Add BookmarkMr. Standfast,
I spent one-third of my journey looking out of the window of a first-class carriage, the next in a local motor-car following the course of a trout stream in a shallow valley, and the last tramping over a ridge of downland through great beech-woods to my quarters for the night. In the first part I was in an infamous temper; in the second I was worried and mystified; but the cool twilight of the third stage calmed and heartened me, and I reached the gates of Fosse Manor with a mighty appetite a... (show more)
I spent one-third of my journey looking out of the window of a first-class carriage, the next in a local motor-car following the course of a trout stream in a shallow valley, and the last tramping over a ridge of downland through great beech-woods to my quarters for the night. In the first part I was in an infamous temper; in the second I was worried and mystified; but the cool twilight of the third stage calmed and heartened me, and I reached the gates of Fosse Manor with a mighty appetite and a quiet mind. As we slipped up the Thames valley on the smooth Great Western line I had reflected ruefully on the thorns in the path of duty. For more than a year I had never been out of khaki, except the months I spent in hospital. They gave me my battalion before the Somme, and I came out of that weary battle after the first big September fighting with a crack in my head and a D.S.O. I had received a C.B. for the Erzerum business, so what with these and my Matabele and South African medals and the Legion of Honour, I had a chest like the High Priest's breastplate. I rejoined in January, and got a brigade on the eve of Arras. (show less)
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I liked it but it was incredibly sad. WWI stuff, spies of course, but so much more than that, it's also about love ... in so many ways. With Buchan nothing is ever going to be simple and one's mores and ideals will go through the shredder as like as not - sometimes not quite as he intended, as we're best part of 100 yrs down the road!
I was drawn to this book by a roundabout route. We'd been watcing a programme on Buchan - very good - and "Mr Standfast" was mentioned. We'd recen... (show more)
I liked it but it was incredibly sad. WWI stuff, spies of course, but so much more than that, it's also about love ... in so many ways. With Buchan nothing is ever going to be simple and one's mores and ideals will go through the shredder as like as not - sometimes not quite as he intended, as we're best part of 100 yrs down the road!
I was drawn to this book by a roundabout route. We'd been watcing a programme on Buchan - very good - and "Mr Standfast" was mentioned. We'd recently watched Smiley's People in which, at one point, smiley uses the "Handle" of Mr Standfast. This made sense, Smiley would know Buchan, but I didn't get the full import until I read the book. It's a play on Pilgrim's Progress where one of the caracters is a Mr Standfast ... Oh, and all the connotations behind that for buchan and smiley and Le Carre.
It's an excellent book and story - but be prepared to go through the mill a bit, and enjoy that too. (show less)
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