“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 FATHER 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   

LIKE FATHER LIKE SON is now available as a Kindle book which can also be delivered directly to an iPad. Download now: Amazon UK Amazon US x

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.

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Really enjoyed this book - a good read, 17 April 2013

Amazon review by H Moody

 

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.

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GERALDINE And Other Stories

Price: £7.99 | Paperback | ISBN: 978-1-908274-47-2 | Dimensions: 210×148mm | Page Extent: 184

	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!