A Bachelor's Comedy

The young Reverend Andrew Deane arrives at the Yorkshire village of Gaythorpe-on-the-Marsh convinced he's been sent there to reform its wayward souls. He's certain his forceful sermons and dignified appearance earned him this parish, and he's absolutely determined to shed the boyish nickname 'Andy' that still clings to him. But the villagers see through his pomposity almost immediately. From the drunken gardener Sam Petch to the churchwarden Mr. Thorpe, who meets him at the station with knowing amusement, the people of this quiet marshland community have much to teach this earnest young vicar. His attempts to impose order on the Vicarage and shepherd his flock toward righteousness collapse into one charming blunder after another. Buckrose writes with gentle satiric wit, affectionately exposing the gap between Andrew's conception of himself and reality. What could be a bitter comedy becomes something warmer: a story about how genuine wisdom often comes from the humblest sources, and how the teacher frequently becomes the pupil.