An English Country Manner

Country Estate #2

by Rory Clark

When circumstances force James Aden to leave Scotland, he finds employment as the agent on Sir Charles Buckley's vast Suffolk estate, where rogue chimney pots, unsavoury tenants and delinquent sheep are the least of his problems.

Genres: Memoir

182 pages, Paperback

First published October 31, 2002

Reviews

[Alexandra · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a dissappointment! This had none of the charm of the previous story, and there's just this really wierd way Clark writes his characters, like he has to make the supporting characters ignorant, lacking in common sense, lacking in personality, or have terrible personalities to mke the main character look really good. But when you boil it down, the main character isn't that good and the story slogs along.

I'll read the third one to finish the trilogy but, I don't know what's happened but this pales in comparison to the first, and that's saying something.

[Mrs B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Land agent James Aden spends time managing a stunning property in Scotland, before his wife inherits a farm in Suffolk and the family decides to move. Fortunately for James, the Buckley estate next door suddenly has an urgent need for a land agent - and so begins a stream of mild and amusing tales from the estate.

From the occult mystery writers who are tenants, to the porn film producer who makes movies on site, there are plenty of interesting characters. At times the author does take a superior tone against the ordinary folk who populate the vast estate. But it’s still a fun read.

[kay cartwright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absorbing despite errors.

I love the wonderful skillfulness with which the author describes the countryside and characters in this book. It brings it vividly to life. Very enjoyable read despite quite a few grammatical errors.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy reading about life in the country, especially the English or Scottish countryside. May have to go with Kindle editions to read the rest of the books. I just snagged the three I've read somewhere inexpensively.

[Lorraine Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good book.

[Phil · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this as part of a set of three from a charity shop - the first was an ok read but not very engaging. Sadly, I liked this one even less.

This book suffers, as did the first, from repetitive descriptions and poor proof-reading. I also found the start of the book very disjointed - James & Sophie move from Suffolk to Scotland to take up a new job, only to move back again a couple of months later. I didn't feel the Scottish interlude added anything to the story, it just made for a slow and messy start.

James' new employer, Sir Charles Buckley, doesn't have much to distinguish him from his first employer, Lord Leghorn. He comes across more as 'Eccentric Aristocrat model #2' rather than a real character. The stories are mildly entertaining, though hardly 'hilarious'.

The reason I like this book less than the last is because much of the attempted 'humour' comes from making nasty remarks about different characters. Brenda, the accounts clerk, is described as resembling a poodle with a 'snout' and as being 'boring' because she just gets on with her work instead of providing 'excitement' in the office. Gail, the farm secretary, is regularly mocked for being overweight. Japanese tourists are 'obviously identifiable by their looks', but 'of course' Americans are equally identifiable for wearing 'hideous clothes'. The cleaner is described as 'squint-eyed Dolly'. A couple living in the village change the name of their house because they are 'those kind of people', while another couple write a letter to James with 'one of those ghastly address stickers at the top which always gave a clue to the sender's social standing.' And so on...

I'm not even sure I'll be reading the third book in this series. 'Humour' which consists of mocking the physical appearance or social status of other people never strikes me as very funny.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book continues the story begun in “You’ve Done What My Lord?”. James and Sophie are moving to Scotland to run an estate when a death in the family changes everything. They have inherited their own land and farm and while it will not be enough to support them, even with the inherited investments, it will be all theirs. James finds work at another estate through the local gossip at the pub and more adventures ensue with tenants needing plumbing fixes at inconvenient moments, a lovelorn secretary, a tenant involved in pornographic videos, and a surprise return of the heir of the estate with a model girlfriend in tow. James finds a way to work through the unexpected while trying to keep his own life on track.

[Ann Boytim · Rating 3 out of 5]

James Arden is a land agent and has a new job in Scotland. James and his new bride are just getting settled in when Sophie inherits her Uncles Farm in Suffolk so they decide to move back to England. IN order for this young couple to manage the farm they have to supplement their income and James becomes a land agent again for Sir Charles. Being an agent means James has to deal with the the village people who live on the estate and at times they drive him crazy.

[Vanessa.Willetts]

I read the first book by Rory Clark and was a little disappointed, so I'm not sure why I got the second one. I kept waiting for it to be funny and it wasn't. Ok for what it is.