Winifred Belair is one of the returnees who gossip over drinks on the verandahs of the Caribbean island of St Caesare. Fred is good-looking still and eligible, but her friends warn her about the visit from Barbados of the Rev Alex Taylor – ‘looking for a soul-mate to help him with the Good Works – and to save the world.’

Readers of E. A. Markham’s inimitable stories will be pleased to be reminded of the warmth, wit and wisdom of a much-missed writer.

An unclassifiable marvel, its sly humour and irreverent boisterousness make a fitting conclusion to Markham’s last literary endeavour

— Financial Times

‘Wonderfully rich and entertaining . . . radiantly full of life

— Independent

‘Markham’s writing has a deep, unshowy wisdom

— The Times

‘Past and present, real and imagined, melt convincingly together; the prose is graceful, inventive and robust, the pattern of free association yields charming results

— Guardian

‘A remarkably accomplished literary figure, Markham has the lightest of touches . . . Markham’s book, his entire writing project even, is an attempt to be faithful to the crookedness of human experience, the cussedness of the human spirit . . . This is one of the chattiest books I’ve ever read

— Sunday Telegraph

‘These rhythmic, playful, meandering stories create a largely optimistic feel for these wintery days

— Daily Mail