“But the sea would always be calling them that evening; and when Mr. Stevens took his after-supper stroll in the garden he could almost taste the saltness in the air. It was a habit of Mr. Stevens to linger in the garden longer than usual on the night before they went away; the Office was behind him: he had slammed the lid of this desk for fifteen splendid days, and he liked to feel the holiday had begun that evening.”
The Fortnight in September
By R. C. Sherriff
Source: Advance review copy
Mr. Stevens is looking forward to sitting with his family that evening to go over their plans for their annual trip to Bognor Regis, a small seaside town. Since he and Mrs. Stevens went there for their honeymoon they’ve continued to stay at the same guesthouse run by Mrs. Huggett.
They realize that as the years have gone by their children are growing up and perhaps their time together as a family for a holiday may come to an end soon. Their young son Ernie will no doubt enjoy the holiday but Mary is a young woman testing her independence and Dick has embarked on his first job. So everything has to be perfect for this family holiday.
The train tickets have been purchased, the arrangements for who will take care of any mail or other home business while they are away have been sorted. Suitcases have been packed with care and now they can look forward to carefree days by the sea.
As the family settle into the guesthouse they once again wonder if maybe they should have gone to a new place. Mrs. Huggett’s guesthouse is showing signs of wear but they more they think about it, they know they wouldn’t go anywhere else. Mrs. Huggett seems frail and they can’t imagine having to tell her that they wouldn’t be back. No they can’t do that.
And so the family settles in to have a holiday filled with friendships new and old, a taste of romance, and days filled with the simple and enjoyable things in life.
As someone who loves to travel, I love the anticipation each family feels. Sometimes a bit of trepidation about all the things that need to happen but no matter we get to see what the holiday means for each one of the family members and you can’t help but find yourself thinking about vacations to come. A delightful read.
I’m so happy you got a chance to read this one. Such a sweet kind of story.
I’ve heard good things about this one! I hope my library gets a copy of it soon. 🙂
This sounds good, glad you enjoyed it. Planning and knowing you’re going away on family vacation is fun and it is bittersweet thinking the kids might not come along too once they’re grown and independent. Great review, thanks for spotlighting this one.
Diane – I loved your review and I thought you were spot-on about Mrs. Stevens. She was a worrier wasn’t she? I loved the bit of her when she’s by herself and enjoying her time alone without the family!
Lark – I hope it does so you can check it out. Such a quiet and cozy story!
Bookworm – I thought the author captured that really well. And, a really good read for this time of the year too! I had never heard of this author so I need to see if they wrote any other books.
This is high on my list! It sounds delightful and I think my mom would enjoy it, as well.
Lesley in OR – I hope you get a chance to read it and would love hear what you think. I think this is the type of book that would make a great gift too!