The wonderful Kitchenly house, set in a rambling estate complete with moat, “air bridges walled perimeters (frustratingly incomplete), and huge numbers of windows in numerous wings overlooking the grounds and car park. Kitchenly has a spirit of its own, and this is described in microscopic detail. Crofton Clark, the lead character is the estate Manager, or more loosely in his own words “The Help”. The book charts Crofton’s progress. Its strange to think that he’s not yet thirty years old, given his outdated sense of most everything and his awkward personality. I was immediately reminded of Sir Henry at Rawlinson End Vivian Stanshall as Crofton takes on the stewardship of Kitchenly on behalf of his mate Marko. If you are of a certain age this book will bring back so many memories. You get the same warm feelings (nostalgia?) that you get when sitting in the pub with friends reflecting on who was the greatest band of your time, and recalling the change in style, dress, image, all resonate. It’s very funny, and the descriptive passages of a bucolic countryside existence, and dreamy views of moats and staircases are beautiful.