Come Home, Charlie, and Face Them

In this 1969 novel, 23-year-old Charlie Pritchard arrives in the Welsh seaside town of Permadoc to work at Cadwallader's Mercantile Bank. He boards with his manager Ewan Rhys-Jones and becomes entangled with the Rhys-Jones family, including their daughter Ida. Charlie's life changes when he encounters Delphine, who runs the Rainbow Café with her brother Beppo. Their paths cross after Charlie intervenes during an incident at the café, leading to a complex web of relationships and mounting tensions at both his workplace and lodgings. The story centers on a dangerous proposition from Delphine - to rob the bank where Charlie works by tunneling from the café into the vault. Charlie must navigate his growing feelings for Delphine while weighing the consequences of this criminal scheme. This novel explores themes of ambition, desire, and the choices people make when faced with limited options in a restrictive social environment. The narrative examines how personal relationships and professional obligations can push individuals toward life-altering decisions.

Limited reader reviews exist online for this lesser-known Delderfield novel. Most reviews indicate readers approached it as fans of his other works like "God Is an Englishman." Readers highlighted: - The authentic portrayal of 1900s British journalism - The main character's personal growth and moral choices - Historical details of newspaper operations Common criticisms: - Slower pacing compared to Delderfield's other novels - Less emotional depth in character relationships - Plot becomes predictable in later sections On Goodreads, the book holds a 3.8/5 rating from 13 reviews. One reader noted: "Shows how British local journalism operated but lacks the rich family dynamics of his Avenue series." Amazon has no current reviews. LibraryThing users rate it 3.5/5 from 8 ratings, with comments focusing on its value as a historical snapshot of early 20th century provincial news reporting rather than as a compelling narrative.

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🔸 R. F. Delderfield wrote this novel early in his career (1937) at age 25, drawing from his own experiences working in a bank during the Depression era. 🔸 The Welsh coastal setting reflects a significant shift in British literature of the 1930s, when regional fiction gained prominence as an alternative to London-centered narratives. 🔸 The Rainbow Café in the novel was inspired by real establishments that served as social hubs in coastal towns during the interwar period, when cafés began replacing traditional tea rooms. 🔸 The banking industry in 1929 Wales was experiencing major changes, with small local banks being absorbed by larger institutions - a tension that forms a crucial backdrop to Charlie's story. 🔸 The novel's title comes from an old Welsh saying about facing one's accusers, traditionally used when someone had fled their community under a cloud of suspicion.