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Sleepless Moon
"'No novelist writes better, none can evoke with such perfect art the smells, sights and sounds of the countryside, or depict the essential pleasures with so sure a touch' Sunday Times * 'One of his best novels' Sunday Times * A haunting, bitter-sweet story of love by this finest of British writers * Methuen is dedicated to reissuing the backlist of H.E. Bates' bestselling works. The Jacaranda Tree, The Feast of July, The Purple Plain and Bates' autobiography were reissued to massive acclaim in the summer of 2006. Love For Lydia is reissued to accompany. * 'Drawn with simple, often touching force.' Guardian * 'Few writers have a more exact feel for texture - of a flower, a face, a silence - and it is this that has value.' Spectator"
384 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1956
About the author
H.E. Bates
278 books195 followersHerbert Ernest Bates, CBE is widely recognised as one of the finest short story writers of his generation, with more than 20 story collections published in his lifetime. It should not be overlooked, however, that he also wrote some outstanding novels, starting with The Two Sisters through to A Moment in Time, with such works as Love For Lydia, Fair Stood the Wind for France and The Scarlet Sword earning high praise from the critics. His study of the Modern Short Story is considered one of the best ever written on the subject.
He was born in Rushden, Northamptonshire and was educated at Kettering Grammar School. After leaving school, he was briefly a newspaper reporter and a warehouse clerk, but his heart was always in writing and his dream to be able to make a living by his pen.
Many of his stories depict life in the rural Midlands of England, particularly his native Northamptonshire. Bates was partial to taking long midnight walks around the Northamptonshire countryside - and this often provided the inspiration for his stories. Bates was a great lover of the countryside and its people and this is exemplified in two volumes of essays entitled Through the Woods and Down the River.
In 1931, he married Madge Cox, his sweetheart from the next road in his native Rushden. They moved to the village of Little Chart in Kent and bought an old granary and this together with an acre of garden they converted into a home. It was in this phase of his life that he found the inspiration for the Larkins series of novels -The Darling Buds of May, A Breath of French Air, When the Green Woods Laugh, etc. - and the Uncle Silas tales. Not surprisingly, these highly successful novels inspired television series that were immensely popular.
His collection of stories written while serving in the RAF during World War II, best known by the title The Stories of Flying Officer X, but previously published as Something in the Air (a compilation of his two wartime collections under the pseudonym 'Flying Officer X' and titled The Greatest People in the World and How Sleep the Brave), deserve particular attention. By the end of the war he had achieved the rank of Squadron Leader.
Bates was influenced by Chekhov in particular, and his knowledge of the history of the short story is obvious from the famous study he produced on the subject. He also wrote his autobiography in three volumes (each delightfully illustrated) which were subsequently published in a one-volume Autobiography.
Bates was a keen and knowledgeable gardener and wrote numerous books on flowers. The Granary remained their home for the whole of their married life. After the death of H. E Bates, Madge moved to a bungalow, which had originally been a cow byre, next to the Granary. She died in 2004 at age 95. They raised two sons and two daughters.
primarily from Wikipedia, with additions by Keith Farnsworth
He was born in Rushden, Northamptonshire and was educated at Kettering Grammar School. After leaving school, he was briefly a newspaper reporter and a warehouse clerk, but his heart was always in writing and his dream to be able to make a living by his pen.
Many of his stories depict life in the rural Midlands of England, particularly his native Northamptonshire. Bates was partial to taking long midnight walks around the Northamptonshire countryside - and this often provided the inspiration for his stories. Bates was a great lover of the countryside and its people and this is exemplified in two volumes of essays entitled Through the Woods and Down the River.
In 1931, he married Madge Cox, his sweetheart from the next road in his native Rushden. They moved to the village of Little Chart in Kent and bought an old granary and this together with an acre of garden they converted into a home. It was in this phase of his life that he found the inspiration for the Larkins series of novels -The Darling Buds of May, A Breath of French Air, When the Green Woods Laugh, etc. - and the Uncle Silas tales. Not surprisingly, these highly successful novels inspired television series that were immensely popular.
His collection of stories written while serving in the RAF during World War II, best known by the title The Stories of Flying Officer X, but previously published as Something in the Air (a compilation of his two wartime collections under the pseudonym 'Flying Officer X' and titled The Greatest People in the World and How Sleep the Brave), deserve particular attention. By the end of the war he had achieved the rank of Squadron Leader.
Bates was influenced by Chekhov in particular, and his knowledge of the history of the short story is obvious from the famous study he produced on the subject. He also wrote his autobiography in three volumes (each delightfully illustrated) which were subsequently published in a one-volume Autobiography.
Bates was a keen and knowledgeable gardener and wrote numerous books on flowers. The Granary remained their home for the whole of their married life. After the death of H. E Bates, Madge moved to a bungalow, which had originally been a cow byre, next to the Granary. She died in 2004 at age 95. They raised two sons and two daughters.
primarily from Wikipedia, with additions by Keith Farnsworth
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
March 21, 2016
The Sleepless Moon begins with the marriage of Constance to Melford , a much older and respected pillar of the community.
It turns out to be a passionless marriage, then Constance meets the new young pianist Frankie.
Beautifully written with descriptions of the countryside.
You can almost smell the scent of the flowers and hear the bird song.
H E Bate's has gone out of fashion in recent years but this is his best book.
I loved it!
It turns out to be a passionless marriage, then Constance meets the new young pianist Frankie.
Beautifully written with descriptions of the countryside.
You can almost smell the scent of the flowers and hear the bird song.
H E Bate's has gone out of fashion in recent years but this is his best book.
I loved it!
October 24, 2022
I lived in Higham Ferrers as a child and only finally left home in the late 1990s, so this book was always going to have more than just a literary appeal. I certainly think that understanding a lot of the physical geography added to the overall dramatic scene Bates is portraying here (as it also did in 'The Feast of July') although I did also find myself occasionally frustrated when failing to work out whether other locations were real or imagined.
On the whole the book struck me as a simplified and updated Hardy-esque tale of doomed love, with the female protagonists similarly coming off worst. Overly melodramatic in places, but beautifully observed in others and in general very evocative of an era I could never had experienced. The juxtaposition of the small town set-in-their-ways folk with the exciting, intriguing and alien out-of-towners made for a pretty interesting read.
For me this was a 3* read in general, but a 4* experience given the local personal connection. Ultimately probably a 3½* if I'd have been able to score it such.
NB God alone knows why we weren't taught any of Bates' work in English lessons at school, I studied in an era in which Robert Westall texts dominated (which was no bad thing) however reading any of the Bates books in Northamptonshire could certainly have worked on a literary level, and would definitely have engendered an enhanced feeling of civic pride for my locality. As it is I was completely unaware that Bates had set books in and around his (and my) home towns until I was nearly into my sixth decade. Shame on the local schools, or perhaps more likely the earliest straitjackets of a standardised National Curriculum?
On the whole the book struck me as a simplified and updated Hardy-esque tale of doomed love, with the female protagonists similarly coming off worst. Overly melodramatic in places, but beautifully observed in others and in general very evocative of an era I could never had experienced. The juxtaposition of the small town set-in-their-ways folk with the exciting, intriguing and alien out-of-towners made for a pretty interesting read.
For me this was a 3* read in general, but a 4* experience given the local personal connection. Ultimately probably a 3½* if I'd have been able to score it such.
NB God alone knows why we weren't taught any of Bates' work in English lessons at school, I studied in an era in which Robert Westall texts dominated (which was no bad thing) however reading any of the Bates books in Northamptonshire could certainly have worked on a literary level, and would definitely have engendered an enhanced feeling of civic pride for my locality. As it is I was completely unaware that Bates had set books in and around his (and my) home towns until I was nearly into my sixth decade. Shame on the local schools, or perhaps more likely the earliest straitjackets of a standardised National Curriculum?
March 23, 2020
I really enjoyed reading this. I'd ignored this book in my bookcase for years. It is a 1956 Penguin paperback with really small print which is a bit off putting. However this extra spare time encouraged me to pick it up and I'm so glad I did. I'd previously read "Fair stood the wind for France" which I thought was brilliant and this book is just as good. The descriptions of rural England and life after WW1 are brought to life. Even the weather; you can feel yourself in a storm or experiencing the heat on a balmy day. It's often sad, very moving and well worth reading. I've found another old H E Bates book and I can't wait to read it.
December 27, 2018
A dark, disturbing tale of village life in the Midlands in the 1920s and the smothering repression and judgmental social mores lying beneath the seemingly quaint village way of life. Unfortunately what should have been a emotionally tragic story seems to drone on too long and left me uncaring about these rather dislikable people. On the positive side, Bates is masterful at painting the Midlands with churchyards, footpaths, woods and other picturesque scenes with beauty and a love of the place which is the book's saving grace.
February 6, 2018
it was not what I expected, rather than a physiological dreamy portrait of an unhappy woman.. its a very gloomy cynical tale with an unpleasant cast of characters and a predictable ending ... some nice description of the times though.
December 24, 2025
Exquisite writing, mixed with a Bucolic world of British decorums. All of which reinforce the repression of gossip. A fester of reputations and realities. Not to mention the marriage of absolute convenience, torn apart by disinterest and adultery.
December 13, 2024
Well written but of its time.
July 4, 2025
Sharp and sympathetic, story of love and repression and things unsaid in the English country town
July 8, 2025
This review contains spoilers.
Bates' elliptical style, where so much is left unsaid and where the reader has to fill in the gaps, works wonderfully well in his short stories, but in this novel I found the technique unsatisfying, even frustrating. This is particularly so with reference to the character of Melford Turner who cannot have a sexual relationship with his wife, but manages to impregnate the innkeeper's daughter. Or does he? Is he the biological father?
The descriptions of nature, a hallmark of Bates' style, continue to give pleasure.
The tone of the novel is lyrical, quiet in tone.
Bates' elliptical style, where so much is left unsaid and where the reader has to fill in the gaps, works wonderfully well in his short stories, but in this novel I found the technique unsatisfying, even frustrating. This is particularly so with reference to the character of Melford Turner who cannot have a sexual relationship with his wife, but manages to impregnate the innkeeper's daughter. Or does he? Is he the biological father?
The descriptions of nature, a hallmark of Bates' style, continue to give pleasure.
The tone of the novel is lyrical, quiet in tone.
March 1, 2014
This tragic book drew me in after the first 50 pages. What was interesting about this author's style was his tendency to selectively cast light on certain characters only at particular times. This progressive spotlight-revelation led to gaining gradual (partial) clarity about what was happening and why. In that way, it was more like real life in that you could see what the character was doing but sometimes couldn't decipher the reasons or the extent of their actions until much later, if at all.
Placing the reader in more of an observer role, there were many lush descriptions of the seasons and landscapes. Although the point of this was how these outward appearances influenced and affected much of what the characters did, I often found myself wishing I was told more about the action and internal dialogue than the surroundings. This style gave the book an aloof quality that kept me feeling like I was only acquainted with Constance rather than having known her well. I knew about her, but her pain was private, even from the reader.
I'm not sure there was much more to be understood about what went on in the minds and hearts of the more shallow characters like Melford and Frankie. Universal feelings like loneliness, selfishness, the desire to be understood, loved, admired, the need for distraction from pain, pride - all these held great power over the people in Orlingford, and in the end, defined this book.
Placing the reader in more of an observer role, there were many lush descriptions of the seasons and landscapes. Although the point of this was how these outward appearances influenced and affected much of what the characters did, I often found myself wishing I was told more about the action and internal dialogue than the surroundings. This style gave the book an aloof quality that kept me feeling like I was only acquainted with Constance rather than having known her well. I knew about her, but her pain was private, even from the reader.
I'm not sure there was much more to be understood about what went on in the minds and hearts of the more shallow characters like Melford and Frankie. Universal feelings like loneliness, selfishness, the desire to be understood, loved, admired, the need for distraction from pain, pride - all these held great power over the people in Orlingford, and in the end, defined this book.
April 17, 2016
A little known work by HEB - and I can't think why. He once again portrays a woman who is troubled and troubling...and ultimately tragic. The description of her willingness to marry her dull and predictable husband is entirely credible, as is her subsequent willingness to fall for the charms of her lover and escape the confines of their sturdy home in the centre of the town (still visible, now a coffee shop).
HEB is able to draw the reader in and keep them guessing how the sad tale will be resolved; and to retain the reader's sympathy with a woman whose questionable morality is likely to have produced criticism from some when it was published. Back then, mental health problems were stigmatised; a 21st century reading gives a different context.
HEB is able to draw the reader in and keep them guessing how the sad tale will be resolved; and to retain the reader's sympathy with a woman whose questionable morality is likely to have produced criticism from some when it was published. Back then, mental health problems were stigmatised; a 21st century reading gives a different context.
July 25, 2013
I have read this several times and its always compelling. A hopeless love story. Its not really well written - even Bates himself said it was poor but there is something about it which is captivating. A good read.
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March 4, 2010The sleepless moon by H. E. Bates (date?)
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January 12, 2016Another lovely story from a good story teller. I love reading about the towns and valley of my childhood.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews