Showing posts with label The Cuckoos Of Batch Manga By Peter Maughan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Cuckoos Of Batch Manga By Peter Maughan. Show all posts

Friday, May 31, 2013

Free Kindle Book: The Cuckoos Of Batch Magna

I just received an email from Peter Maughan, author of The Cuckoos Of Batch Magna.  He will be offering the Kindle edition of this novel as a FREE download during the next four days. I recently had the opportunity to review this enchanting novel and you can find my complete review here, as well as my interview with Peter here.   This offer is only good for the next four days...

Book Description:
When Sir Humphrey Miles Pinkerton Strange, huntin' shootin' and fishin' Squire of Batch Magna, goes to his reward (doubtless to find God as true-blue British as his more recent but equally worthy ancestors), his rambling but rotting estate passes to distant relative Humph, a hapless dollar doodler in New York.With $$ in his eyes, Humph decides to make a killing by transforming the sleepy backwater of Batch Magna into a theme park image of rural England - a vacation paradise for free-spending US millionaires.But while the village's threadbare businessmen see the plan as a windfall, the tenants of the estate's dilapidated houseboats are above any consideration of filthy lucre and stand their ground for tradition's sake . and because they consider eviction notices not to be cricket.Each disgruntled faction sees the other as the unwelcome cuckoo chick in the family nest!So, lead by randy pulp-crime writer Phineas Cook and Lt-Commander James Cunningham DSO, DSC and Bar, RN (ret) - a man with a glass eye to suit every occasion (and all painted with naval battle scenes where the Union Jack flies triumphant) - the motley crew takes on Wall Street...broadside to broadside


Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Interview with Peter Maughan

One of the greatest pleasures of being a book blogger is the wonderful opportunities that come along to meet authors from around the globe.  And today, I am absolutely thrilled to introduce you to author, Peter Maughan.  Peter is the author of the Batch Magna novels and in case you missed yesterday's post, you can find my complete review of The Cuckoos Of Batch Magna, the first in this charming new series, by clicking here.  I would like to thank Peter for this wonderful interview; it's been such a pleasure to become acquainted with this very talented storyteller and I'm sure you will be delighted as well!

About The Author:
Peter Maughan, an ex-actor, fringe theatre director and script writer, is married and lives in the Welsh Marches, the borderland between England and Wales, and the backdrop to the Batch Magna novels. All the books in the series feature converted paddle steamers on Batch Magna’s river the Cluny, and he is a former houseboat dweller himself, living in the mid-1970s (the time frame for the novels) on a converted Thames sailing barge among a small colony of houseboats on the Medway, deep in rural Kent. An idyllic time, heedless days of freedom in that other world of the river which inspired the novels, set in a place called Batch Magna.

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Review: The Cuckoos Of Batch Manga By Peter Maughan

File Size: 513 KB
Print Length: 308 pages
Publisher: The Cluny Press
Release Date: March 18, 2013
ASIN: B00BSDM4MU
Genre: Literary Fiction
The Cuckoos of Batch Magna
Description: 
When Sir Humphrey Miles Pinkerton Strange, huntin' shootin' and fishin' Squire of Batch Magna, goes to his reward (doubtless to find God as true-blue British as his more recent but equally worthy ancestors), his rambling but rotting estate passes to distant relative Humph, a hapless dollar doodler in New York.With $$ in his eyes, Humph decides to make a killing by transforming the sleepy backwater of Batch Magna into a theme park image of rural England - a vacation paradise for free-spending US millionaires.But while the village's threadbare businessmen see the plan as a windfall, the tenants of the estate's dilapidated houseboats are above any consideration of filthy lucre and stand their ground for tradition's sake . and because they consider eviction notices not to be cricket.Each disgruntled faction sees the other as the unwelcome cuckoo chick in the family nest!So, lead by randy pulp-crime writer Phineas Cook and Lt-Commander James Cunningham DSO, DSC and Bar, RN (ret) - a man with a glass eye to suit every occasion (and all painted with naval battle scenes where the Union Jack flies triumphant) - the motley crew takes on Wall Street . broadside to broadside

My Thoughts:
The Cuckoos Of Batch Magna is one of those rare literary gifts that left me in complete awe! Set against the background of a rural English village that rests between the borders of England and the Welsh Marshes, The Cuckoos Of Batch Magna is a delightful and charming novel filled with the most endearing and often humorous characters you will ever encounter.  However, one of the most admired qualities of this novel, is the author's wonderful insight and attention to detail throughout.  I felt as though I was swept away only to find myself  walking the paths of Batch Magna amid the company of these charming characters.  British author, Peter Maughan is truly a gifted storyteller with a unique talent for detail and a wonderful sense of British humor.  If your looking for a great summer read, you won't be disappointed with this one!  I highly recommend The Cuckoos Of Batch Magna and easily give it FIVE stars!  This is the first in a series of Batch Magna tales and I look forward to reading more.

**Please be sure to stop by tomorrow for a special interview with the author, Peter Maughan!