Vuoden 1992 pokkaripainokseen on mahdutettu sarjan kolme ensimmäistä pienoisromaania. Etenkin ensimmäinen niistä on varsin viehättävä. Pappa Larkinin mutkaton ja maanläheinen elämänasenne hymyilyttää, ja myös Englannin maaseutua ja Mamman ruokapöytään loihtimia herkkuja kuvataan kaikkia aisteja kutkuttavalla tavalla. We soon discover, Ma and Pop Larkin are unconcerned about late 1950s conventions: a baby is simply a wonderful addition to the Larkin paradise on Earth. The Larkins may be little devils when it comes to tax evasion, but they are the kindliest creatures on the planet who'd never force their daughter into a marriage where she'd not be happy with the choice of groom and they couldn't care less about conventions of marriage either. Having produced 6 children without the encumbrance of a marriage certificate, Ma and Pop Larking know they can easily manage a grandchild that comes from "the wrong side of the blanket".

His short story 'The Mill' featured as the extract in the first paper of the AQA English Language GCSE in 2019. He is most famous for his role in Only Fools and Horses (1981) as Del Boy, although he is known today for a wide variety of iconic characters. He was knighted in 2005, becoming Sir David Jason. The warmth and affection that H. E. Bates has generated through his books is so uplifting' Bradley Walsh The only thing that really grated on me was Pop going around kissing all the women on the mouth with unwarranted "velvety passion"--and this would appear to include his adult daughter. That made me cringe; it was badly out of place. Like the original Darling Buds of May TV series, The Larkins will also be based on the popular novels by H.E. Bates.Herbert Ernest Bates was an English author. The Northamptonshire-born writer was working as a journalist and clerk for a local newspaper before he published his first book, The Two Sisters, aged 20. When he came to himself he knew he could never forget that moment. He was trembling all over. It was impossible to describe what the full soft lips of Mariette had felt like against his own except that it was, perhaps, like having them brushed by the skin of a warm firm plum, in full ripeness, for the first time. Typically, Bates' best-known works are set in the English countryside, particularly the Midlands including his native Northamptonshire and the 'Garden of England', Kent, the setting for The Darling Buds of May. Bates was partial to taking long walks around the Northamptonshire countryside and this often provided the inspiration for his stories. His love for the countryside is exemplified in two volumes of essays, Through the Woods and Down the River. Both have been reprinted numerous times.

Seen the TV adaptation loads of times and reading this book is gorgeously escapist, just like the programme. Makes you realise what a good adaptation it was, perfectly cast. There's so much here I'm definitely going to visit this book regularly.Pop and Ma Larkin celebrate sex, youth, and vitality. In each novella in the series, Pop Larkin kisses, caresses, and pinches most of the women that he encounters. Ma Larkin expects this behaviour and approves of it. When told that Pop has kissed the middle-aged Miss Pilchester, she responds, "Do her good. Make her sleep all the sweeter." Eads, Peter, 1990, H.E.BATES, A Bibliographical Study, St. Paul's Bibliographies, Winchester, Hampshire, Omnigraphics, Detroit 1990 ISBN 0 906795 76 1

Bates was a keen and knowledgeable gardener and wrote numerous books on flowers. The Granary remained their home for the whole of their married life. After the death of H. E Bates, Madge moved to a bungalow, which had originally been a cow byre, next to the Granary. She died in 2004 at age 95. They raised two sons and two daughters. And summer's lease hath all too short a date." How is The Larkins different to The Darling Buds of May?Our family holiday went down in TV history". The Guardian. London. 26 August 2006. Archived from the original on 25 September 2014 . Retrieved 18 January 2014.