In the Heart of the Country represents a tribute to the many facets of the English countryside. It describes the spring of 1941, the coldest for a hundred years, and June days as grey as January; a reassuring mid-summer of foxgloves and fishing trips; an autumn of kingfishers and trees heavy with fruit; and the rural isolation of a harsh winter with bushes still laden with berries in December. Bates also recalls the darker moments, on hearing reports from Dunkirk and the August Sunday when a black bomber hurtled to the ground.

This book, with its depth of thoughtful charm and nostalgia, by the author of The Darling Buds of May, will delight all lovers of the country.