival of the primeval rhythms of life so cruelly disorientated by the Great War.

Series: Little Clothbound Classics

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780241820223

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 30 July 2026

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Penguin Classics

Contributors:

  • Introduction by Penelope Fitzgerald

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 16.0mm

Width: 118.0mm

Height: 169.0mm

Weight: 332g

Pages: 144

Collections

Classic Fiction Classic General Fiction Coming Soon in Fiction Fiction General Fiction J L Carr J. L. Carr Literary Fiction Penguin Books Penguin Classics Penguin Classics: General Fiction Pre-order Books Pre-order General Fiction Pre-orders Pre-orders by Release Date Series: Little Clothbound Classics

About the Author

James Lloyd Carr, born 1912, attended the village school at Carlton Miniott in the North Riding and Castleford Secondary School. He died in Northamptonshire in 1994. His novel A Month in the Country won the Guardian Fiction Prize, was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and made into a memorable film.

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  • A Month in the Country
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