Perhaps I would have enjoyed this gentle travel novel if I lived in England or was nostalgic for an England gone past. As it was I actually found it a bit depressing and also a bit dull.

The writing is good, and there were passages that made me smile like this one:
"Before Mr. Finchley had time to look around, the footman had deprived him of his rucksack and cap and, after giving him a long stare, the kind of stare which stamps the words 'I don't believe it' over its wearer's countenance, he led the way up the broad staircase at the end of the hall" (p. 120).

I certainly think this book will find its target audience of older people who enjoy gentle reads.

I read an advance reader copy re-release of Mr. Finchley Discovers His England from Netgalley.

Mr. Finchley Discovers His England tells the story of how Mr. Finchley discovered himself while on traveling like a will-o-the-wisp through England. Edgar Finchley is an established bachelor clerk whose life has been structured around work and responsibility. But with a new manager, suddenly he has a three-week vacation, the first in ten years. He plans to go to Margate, but on the way there, he agrees to watch a brand new car for someone, gets bored, and falls asleep in the back seat. He wakes up when the wild driving dumps him on the floor only to discover the driver is a thief who has stolen the car.

From there he gets into one situation after another, some dangerous and others simply hilarious. I mean he actually gets chased by a bull. Along the way, he meets several rascals and scoundrels, enough to make me think of the picaresque Lazarillo de Tormes and Gil Blas. You can’t really call this a picaresque novel, though, since Finchley is not a rogue, not at all. He’s naive, gallant, charitable, and honest. Perhaps Pilgrim’s Progress is a better comparison, and this pilgrim redeems himself by becoming less fussy, a more sympathetic person.


I enjoyed Mr. Finchley Discovers His England very much. His adventures are delightful and although there are moments of danger and risk, readers know by the number of pages left in the book that Mr. Finchley will be fine. The book is full of humor and misadventure. The only thing that seems a bit obtrusive is occasional authorial noting that Finchleys’ indigestion was not bothering him, that he was getting a tan, and that his hair was bleaching in the sun. This is the physical manifestation of the personal transformation he goes through, discovering that he is not an old fuddy-duddy after all.

Mr. Finchley Discovers His England will be released on April 18th. I received an e-galley from the publisher through NetGalley.

Mr. Finchley Discovers His England at Farrago Books
Victor Canning appreciation site

★★★★

An utterly delightful book! The adventures of a middle-aged, portly, fairly mundane clerk on his first holiday in years. No murder, no romance, no terrorist attacks. Just a very nice journey through pre-war England meeting some very interesting characters. A breath of fresh air!
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley and voluntarily chose to review it.

I offered to give an honest review for this book in an exchange for a free copy of the book. Mr. Finchley discovers there is more to life than the drudgery of work. His new boss sends him on a holiday for the first time. He's to go to Margate, but he's off on an adventure that leads him to see much of England. He never makes it to England as his holiday starts with being car napped! It was written in the 1930s, and remains popular today. I fell in love with Mr Finchley, and I love reading about England.

Anyone ready for a nice, relaxing read, full of vivid, clear and lovely descriptions of people, landscape and the freedom of holidays ? Then, this is your book. ! I got tthe opportunity to read this treasure thankfully to NetGalley.
I was totally happy, one day after the other, to know that I'll get back to the story of Mr Finchley. it is timeless.
There are some great jewels, like how a ray of sunshine on the countryside can bring joy. And, this is far more better put into words than I can do, I have to admit I did not know Victo Canning, now, I want to read more from him. I found myself pleasantly surprised by the alternance of twists and relaxing stances of the plot. No real nostalgia for me, I'm too young, and also, I found out of time feelings and sheer enjoyments of reading here, in the moment. You'll need though to add pollution, noise, cars, tall buildings to make it contemporary. The rest is to be discovered in the clever plot !

A lovely book with the story that meanders through Mr Finchley"s many adventures in the English countryside. It is quite a funny book for those with a sense of the ridiculous, which will have many scratching their heads over some of the scrapes he manages to champion. Well written and fun to read.

This is a gorgeous story, set in more innocent times,1934, with quaint chapter headings ,using educated language and terminology to a higher standard,that is not seen today. This book is about the joy of serendipity, the freedom of no plans, but having money and the desire to travel around the English countryside,meeting the various oddballs that inhabit this space. Not all are honest, many are rogues or Gentlemen of the road, but all have life experiences that they are willing to share.
Edgar Finchley is a clerk, and hasn't had an annual holiday for 10 years, a concept that is totally alien in modern times. When he is given three weeks off, his immediate thought is to go to Margate, stay in a boarding house and just pootle about town. However, he becomes embroiled with car thieves, held hostage, fights with tramps, gets invited to tea with Gypsies, is mistaken for an escaped mental patient, gets casual work at a garage and village fair,and generally has a grand old time !! He packs an awful amount of living into his holiday,but the joy and delights of those halcyon days are very well described.
The terminology is dated, but of its time,and is appropriate ,but is non PC in these modern times. It is pure happiness and escapism, makes you smile and want to read the others in this series! I throughly loved this book and enjoyed many appreciative giggles! It brought back many happy memories!

A Humorous Adventure Through Pre-War England
This is a wonderful adventure story. It is mostly fun and humorous. It is definitely a glimpse into a simpler life in pre-war England. It is very similar to The Travels of Jamie McPheeters in the way the adventure unfolds and has a life of its own. While it wasn't the vacation Mr. Finchley had planned, it was more than he could have imagined in his wildest dreams. I plan on reading the entire series! I received this early release from Net Galley at no cost and this is my honest review.

Set in the days of trilby hats and elm trees, Victor Canning’s Mr Finchley Discovers His England is a comic travelogue following the misadventures of balding administrator Edgar Finchley as he tramps across southwest England one summer.

It doesn’t start with hiking boots, however. Finchley’s plan is a seaside stop in Margate, but when he wakes to find himself in the back seat of a stolen Bentley roaring through country lanes with the police in pursuit, it’s not only his holiday which derails, but his entire philosophy.

Finchley meets a parade of characters who reshape the way he interacts with threats, the unexpected, and danger. He chauffeurs a femme-fatale, dines with gypsies, pumps petrol, assists smugglers, and brushes with the possibility of romance.

The narrative portrays an England underpinned by politeness, and a countryside splendid with elm, cedar, hazels, willow, and birdsong. The reader is invited to enjoy the English countryside as much as Finchley does.

The book’s introduction of successive characters becomes formulaic, but Canning’s brisk sentences give the tale alacrity and there’s much in his precise diction to amuse logophiles: pipe-dottle, tumbril, rean, charabanc, carillon, a briar brake…

I’d certainly travel with Edgar again, and lucky for me - there are two further books in this light-hearted series.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I had a Mr. Finchley reading fest and thoroughly enjoyed this light hearted story, a fuzzy warm book

What a delightful read of a man going on a vacation that turns into an adventure. Mr. Finchley has plans to have a quiet and relaxing vacation in Margate but events change his plans. This is not a book I would normally pick up and for that reason I would have missed out. Thank you Netgalley for this wonderful read. I will definitely recommend it to my friends.

Mr.Finchley is a delightful character this is a wonderful charming read.We get to accompany Mr.Finchley on his forced vacation as he bicycles around England he eats his sandwiches observes his country .I loved this book glad there are two more novels two more adventures with Mr.Finchley,

I received this from Netgalley.com for a review.

That was kind of fun. Middle aged Mr FINCHLEY takes his first vacation and ends up on a wild cross country adventure.

3☆

I enjoyed this “old-fashioned” book. I found Mr Finchley endearing and the story was very entertaining. A fun, quick read!

I enjoyed Mr Finchley Discovers His England. Originally published in 1934, it’s a celebration of an ideal of rural England and of a staid, dull Londoner who discovers the joys of adventure and the outdoors, and of his own resilience.

The story consists of a series of mildly improbable vignettes as Mr. Finchley, a single solicitors’ clerk, takes his first holiday in over 20 years. Events conspire to take Mr Finchley not to Margate as planned but on a curious adventure through the South West of England in which he meets gypsies, tramps and thieves (quite literally), eccentric aristocrats, smugglers and so on. He ends up in a life on the road, with loving descriptions of English countryside and features as well as some adventures in which he adopts all kinds of unfamiliar roles. There is almost a feel of Bilbo Baggins about Mr F as he is taken well out of what would now be called his comfort zone and discovers some of his own qualities. The sense of the book is probably summed up in the heading for Chapter IX: “How Mr Finchley is nearly throttled and finds happiness in a view.”

The prose is enjoyable and very readable and the whole book is a warm, escapist treat. Recommended.

Many thanks to NetGalley and to the publisher for an ARC of this re-published delight. It was first published in 1970 and has been a fun read ever since. I see that Mr. Finchley’s adventures (set in the 1930s?) have also delighted radio listeners in the past.

Highly recommended for those wishing a respite from the new millennium and the books it has spawned.

Wasn't sure what to expect, but when Mr. Finchley gets a 3 week vacation he is off on an adventure. Falling asleep in someone else's car, he wakes up to being in a race from the cops. Then begins a series of adventures, with his British approach of an upper lip to the circumstance of each one. Comical and fun to read, although after awhile it seemed to follow the same formula, and therefore became a bit too easy to skim. Other than that, an enjoyable breath of fresh air of writings from the 1930s. Highly recommend.

In Which Mr Finchley Starts His Holiday....
Book one in this trilogy from Victor Canning in which we discover the delightful, unassuming Mr Finchley. Gently humorous, beautifully written and packed with witticisms - this book is a joy. Written in the 1930's, the reader is presented with a slower and more delightful way of life - gentle and charming. When Mr Finchley is offered his first holiday, time off from his role as a Solicitors clerk, he embarkes upon a series of escapades - each more amusing than the last. A sheer delight to escape the realities of life as we know it and more so to escape into the delightful world of Mr Finchley. Highly recommended.

(Review to be published on Amazon)

Synopsis of this book from the publisher is as follows
'From his abduction in a Bentley by a cheerful crook, to his smuggling escapade off the south coast, the timid but plucky Mr Finchley is plunged into a series of the most astonishing and extraordinary adventures.His rural adventure takes him gradually westward through the English countryside and back, via a smuggling yacht, to London'.

Author Victor Canning died in 1980’s Some of his books are now being republished
Mr Finchley discovers his England is book 1 in a series written in the 1930’s. I think the writing was to a high standard and its great to see these books now available to a new audience.
The story is so lovely and reminds me of bygone nostalgic times of Enid Blyton and Billy Bunter. This is totally different from modern gripping thrillers with twisting plots and edge of the seat drama. To me this was such a joy and a release from everyday life with all that entails.
I loved my time with Mr Edgar Finchley who is a portly and middle aged bank clerk on holiday. He ends up mixing with thieves, smugglers, involved with Police across Southern England.
This was such a breath of fresh air. I loved it and would highly recommend.