Late spring (to serve them all my days part 1) by R F Delderfield

(Amazon UK link)

I've often seen books by RF Delderfield, mostly in second-hand and charity shops. I know there were some TV series made of some of his novels, but I'm not a television watcher, so I haven't seen any of them. Several people said they thought I would like his books, so I finally decided to buy a few from a charity shop.

I began with 'Late spring', which is the first part of the novel 'To serve them all my days'. In this book David Powlett-Jones, who was injured in World War 1, takes up a teaching post at a boys' boarding school.

David settles in gradually, bringing a bit of fresh life to the school, and falls in love. He also suffers tragedy while recovering from the trauma of the war.

There are some amusing incidents, and also some fascinating educational philosophy for its time. I thought the book was well-written and enjoyable, even if not terribly exciting, and there are some very moving moments.

Recommended - though not currently in print, it can often be found second-hand.