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A Sunset Touch
Clean and tidy copy with light wear. In unclipped dustwrapper with light edge wear
- GenresFiction
256 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 1973
2 people are currently reading
40 people want to read
About the author
Howard Spring
64 books36 followersHOWARD SPRING was an immensely popular and successful writer, who enjoyed a large following of readers from the 1940s to the 1960s; and though, since his death in 1965, he has become rather neglected, his books are still worth seeking out for their terrific storytelling and the quality of the writing. He was certainly painstaking and professional in his approach. Every morning he would shut himself in his study and write one thousand words, steadily building up to novels of around one hundred and fifty thousand words. He rarely made major alterations to his writings (all completed with a dip-in pen!).
Howard Spring started out as a journalist, but from 1934 produced a series of best-selling novels, the most successful of which were My Son My Son and Fame is the Spur.
He was born in Cardiff in 1889 in humble circumstances, one of nine children and the son of a jobbing gardener who died while Howard was still at school. He left school at the age of 12 to begin work as an errand boy, later becoming an office boy at a firm of accountants in Cardiff Docks, and then a messenger at the South Wales Daily News. Spring was keen to train as a reporter, and was largely self-taught --he spent his leisure time learning shorthand and taking evening classes, where he studied English, French, Latin, mathematics and history. He mastered English grammar by studying a book on the subject by William Cobbett.
He worked his way up to become a reporter on the South Wales Daily News, and then in 1911 he joined the Yorkshire Observer in Bradford. By 1915 he was on the Manchester Guardian –proof that he was a young man with much talent. Soon afterwards he was called up for the Army Service Corps, where he served as a shorthand typist. After the war, he returned to the paper in Manchester and worked as a reporter on a paper that allowed journalists to write and express themselves. In 1931, after reporting on a political meeting at which Lord Beaverbrook was the speaker, Beaverbrook was so impressed by Spring's piece (he described the man as ‘a pedlar of dreams’) that he arranged for Spring to be offered a post with the Evening Standard in London, where he eventually became a book reviewer –a successor to Arnold Bennett and J.B. Priestley.
At the same time, Spring was developing his ambition to become a full-time writer. He thought he could do a lot better than many of the so-called authors whose books he was asked to review! His first book, Darkie and Co, came out in 1932 (in this period he wrote a number of children’s books for his sons), followed by his first novel, Shabby Tiger (September 1934) and a sequel, Rachel Rosing (1935).
His first major success came in February 1938 with My Son, My Son (originally titled O Absalom, but, happily, changed when William Faulkner used a similar title in the United States), and in 1939 he was able to move to Cornwall to become a full-time writer (he and his wife, Marion, eventually settled at The White Cottage in Fenwick Road, where they remained for the rest of their married life). In 1940, his best-known work, Fame is the Spur, the story of a Labour leader's rise to power, was published. This is without doubt a superb novel, and probably the one book by Spring that is still being read more than 40 years after his death.
During the war years Spring wrote two other novels, Hard Facts (1944) and Dunkerley's (1946), and, subsequently he published There is No Armour (1948), The Houses in Between (1951), A Sunset Touch (1953), These Lovers Fled Away (1955), Time and the Hour (1957), All The Day Long (1959) and I Met a Lady (1961). Spring also produced three volumes of autobiography--Heaven Lies About Us (1939), In the Meantime (1942); and And Another Thing (1946)—which were later published in one volume as The Autobiography (1972). His last book was Winds of the Day (1964).
It is relevant to note that many of his books had Manchester settings, which led to him being referred to as ‘The Manchester Man’, and
Howard Spring started out as a journalist, but from 1934 produced a series of best-selling novels, the most successful of which were My Son My Son and Fame is the Spur.
He was born in Cardiff in 1889 in humble circumstances, one of nine children and the son of a jobbing gardener who died while Howard was still at school. He left school at the age of 12 to begin work as an errand boy, later becoming an office boy at a firm of accountants in Cardiff Docks, and then a messenger at the South Wales Daily News. Spring was keen to train as a reporter, and was largely self-taught --he spent his leisure time learning shorthand and taking evening classes, where he studied English, French, Latin, mathematics and history. He mastered English grammar by studying a book on the subject by William Cobbett.
He worked his way up to become a reporter on the South Wales Daily News, and then in 1911 he joined the Yorkshire Observer in Bradford. By 1915 he was on the Manchester Guardian –proof that he was a young man with much talent. Soon afterwards he was called up for the Army Service Corps, where he served as a shorthand typist. After the war, he returned to the paper in Manchester and worked as a reporter on a paper that allowed journalists to write and express themselves. In 1931, after reporting on a political meeting at which Lord Beaverbrook was the speaker, Beaverbrook was so impressed by Spring's piece (he described the man as ‘a pedlar of dreams’) that he arranged for Spring to be offered a post with the Evening Standard in London, where he eventually became a book reviewer –a successor to Arnold Bennett and J.B. Priestley.
At the same time, Spring was developing his ambition to become a full-time writer. He thought he could do a lot better than many of the so-called authors whose books he was asked to review! His first book, Darkie and Co, came out in 1932 (in this period he wrote a number of children’s books for his sons), followed by his first novel, Shabby Tiger (September 1934) and a sequel, Rachel Rosing (1935).
His first major success came in February 1938 with My Son, My Son (originally titled O Absalom, but, happily, changed when William Faulkner used a similar title in the United States), and in 1939 he was able to move to Cornwall to become a full-time writer (he and his wife, Marion, eventually settled at The White Cottage in Fenwick Road, where they remained for the rest of their married life). In 1940, his best-known work, Fame is the Spur, the story of a Labour leader's rise to power, was published. This is without doubt a superb novel, and probably the one book by Spring that is still being read more than 40 years after his death.
During the war years Spring wrote two other novels, Hard Facts (1944) and Dunkerley's (1946), and, subsequently he published There is No Armour (1948), The Houses in Between (1951), A Sunset Touch (1953), These Lovers Fled Away (1955), Time and the Hour (1957), All The Day Long (1959) and I Met a Lady (1961). Spring also produced three volumes of autobiography--Heaven Lies About Us (1939), In the Meantime (1942); and And Another Thing (1946)—which were later published in one volume as The Autobiography (1972). His last book was Winds of the Day (1964).
It is relevant to note that many of his books had Manchester settings, which led to him being referred to as ‘The Manchester Man’, and
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 10, 2012
A Sunset Touch is my favourite Howard Spring book. To date I’ve read it three times and intend to do so again.
A forty plus virgin finds himself in war torn London working in a bank where he is chastised by his colleagues for his dress and stuck up ways. A distant relation to the wealthy Menhiot family who have an ancestral home in Cornwall, by chance he meets an American cousin and as a result after the war the fates change his life and fortunes in a way he could never imagine.
Beautifully written and characterised perfectly.
To my astonishment Spring is largely ignored by the writing fraternity and has never been given the credit his fabulous works deserve. I always refer to him as the modern equivalent of Dickens. Born in Cardiff in the late 19th century, he worked at the famed Manchester Guardian until writing became his full time career, it was then he moved to his beloved Cornwall and lived the rest of his live there until his death in the 1960's. If you get a chance to read a book by this fabulous writer then do so, you won't be disappointed.
A forty plus virgin finds himself in war torn London working in a bank where he is chastised by his colleagues for his dress and stuck up ways. A distant relation to the wealthy Menhiot family who have an ancestral home in Cornwall, by chance he meets an American cousin and as a result after the war the fates change his life and fortunes in a way he could never imagine.
Beautifully written and characterised perfectly.
To my astonishment Spring is largely ignored by the writing fraternity and has never been given the credit his fabulous works deserve. I always refer to him as the modern equivalent of Dickens. Born in Cardiff in the late 19th century, he worked at the famed Manchester Guardian until writing became his full time career, it was then he moved to his beloved Cornwall and lived the rest of his live there until his death in the 1960's. If you get a chance to read a book by this fabulous writer then do so, you won't be disappointed.
January 17, 2021
Spring’s descriptive writing style combined with “universal truths” of life make for enjoyable reading- for me, at least.
P. 281: ...”when we are safest there’s a sunset touch, and ‘That’s the time the applecart is apt to go over,’ he said.
P. 281: ...”when we are safest there’s a sunset touch, and ‘That’s the time the applecart is apt to go over,’ he said.
July 26, 2018
3.5 stars. The moral of this tale is "be careful what you wish for". Told in Howard Spring's straight forward lucid style it nonetheless has a couple of surprises along the way. Very enjoyable.
August 10, 2020
I found it very easy to identify with the 'young fogey' protagonist, but that is no recommendation. It's a great page turner, but the cascading plot relies too much on the late introduction of increasingly stock characters - the nymphomaniac, the artist as ubermensch - who then overwhelm the more individualised characters set up earlier in the story. At the end we are left with no idea of who or what the protagonist has become.
August 29, 2021
40 year old virgin gets his inheritance and the girl.
January 2, 2026
Ho preso questo libro completamente a caso, senza un motivo e senza leggere la trama; solo il titolo mi ha convinta, e ne sono stata piacevolmente sorpresa.
Questo romanzo è senza dubbio divenuto uno dei miei preferiti per molteplici motivi, ma in particolare perché corrisponde a pieno alla mia tipologia preferita di racconto: una storia viva.
È una trama molto semplice, quasi povera, ma estremamente vera, capace di fornire riflessioni e suscitare meraviglia nel lettore.
Le descrizioni sono magnifiche, solari e antiche, quasi decadenti; inoltre, forniscono una perfetta cornice alla storia del protagonista.
I personaggi sono così vivi, che mi sembrava di star dialogando con loro, di star vivendo nei loro pensieri, di star provando le loro emozioni, che fossero gioia, rimpianto, timore o abbattimento.
La lettura è stata leggermente ostica, a causa del linguaggio un po’ ardito e desueto, ma assolutamente godibile.
In conclusione, ho seriamente amato questo libro, fin dalla prima pagina, ma un po’ meno all’ultima, quando ho dovuto dire addio a questo capolavoro silenzioso e nascosto
5+/5⭐️
Questo romanzo è senza dubbio divenuto uno dei miei preferiti per molteplici motivi, ma in particolare perché corrisponde a pieno alla mia tipologia preferita di racconto: una storia viva.
È una trama molto semplice, quasi povera, ma estremamente vera, capace di fornire riflessioni e suscitare meraviglia nel lettore.
Le descrizioni sono magnifiche, solari e antiche, quasi decadenti; inoltre, forniscono una perfetta cornice alla storia del protagonista.
I personaggi sono così vivi, che mi sembrava di star dialogando con loro, di star vivendo nei loro pensieri, di star provando le loro emozioni, che fossero gioia, rimpianto, timore o abbattimento.
La lettura è stata leggermente ostica, a causa del linguaggio un po’ ardito e desueto, ma assolutamente godibile.
In conclusione, ho seriamente amato questo libro, fin dalla prima pagina, ma un po’ meno all’ultima, quando ho dovuto dire addio a questo capolavoro silenzioso e nascosto
5+/5⭐️
March 6, 2013
This is the first Howard spring book I've read and definitely not the last. Was so in this novel from start to finish!
March 11, 2018
This is my seventh Howard Spring book and my least favorite. I probably won't even keep it even though I have all his others. Shelf space is too dear to keep books I don't like.
The main character is pretty unrelatable and unlikable. It's 1939 but the modern world disgusts him so much he prefers to keep himself and his surroundings Georgian. Fair enough. But he is such a loner and so aloof that relationships are well nigh impossible.
When he makes some seriously outrageous decisions the reader isn't terribly surprised because he's such a nincompoop we have come to expect it. But they're no less disturbing for all that.
I guess what I want to say is, I had a hard time rooting for the protagonist. You'd have to read it to fully understand but I can't in good faith recommend this.
The main character is pretty unrelatable and unlikable. It's 1939 but the modern world disgusts him so much he prefers to keep himself and his surroundings Georgian. Fair enough. But he is such a loner and so aloof that relationships are well nigh impossible.
When he makes some seriously outrageous decisions the reader isn't terribly surprised because he's such a nincompoop we have come to expect it. But they're no less disturbing for all that.
I guess what I want to say is, I had a hard time rooting for the protagonist. You'd have to read it to fully understand but I can't in good faith recommend this.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews