By Craig Taylor Partner-piece and follow-up to a literary classic that creates an honest, modest picture of rural life in the 21st Century. In 1969, Ronald Blyth wrote Akenfield, a look a British country life told by the voices of the farmers and villager
By Craig Taylor Partner-piece and follow-up to a literary classic that creates an honest, modest picture of rural life in the 21st Century. In 1969, Ronald Blyth wrote Akenfield, a look a British country life told by the voices of the farmers and villagers who experienced it. It has since been translated into more than 20 languages and has now inspired Return To Akenfield. It would be cliched and patronising to make a book following the lines of 'over 30 years, rural life has changed', because it's obvious, so Taylor has skilfully avoided that pitfall with a style that is caring and personal without being sentimental. The content is provided, like Blyth's book of three decades past, by a wide range of contemporary villagers including Blyth himself. While the original image of Akenfield may not have contained biker clubs, the sense of warmth and the voices of the villagers have a reassuring feel to them.
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