A few more books at bedtime, plus one for the cruise ship

 “A Book at Bedtime” is the name of a long-running radio programme that is broadcast on BBC Radio 4 each weekday evening. Its 15-minute slot, that goes out just before bedtime at 10.45 pm, presents readings of fiction, including modern classics, new works by leading writers, and literature from around the world.

This article is the third in a rather drawn-out series of the same name, and like its predecessors looks back at some of the books I’ve read over the last year or so. There’s much to be said about “a book at bedtime,” especially as one can lose oneself in another word, before drifting off into a restful sleep. Climbing into bed, and snuggling down under the covers, with just enough room to hold and read a book, is certainly a good way to relax and to forget about the trials and tribulations of the day just passed.

My most recent “Book at Bedtime” article saw the light of day in December 2021, so almost two years ago, and as Mrs PBT’s and I countdown the days to a lengthy period afloat – a period when there should be ample time for further reading, here is a quick look-back over the books I’ve digested over the past 22 months.

Rural Rides - William Cobbett

William Cobbett (1763-1835) was an English pamphleteer, farmer, and journalist, who is best known for his book, Rural Rides. Cobbett was a radical anti-Corn Law and social campaigner, speaking up on behalf of the rural poor. He was newly returned to England, following a spell of self-imposed political exile in the United States, and between 1821 and 1836 Cobbett made numerous journeys, by foot and on horseback, through the countryside of southern England. On his travels he observed the English countryside and agricultural practices at close hand and saw many examples of injustice and poverty which angered him.

Cobbett believed that reforming Parliament and abolishing the rotten borough system would help to end the poverty of farm labourers, as he matured into a radical left-wing politician. He was also a farmer who ensured his labourers had access to the three Bs: bacon, bread. Rural Rides is Cobbett's remarkable account of what he saw and is a detailed portrait of rural England at the time. It remains one of the greatest celebrations of agrarian England.

Knowing quite a few of the places that Cobbett visited on his travels, makes Rural Rides even more interesting for me, and his description of the countryside either side of the Medway Valley, to the south of Maidstone is one I wholeheartedly agree with.

The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Great Gatsby is a 1925 novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald and was his third book. It is claimed to be one of the great classics of twentieth century literature and stands as the supreme achievement of Fitzgerald’s career. It is rather a short book, and if you want a tip, don’t read the introduction before diving into the narrative. Why? Well for starters, it’s nearly as long as the novel itself, and like many similar introductions, written by various pompous, “literary fellows,” it makes little sense until you have actually finished the book!

Set in the Jazz Age, in a fictitious small settlement on Long Island, near New York City, the novel makes use of a narrator Nick Carraway, who writes in the first-person about his observations and interactions with mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby. Billed as an exquisitely crafted tale of America in the 1920s when, according to the New York Times, "gin was the national drink and sex the national obsession," the novel depicts Gatsby's obsession to reunite with his former lover, Daisy Buchanan.

Why is Gatsby so great? Because that's what Nick tells us. If Gatsby told us, we would just think that he is a rather boastful, and shallow character. Instead, Jay Gatsby, is the embodiment of hope, and no one can dissuade him from his dreams, even though the novel has a tragic ending (spoiler alert). The story of this slightly naïve, but fabulously wealthy dreamer, and his love for the beautiful Daisy Buchanan, is one that embodies the age it was written in, as well as the American dream. Small wonder that it’s referred to as a brilliant literary masterpiece.

I picked up this book at St Pancras International, intending to read on the train to Brussels and Cologne, where I was travelling to for the International Dental Show. Instead, by swapping seats, I manged to sit opposite one of my colleagues from the sales team. She was good company and being Irish had plenty to say as well. We sloped off at Brussels Midi for a crafty beer, and nearly missed our connecting Thalys train to Cologne, but that’s another story.

Finally, we come to the book I am reading at the moment, and am currently 219 pages in to a 821 page novel. The book is Tom Jones, by Henry Fielding, and Tom will be accompanying me on the cruise.

The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling

Often known simply as Tom Jones, the above is a comic novel by English playwright and novelist Henry Fielding. It was first published in February 1749 in London and is said to be among the earliest English works to be classified as a novel.

Tom Jones was hugely popular when it was first published and tells the story of the foundling Tom and his journey towards adulthood and marriage. This journey is a complicated one, as well as a comedic one, involving an intricate and interwoven plot that is full of different twists and turns.

Tom is a foundling of mysterious parentage brought up by the local squire, Mr. Allworthy on his country estate. He falls in love with Sophia Western, the beautiful daughter of the neighbouring squire, although along the way he succumbs to the charms of several local girls. After a series of misadventures, he is banished from Mr Allworthy’s house, and finds his way to London, to make his own fortune. Sophia follows him to the capital to escape an arranged marriage, and the adventure really begins.

The novel's events occupy eighteen books, but despite its age, is very easy to read. Described as a vivid Hogarthian panorama of eighteenth-century life, spiced with danger, intrigue, and bawdy exuberance, Tom Jones is one of the greatest and most ambitious comic novels in English literature, and I look forward to discovering what the book’s hero get up to next.

 Cask, the Real Story of Britain’s Unique Beer Culture

Should I manage to read the remaining 600 pages, or if I fancy a change, I shall be taking along a copy of Des de Moor’s recently published tome –  Cask. The book has received mixed reviews to date, with some complaining it is too long, and others saying it is too technical. One reviewer even described it as lacking feeling. I shall of course, read it without any pre-conceptions and present an honest review at the end. I doubt somehow, I will be able to plough my way through a further 300 pages of text, so that appraisal will probably appear later, rather than sooner.