H.E. Bates Companion

London: Michael Joseph, 1972 (May 30).

Only one of the five stories in this collection, the last of Bates's lifetime, was first published in journal form. The second and third pieces compare in length with Bates's many novellas, while the first and fifth are light entertainments in the style of Uncle Silas tales. The three more serious stories all concern thwarted love, love triangles, and, in two of the cases, the violence that comes out of psyches twisted by love.

Reviews:
Times Literary Supplement (July 21, 1972, p. 835, David F. Williams, attached)

Contains: The Song of the Wren; The Dam; The Man Who Loved Squirrels; The Tiger Moth; Oh! Sweeter than the Berry.