LIKE FATHER LIKE SON
by DAVID
TIPPING
Like
Father Like Son
is a tale of
domestic disruption and intrigue spanning the course of a year in the
not-so-sleepy Dorset village of Lynchets Wood. Former diplomat
Harold Ingram lives in contented retirement with his wife Thelma –
until an old
colleague from his Africa days turns up and drops a bombshell. Residing
nearby
in professional limbo, their son Luke contemplates his future after
many years
in Hong Kong, but like his father suddenly finds, as he embarks on a
casual
affair with a family friend, that the past cannot be so easily left
behind. In
a kind of narrative hopscotch, the novel skips lightly among the
emotional
entanglements of the main characters while embracing a full cast of
minor ones
as well, from the right-minded eco-bore Michael Green to the
no-nonsense
spinster Hermione Bodleigh, determined to get her man. Good-humour and
civility
win out, yet the novel’s comic element - its sprinkling of wit and
touch of
farce - is tempered by a note of melancholy that underlies the
compulsions of
sexual licence and the simple passage of time. Above all, Like
Father Like
Son is a story of how, through the unencumbered virtue of
honesty, the
present can be made to accommodate the past, and the future faced
without
trepidation.
Price:
£12.95 | Hardback
| ISBN-13:
9781908274144 | Book Dimensions: 210×148 mm
David Tipping writes:
“The
main spur to Like
Father, Like Son came while reading my way through
the novels of Ivy
Compton-Burnett. I greatly admired her style and asperity of wit. My
interest
was further enhanced by Hilary Spurling's splendid biography. I had
always
hoped I could write a novel, and decided to try my hand at a
contemporary take
on Compton-Burnett. Mine is clearly a lighter version; I did not want
the
darker side of her tyranny-in-the-family theme. There are several
allusions
that the reader familiar with
her work will pick up, but will otherwise pass
unnoticed. I must say that, contrary to the familiar picture of the
artist
agonising over his work, writing this novel was one of the most
enjoyable
things I have ever done. I became very attached to my characters.
The
novel follows the life of three generations of a family and their
friends
in a Dorset village. It is framed between the two Februaries when they
gather
for a regular annual party. Harold Ingram is a retired diplomat living
with his
wife Thelma. She is a devout church-goer, he a logically minded
atheist. The
result is frequent banter with a sharp humour, with no harm to an
underlying
mutual affection. Their son, Luke, after sudden departure from making
money in
Hong Kong, has to decide on a future life. He has also to refresh his
relationship with Leo and Margaret, his teen-aged children boarding at
a nearby
school. The sudden discovery that there might be another Ingram or two
in the
world causes initial tension, which is unwound as the story progresses.
Other
themes develop with other characters. Tom Foster, the rector, and his
wife Dorothy
are bulwarks of village life. Rupert and Penny Hall are an ambisexual
couple
with their own personal dramas. Minor characters appear in sketches
that add
some humour to the backdrop of village life. Lynchets
Wood is obviously West Dorset, and St Giles sounds very like
Sherborne.
The story is in no sense autobiographical, though I do
sometimes hear my
voice in Harold.”
"I
am old. I have seen and heard. I know that things are done. Temptation
is too
much for us. We are not always unwilling for it to be." — Ivy
Compton-Burnett: The Mighty and Their Fall
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LIKE SON
by DAVID
TIPPING
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“Many
people say that when they retire they will write a
novel but a Sherborne man is true to his word. Throughout all his
professional
life, David Tipping knew that one day he would become a writer and
following his
retirement, he settled down and wrote Like Father Like Son. His
business
around the world became useful source material and his main character
is a
former diplomat who retires to a village in Dorset where he and his
wife are
perfectly happy until he receives a visit from a former colleague. At
that
point his contented life among the typical middle-class residents of
the
village changes and he has to re-assess his past and his future. How he
does
this and deals with the emotional difficulties that seem to clothe the
lives of
all the characters, makes entertaining reading.”
~ Judith Spelman,
The CONDUIT Magazine
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LIKE
FATHER LIKE SON is now available as a Kindle book which can also be
delivered
directly to an iPad.
Download
now:
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Spend a year in the village of
Lynchet's Wood, 3 May 2017
Amazon review
by Sarah Barnard
A
light, easy, read, Like Father Like Son will ease you
into the lives of the
inhabitants of Lynchet's Wood - an apparently sleepy Dorset Village.
Then just
when you're comfy, drinking tea in the sunshine... the past wanders in
to
complicate their lives.
Old indiscretions and news alike serve to accentuate the relationships
within
the village and adds a level of intrigue to the characters.
Written with a light touch, a genuine feel for a village populated by
real
people, and seasoned with easy humour - Like
Father Like Son is a gentle read, perfect for lazy summer days.
~
~ ~ ~ ~
Really
enjoyed this book - a good read, 17 April 2013
Thoroughly enjoyed this book very much
and
wanted to read more. I found the story and characters engaging,
interesting and
believable. I enjoyed the lightness of the writing and the humour.
Definitely
recommend this book. Suitable for any reader.
ALSO
AVAILABLE

GERALDINE And Other Stories
Price: £7.99 | Paperback
| ISBN: 978-1-908274-47-2 | Dimensions: 210×148mm | Page Extent: 184
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GERALDINE
And Other Stories
by DAVID
TIPPING
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Customer
review:
This
is story telling at its best. David Tipping is never predictable
and writes with great speed, which reminds the reader of Isaac Babel
and
Garcia's Hundred Years of Solitude. He writes matter-of-factly;
emotions
are within a narrow bandwidth and left to the reader to fill in. The
title
story "Geraldine" is one of the best in my view; “Discovering” and
“Oh, The Children!” are also exceptional. In the latter he breaks an
old taboo,
about relationships between a brother and sister. The films “Lovers of
the
Arctic Circle” (of Julio Medem) and “The Dreamers” (of Bernardo
Bertolucci),
two of the best three contemporary directors (the third one being of
course
Almodovar) have the same issue as a subject; other than that I have not
come
across it in literature or film. I also admired 'Neighbours', 'The
Lecturer',
'The Mysterious Mrs Wilmington', 'Circles' and 'Nathan'. Some stories
are
science fiction, revealing the broad scope of the author. A book to
recommend
and to be left on the shelves!
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