Kindle Price: $7.99

Save $19.96 (71%)

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Read with our free app
You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

Buy for others

Give as a gift or purchase for a team or group.
Learn more

Buying and sending eBooks to others

  1. Select quantity
  2. Buy and send eBooks
  3. Recipients can read on any device

These ebooks can only be redeemed by recipients in the US. Redemption links and eBooks cannot be resold.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

That They Might Lovely Be Kindle Edition

by David Matthews (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 7 ratings
See all formats and editions
No-one thought Bertie Simmonds could speak. So, when he is heard singing an Easter hymn, this is not so much the miracle some think as a bolt drawn back, releasing long-repressed emotions with potentially devastating consequences... A decade later, Bertie marries Anstace, a woman old enough to be his mother, and another layer of mystery starts to peel away. Beginning in a village in Kent and set between the two World Wars, That They Might Lovely Be stretches from the hell of Flanders, to the liberating beauty of the Breton coast, recounting a love affair which embraces the living and the dead.
Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. Print length
    433 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Top Hat Books
  5. Publication date
    December 8, 2017
  6. File size
    1802 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
Next page
Add a debit or credit card to save time when you check out
Convenient and secure with 2 clicks. Add your card

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

David Matthews was a teacher for twenty-two years and a head teacher for eleven. His play 'Under the Shadow of Your Wings' was professionally directed and performed in the summer of 2015, as part of Croydon's heritage festival. David divides his time between family life in Croydon and renovating a cottage in south-west France.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B077S76662
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Top Hat Books (December 8, 2017)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 8, 2017
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1802 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 433 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1785356232
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 7 ratings

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
7 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

There are 0 reviews and 0 ratings from the United States

Top reviews from other countries

BNSW19
5.0 out of 5 stars A quite special book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 10, 2018
Verified Purchase
It’s very well-written: David enjoys language and this comes across. The second sentence here particularly stood out for me: “This, she supposed, is the purpose of memory. We boil and sugar, we pickle, salt and smoke our experiences, laying them down for future consumption.” I could have picked many others. In his language/choice of words, he’s captured the epoch - the times - well, though I can’t lay claim to being sufficiently au fait with the difference between English as it was spoken in the 20s and as it was spoken in the 40s. It’s striking, too, that the language used by - shall we say - the ‘lower’ class is different to that used by the ‘upper middle’ without it jarring and seeming forced. None of this “oi, mate, wotcha” - Jessop’s and his ugly family’s language is different to the other characters’, but subtly so. The sex scenes… - always the most difficult! They are honest, bold but never prurient. The picture of Geoffrey doubled up with Jessop above him is quite horribly vivid - as are many scenes in the book, a credit to David’s ability to paint a picture and fill it with real characters. Was Delia raped by Pollard or did she acquiesce? It will be interesting to see what a feminist reader will make of that scene. (Echoes of Tess?) What I liked most was the slow reveal(ing) of the story, the questions raised in 1940 after which we go back to 1928-30 and then back to 1914-20 and finally forward to 1937-40. This non-linear narrative is brave of the writer and demanding of the reader. The end of the book is terrific. The sexual imagery of the fecund earth as Bertie and Anstace seek to reclaim the womb and their innocence and so (I presume) be born again is something Ken Russell would have been proud of! And I assume the allusion at the end of the novel to the end of Candide is intentional…
Report
Pipipipiper
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent, engrossing book. I would highly recommend it.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 17, 2017
Verified Purchase
An excellent and exciting read.

The story begins dramatically with a World War II plane crashing into and destroying a house with the possibility of the occupants being killed. But that is not the peak of the situation, rather the bland reaction to the news of Delia and her father to the possible loss of Anstace and Bertie.

Bertie is Delia’s much younger brother, or possibly her own child, raised by her parents to avoid scandal, that is part of the mystery, together with why Bertie, a mute, spontaneously one Easter began to sing the eponymous hymn.

The story gently takes the reader back through time to gradually reveal the events that led to the present situation and there is very little second guessing as to how these intriguing circumstances came about.

The writing switches quite seamlessly from the usual third person narrative, to intriguing letters, where one has to read between the lines to follow the story. Then again, we are treated to an eavesdropping style of chatter, where it is necessary to draw conclusions from the local gossip.

It is a sparkling read, with carefully observed situations that fit well their timeline and location. Each of the characters is skilfully drawn and all is eventually revealed and no loose ends are left dangling in respect of their behaviour.

A satisfying and captivating book, that paints a realistic picture of life during two world wars and the aftermath that such conflicts can cause to any person caught up in hostilities not of their making
Report
johnh
5.0 out of 5 stars A remarkably accomplished first novel.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 2, 2018
Verified Purchase
A remarkably accomplished first novel. Traditional in style, in the best sense of being a interesting and well told story without post-modern irony or being a book about writers writing about writers. Polished prose, good sharp and often witty dialogue, very touching in places. Above all for me, it does what a novel is supposed to do - show, not tell, what is happening to the interior lives of the protagonists rather than hammer it bluntly home. Would definitely read this man's work again.
Report
Nicky Hutchinson
5.0 out of 5 stars An engaging read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 8, 2018
Verified Purchase
This story poses questions on the nature of love through exploring the main characters' relationships, loyalties, beliefs and choices . As the plot unfolds the reader is provided with a fascinating and detailed glimpse of life in the English countryside between the wars. The reader becomes involved with the well drawn characters and eager to solve the mystery that is posed. An engaging read.
Report
R. Sturge
3.0 out of 5 stars really wanted to like this because of the themes and the kinds of ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 30, 2018
Verified Purchase
I really, really wanted to like this because of the themes and the kinds of Human problems it deals with, but it sags a bit, particularly in the middle. Somehow the characters, particularly the women, didn't quite come alive for me.
One person found this helpful
 Report
Report an issue

Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report