The Cuckoos of Batch Magna

I enjoyed The Cuckoos Of Batch Magna. It is very well written, engaging and amusing.

The basic story is pretty well-worn: a secluded rural idyll populated by a colourful group of often eccentric people, has its way of life threatened by an incomer bent on changing everything with a view to profit and “progress.” In this case, it’s Batch Magna, a small village on the Welsh border in Shropshire, whose de facto squire dies and the entailment of the estate means that it passes to a rather hapless New Yorker who gradually (of course) falls under the spell of the place and its people…

It sounds corny, and it is in a way, but Peter Maughan is a good enough writer to make this a very engaging, enjoyable book. It is steeped in rich, loving descriptions of the place, its way of life while his characters are very well painted and surprisingly recognisable and there is a very nice leaven of dry humour. There are moments of farce, some charming romances and a general atmosphere which is very endearing. Maughan is unafraid to confound expectations occasionally and there are some genuinely touching moments, all of which gives the book a fresh feel. I have to say that so little actually happens in the first half of the book that I began to get a bit restive, but things pick up wonderfully in the second half, which I loved.

I found this a very enjoyable read (in the end). Whether the idea can maintain a series remains to be seen, but I’ll certainly read the next one to find out. Recommended.

(My thanks to Farrago for an ARC via NetGalley.)

I have been known to try some books which are out of my comfort league, at least to cursory inspection. It is rarer that I like them because I am pretty set in my ways (even if that makes me sound older than my actual years). This was one of those odd cases. 

We are introduced to a small town near the Welsh border in England and in this town we are further introduced to the odd set of people living on houseboats. This random group of people who over time have become family to each other are facing eviction. They band together to curse the faceless new owner of the estate. This new owner surprised me as well, his entire story arc was pretty unique considering the layers that make him who he is versus who he is thought to be. When I first started the book I thought maybe that I would find the descriptions too coarse for my liking, as I sometimes do (which is a personal thing). I was mistaken in this assumption, although the caricatures of all the people and their baser instincts are described, but in a realistic fashion. Their underlying humanity and better behaviour is also shown to us as the situations demand. 

The humour was light and in the background of all those people just living average happy lives. They deal with setbacks with both anger and bluster but once that is spent, they just put their head down and make actual plans. 

I could list the people here, but I won't because the introductions are part of the plot and a way to acclimatise ourselves with the author's narrative style. I have to say I enjoyed this book and look forward to knowing what happens next. 

I am glad I got a chance to read this thanks to access by the publishers and NetGalley but the review is my completely unbiased opinion.

Everything in this book is to be praised ! What a treat ! I read the book thankfully to the courtesy of Netgalley, and wanted a nice, relaxing time. I enjoyed much more ! A travel through location and to the beauty of the British countryside ! I got "engulfed" by the setting, the characters, the plot. ... I was transfixed by the quality of writing. People would stare at me in public places, surprised to see me so focused on my reading and enjoying it. I definitely will buy the following books.

This book is perfect if you want to read something that is funny, gentle and engaging.
I liked how the plot was developed, the lovely characters and the enchanting setting.
The humour was light and made me laugh out loud more than once.
I really appreciated this entertaining book and look forward to reading other books by this author.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

An absolutely lovely read the people the town just charming.Drawn right in laughed enjoyed sorry to see it end.Recommending to all my friends.#netgalley #farrago

As I’m sure you will have gathered from the blurb and other reviews, this book is about a failed short order chef from the Bronx inheriting a hall and a title, becoming Sir Humphrey Strange, 9th baronet. However, Sir Humph doesn’t appear in person until Chapter 10, almost a third of the way through the book. It appears he visited the village briefly after inheriting but that visit is simply reported by the villagers after the event. That did puzzle me: why wasn’t such an important event covered? I guess the answer is that Humph’s second visit has so much more dramatic impact as he interacts with the villagers for the first time.

This is a lovely book. Every character is described and lives in the reader’s imagination. They are all individuals with messy, charming lives (several involving a little too much alcohol on occasion!). The landscape is beautifully and lovingly described, “A moorhen croaked above the murmur of the river dawdling on its way to the fish weir, and something small made a splash.” I just love that “something small”.

The novel covers life-changing events: the inhabitants of boats moored on the new squire’s land are given notice to leave but none of them have enough money to choose a new home they really want. However, the pace is gentle and there are enough unexpected twists and enough romance to keep one keenly interested in what happens next. The border dialect is captured beautifully and there are many laugh out loud moments. I thought the book was slow to gather pace, but I was wrong. It maintained a consistent pace for most of the book – a pace perfectly judged, with hindsight.

This is a very well-written book and is an absolute charm to read. I have never read the Darling Buds of May, but I saw the first episode of the TV series, where the eager tax inspector runs full-tilt into a world that operates at a different pace and with different priorities. This book offers a similar world to Pop Larkin’s.


#BatchMagna #NetGalley

Thanks to netgalley for an early copy in return for an honest review
Have not read this Author before but certainly will in the future
This book made me laugh out loud at many time it's a real whimsical of a read its fabulous when you can totally escape and this is what this book done for me can highly recommend

The World is a changing place - all around Batch Magna changes are afoot - the residents of Batch Magna are just a little more than determined to.hold on to life as they know it. Escape from the madness of life for a while into the glorious, madcap eccentricity of Batch Magna, revel in its surroundings, lose yourself in its people. Wonderfully warm, gently witty, woefully wry and utterly, utterly compulsive. A delight.

This is a well written, engaging and enjoyable book. Batch Magna is a peaceful and quiet place where things seems to stay status quo and everyone is perfectly fine with that. That is until the 'squire' of the Batch Magna estate dies and Humph inherits the estate. Humph has no plans to keep things as they are and wants to turn the estate into a theme park which causes quite the uproar of unhappy residents who want to keep things the way they've always been. The book is entertaining and it's fun to learn about various characters. The author's writing is very captivating and pulls you in. Thank you to Netgalley and Farrago for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this clever, witty, interesting book. There's so much packed into it - eccentric but genuine characters, different lifestyles (a wealthy 'big house' family and much less well-off houseboat dwellers), different aspirations, different motivations.
It's certainly an unusual story, very well crafted with plenty of humour, tension, touches of romance, loyalty, betrayal and just desserts. The settings are delightful and atmospheric.
The author has such a readable style. It's light yet packed with wonderful imagery, sure and engrossing.
This novel sparkles with fun and originality.
I love the title too - several layers to it, as you'll discover when you read the book.

OMG, how much fun!

The Cuckoos of Batch Magna is very well written with interesting well-crafted characters and an easy-to-follow storyline. It kept me laughing throughout the whole story, well done.

Can't wait to read more in the future.