Book description
Penguin Decades bring you the novels that helped shape modern Britain. When they were published, some were bestsellers, some were considered scandalous, and others were simply misunderstood. All represent their time and helped define their generation, while today each is considered a landmark work of storytelling.
J. L. Carr's A…
Why read it?
3 authors picked A Month in the Country as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
This book is one of my favorite novels, featuring unforgettable descriptive passages. Its plot is simple, focused on the experiences of an art conservator traumatized by his experiences in World War I. During his brief stay in the Yorkshire village of Oxgodby, an ancient church is both his workplace and home.
The building becomes a potent, if mute, character in the story. The evocations of rural life are beautiful, though I was captivated by the gradual uncovering of the medieval fresco depicting the Last Judgement. These slow revelations seem to mirror the central character’s search for meaning as he rebuilds…
From Marcus' list on fiction about art and artists.
There is so much to love about this short, Booker-shortlisted novel. It’s narrated by Tom Birken, who reflects on a summer spent in the small Yorkshire village of Oxgodby in 1920. Still reeling from his experiences in the trenches of the First World War and the recent break-up of his marriage, Tom is tasked with restoring a medieval mural on the wall of the village church.
What follows is a tender, introspective story which, on one hand, explores the loss of youth and times gone by and, on the other, examines the human spirit’s capacity for resilience and the enduring…
A writer friend recommended this book about a young veteran of the First World War who spends a summer in a small Yorkshire village to uncover a mural in a church. The peaceful setting, local friendships, and the simplicity of his life in the clock tower, as well as the focus on work, heals him.
This is a gentle embrace of a book, a reminder of beauty and kindness that soothed me profoundly.
If you love A Month in the Country...
These Blue Mountains
A moving story of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of hope in the face of darkness.
German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapsed when her fiancé, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda…
Want books like A Month in the Country?
Our community of 13,000+ authors has personally recommended 91 books like A Month in the Country.
Share your top 3 reads of 2025!
And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.
1,395
readers submitted
so far, will you?
📚 If you like A Month in the Country, you might also like...
Need to Know
The authoritative but accessible history of the birth of modern American intelligence in World War II that treats not just one but all of the various disciplines: spies, codebreakers, saboteurs.
Told in a relatable style that focuses on actual people, it was a New Yorker "Best of 2022" selection and…
Tsunami
On the morning of December 26, 2004, an undersea earthquake struck off the coast of Sumatra in the Indian Ocean. The resulting tsunami killed an estimated 230,000 people across fourteen countries, from Indonesia to Sri Lanka to Thailand to the Maldives to India and all the way to East Africa.…
