This is wryly humorous and very entertaining story.
Mr Finchley has led a hard-working, quiet and respectable life. Up to now, that is. He sets off on his first ever holiday. He’s booked a hotel in Margate, because he’s heard that’s the sort of thing you do for a holiday, but he never gets there. He falls in with an assortment of crooks, who take merciless advantage of him, but this exposure to the wilder side of life has Mr Finchley hooked. Bother Margate, he’s going to go where the wind takes him – on his ‘borrowed’ bicycle. Things never go smoothly for him, but this new Mr Finchley take it all on the chin, and loves every minute of it!
Set in the 1930s this wonderful story whisks us back to a simpler, more innocent time. It’s heartening and fascinating to be immersed in that period – the clothes, prices, food and manners of the time. The writing is superb and the reader is quickly engrossed, chuckling, occasionally tutting (from our modern and far more street-cred and cynical point of view) but always willing Mr Finchley on in his delightful adventures.

Set in 1934, Edgar Finchley is a proper and rather single-minded man, at 45 he’s been the chief clerk at the same solicitor’s firm for years and never taken a holiday. But, changes are coming in the business after his boss’ death, and now with Mr. Sprake in charge, Edgar has been told he MUST take 3 weeks for a holiday. Not entirely sure just what to do with himself, but excited at the prospect with an open calendar and sufficient funds, he’s headed to catch a train. Finding himself with time to spare, he takes the first of many unexpected steps and simply takes a seat on a bench, watching the world go by. Soon after settling himself, he is asked by a man in a Bentley to “mind his car’ as the man has a quick bit of business to attend to, and it appears that Mr. Finchley is trustworthy. Thus begins his three week adventure, wholly unexpected and unscripted…..

Mr. Finchley is soon embroiled in a car chase (without his actual understanding), finding himself meeting and seeing much of the countryside without actually making any real choices as to direction. He’s the ultimate good sport – trying to maintain his certain sort of ‘dignity’ in some of the most unexpected (and new to him) circumstances. Always he remains open and honest, even when those he meets aren’t necessarily so, and while he finds himself at the wrong end of the stick often: including a blackened eye from a gypsy, a conniving maid, inside a circus, even spending time with a group of bagpiping Scots. It almost seems that trouble is bound to happen wherever he goes, and fortunately for us, he’s not particularly stuffy about these events, he’s simply seeking to get on with things and move on after adding yet another ‘tick’ to his boxes of life experienced.

So much action and adventure is packed into this little book, and Mr. Finchley truly does find a sense of the ‘variety’ of characters to be found in “his England”, many of whom he had never thought of, or perhaps even knew of, before his holiday. Originally released in the 1970’s, and set in the 1930’s, Canning was a favorite of many and the language, settings and even the pacing are sure to please fans who like the more ‘classic’ settings and pacing of novels from that era. The language feels somewhat ‘dated’, but clearly accessible in this look back at a gentler time - one that perhaps really wasn’t as the drumbeats of war were sounding in Europe, the story was engaging, entertaining and often dancing around the stereotypical. An amusing read when something totally different, action packed and paced with a relaxed and steady forward march.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at <a href=” https://wp.me/p3OmRo-apI/” > <a> I am, Indeed </a>

What a great story! Loved traveling back to pre-WWII England with Mr. Finchley on his vacation. What a wonderful time I had. Lots of eccentric characters and the adventure was well written. I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest opinion.

This is a charming book capturing a romanticised version of the English countryside and is a welcomed reissue for new readers. From the beginning, Mr. Finchley's holiday adventures begin by him mistakenly getting involved with car thieves and do not stop until the end of the book. In its own gentle way, the action is 'relentless' for the 45-year-old solicitor's clerk and I can not recommend this enough.

This was originally written in 1934 and has been re-released. It’s quite slow but charming and paints an idyllic picture of times gone by.
Thank you to Net Galley for the opportunity to review it.

This is a creative, well written, fun story about the adventures Mr. Finchley has when he takes his first vacation in years. So much happens to this man and as a result he finds himself in some rather amazing and amusing situations as he travels around England. Each time the reader thinks he is really on his way to his actual destination, the story takes another turn. After a while, Mr. Finchley starts to just roll with the adventures and lets them happen while savoring what he learns along the way. This story, although over the top in the adventures that Mr. Finchley has, made me stop and think and maybe not do so much planning for my next vacation, but rather see where life takes me.

This is pretty funny. It's a bit specific in the type of humor used. I can see why it had wide appeal when first published. If you suspend disbelief the entire read and want something light, you'll probably enjoy it. 3.5 stars.

I really appreciate the copy for review!

Mr Finchley has spent his life in London. Now he is taking his first vacation. Nothing goes like he thinks it will. Though he never winds up where he planned to go he does have many adventures and comes home a changed man. This book takes you on a slow meandering of England. Mr Finchley meets many different people and learns something about himself as well as some hard lessons along the way.

3.5 stars

Charming tale from an earlier time of Mr. Finchley, a staid London office clerk who sets off on a three-week holiday which reveals a totally different side of his personality and character. What begins as a welcome but humdrum planned vacation morphs into an exuberant adventure filled with characters and situations that Mr. Finchley has never dreamed of. He surprises himself by discovering that he has a spontaneous and carefree nature hidden under his conventional outward appearance. Quaint and quietly enjoyable. Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in return for my honest review.

This was a fun and humorous read. This book is a re-release from the 1930's, I believe. It is slight mystery with some laugh out loud moments.

Many thanks to netgalley and Farrago for this advanced readers copy.

A gentle story told from an age long since lost where even the villains are kind. A hero that find out more about himself in a tale full of humour and goodwill.
Looking forward to reading the next instalment

View of Post WWI England

A gentle reminder of post WWI England, plot as described by many reviewers. What I'd like to mention is the amazing bits of detail, the encounters with 'gipsies', the encounters with many other people of the road, the nights in the 1930's version of the poor house, the pubs, the walking paths, meeting various eccentric folks, all of which give us an amazing view of post WWI England. From the lofty viewpoint of almost a hundred years after the writing, I also see the hints of the suffering, of the hunchback, of the other people of the road, and of the war veterans now out of place in 'normal' rural society. So, on one hand, an amusing read of an epic journey by Mr Finchley on his first vacation ever at age 45; on the other hand, a poignant reminder of the fact that the life of yesteryear wasn't always so rosy.

Reviewed on Amazon.com

What a fun book! I'm glad I came across this series and am already looking forward to read the others! Great characterization and clever plotting:-)

On one hand this was exactly what I expected - charming, wry, and quaintly funny in a tongue-in-cheek way reminiscent of classic soft mysteries and adventures from the first half of the 20th century. On the other, it felt a fair deal slower and longer then such books typically run. I don't know if that is so much a result of the page count or the way the adventures kept layering one on top of another with some more developed than others... it made the ride wobble, like Mr Finchley when he first hops onto his bicycle. It was enjoyable, but not enough so to bring me back to another book. At least not at this time.

This is the first book in Mr. Finchley’s adventures and I truly enjoyed reading this book. You definitely get lost in the escapades of Mr. Finchley. They are fun, humorous, and leaves you wanting more. As Edgar buys a dilapidated bike and takes off on his adventures you learn he spends the night at the headquarters of the gang before heading out to explore England.

The story is extremely entertaining and if you like reading stories set in the 1930’s then this book is for your.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book for anyone who loves a good mystery. 📕👍🏼

I GIVE IT A 5 STAR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Mr Finchley a middle aged London solicitors clerk takes his first holiday in 20 years. He decides on Margate. Enjoy when fate takes a hand and takes Mr Finchley all over the country on many adventures. He meets many astonishing people along the way who change his look on life. These stories are set in the 1930’s and will bring a smile to your face as you follow Mr Finchley on his holiday.
I was given an ARC of this book by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Three and a half stars.

If anything, this book is getting more prescient and relevant, even if it dates from the 1930s. It concerns a plump and balding middle-aged insurance clerk who is ordered to take the first holiday of his life. With three weeks in Margate booked up, he is on his way there when he falls asleep in a car that's promptly stolen, lives as a hostage for a couple of days, is rescued by possibly a further thief, gets duffed up by a pikey due to mistaken identity, and endures no end of further shenanigans. At times I felt they were a little too broad, especially the latter instance I mentioned, but I guess the man is humble, generous and open to experiences enough for us to like him. That's where the book's message is still to the fore – the way this bloke gets through so many scrapes, and sees so much new, even if unwillingly at first, reminds me of so many different TV programmes concerning the softly adventurous. It seems that our hero could well live this drama in this day and age, especially if he had a camera crew following him, for I doubt a real-life impetus to spark off such a trip would naturally occur. As it is, his adventure (the first of I think three) was never enough to make me laugh properly, but was certainly pleasantly of its time – and, as I say, of now. Its moral of living by the day, finding a bed and a meal when they're needed, and going with the flow, is very much on message with the likes of Airbnb, and programmes like "Race Around the World".

If you enjoyed the Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, you will love this book.

This book was written before WWII and has the wholesome charm of that era. It’s about a clerk who is forced to take a holiday and in doing so, finds himself taking an unplanned trip across the English countryside. That trip has him meeting and interacting with many interesting characters all of which I throughly enjoyed meeting.

This book it’s a testament to what can happen if you take time to smell the roses. It also shows he adventures that can be found by being spontaneous. Me. finchley, our hero of this story, learned so much on this trip, mostly about himself. I can’t wait to read the next books to see how this personal growth effects his future.

This book, by Victor Canning (1911 – 1986) , was first published in 1934. Canning was a prolific writer but moved onto dark thrillers in later life.

Edgar Finchley is 45 and a clerk. His previous boss was a slave-driver and Mr F has not had a week’s holiday for ten years. The new boss forces him to take three weeks’ holiday and Mr F decides to visit Margate. What follows is a direct descendent of the picaresque novels of the eighteenth century: Tom Jones, Roderick Random, etc..

Mr Finchley gets accidentally kidnapped; is threatened with a gun; runs away with a woman; hits someone for possibly the first time in his life; and generally has a wonderfully exciting three weeks. Oh, and I don’t consider it a spoiler to tell you he never does reach Margate!

I wasn’t kidding when I said this is a picaresque novel. Just like those eighteenth century novels, this one leaps from one adventure to another with scarcely any pause in between. I felt almost breathless by the time I finished it. It is a long book, though. I believe it’s only just over 200 pages (it’s hard to tell on the Kindle), but it seemed a lot longer and it took me a few days to complete, although a 200-pager is usually just an afternoon’s read. I guess that’s because the author packs so much into each page. This tells of an England that is gone: buses with conductors; landladies who will pack up your belongings and post them to whatever address you mention in a telegram.

After a while, I did wish that Mr Finchley could calm down and stop having adventures. That’s the trouble with picaresque novels: it’s all action, mayhem and unresolved sub-plots. And that’s possibly closer to real-life than novels, but we’re conditioned to expect our books to have resolution and tidy finales. This one isn’t tidy: it’s messy and it’s fun. I’m looking forward to the next two in the series.

#MrFinchley #NetGalley

At 45, Mr. Finchley goes on holiday for the first time in his life. He makes plans but they are quickly interrupted before he even leaves his home town. Through a series of unfortunate events, Mr. Finchley’s holiday progresses in ways he never could have imagined. The situations and characters he encounters belong to another time and are refreshingly different from modern novels. I would recommend this book for anyone nostalgic for times long gone or for those willing to explore life when gypsies, tramps, and thieves roamed the countryside. Mr. Finchey found happiness along his way and maybe you will too for a few hours!