This sweeping saga chronicles the fortunes of an ambitious family across decades, set against a backdrop of tumultuous social and political change. It explores the clash between idealism and pragmatism, class divides, and personal desires. The narratives delve into complex relationships, moral quandaries, and the pursuit of power and status within a dynamically evolving England.
Why does Simeon Simcox, the CND-marching Rector of Rapstone Fanner, leave his fortune not to his two sons but to an odious Tory Minister? Mortimer's novel unveils the follies and passions of an astonishing array of characters and English life.
Leslie Titmuss is the anti-hero of "Paradise Postponed", portrayed on screen by David Threlfall. In this novel, John Mortimer continues the rise of the complaisant Titmuss, now married to a second unpleasant wife. The author has also written the "Rumpole" series of books.
The acclaimed creator of Rumpole of the Bailey gives us a hugely entertaining chronicle of English life since World War II in these two novels published together for the first time. Both dramatized on the popular PBS Masterpiece Theater series, these stories present a brilliant commentary on the England of yesterday and today.