Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14407 in Books
• Published on: 2003-03-06
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 336 pages

Synopsis
Gervase Phinn, school inspector, begins his third year with a spring in his step for in April he will marry Christine Bentley, head teacher of Winnery Nook School. But before then he has to suffer the wicked repartee of his fellow inspectors on the subjects of love and marriage. The well-named Mrs Savage still attempts to exert her power via incomprehensible memos, and Connie continues to rule the Staff Development Centre with a broom of iron and a duster of disapproval at any dirty marks. In the schools themselves Gervase Phinn faces every challenge with humour that is rarely far from the surface.

Customer Reviews

It had me laughing out loud!
I came across this book by chance. Having grown up & been educated in the Yorkshire Dales, I am attracted to stories about this region. However it isn't necessary to have lived there to appreciate this book. It's not necessary either to have read the first two novels, I hadn't and it didn’t spoil anything, although having read this one I'd like to read the others now. Nor is it necessary to have an interest in schooling or education in general : it’s makes for a funny and touching read and I’m sure it would appeal to all ages/all readers. Phinn writes about his real life experiences as a school inspector in the Yorkshire Dales with candour and warmth and the reader can picture him trying to suppress a smile as he faces the children and their daily schooling. I heartily recommend it!

Lift up your heart
Having read his first two books with such pleasure, Gervase's beautifully descriptive narrative style just gets better and better. A Yorkshire village child, I feel that I know each of the people he meets and the places he visits. The gently funny and compelling writing of Head Over Heels in the Dales left me smiling, uplifted, and waiting impatiently for the next edition.

Further tales of life as a school inspector
The third instalment of Gervase Phinn's narrative of his time as a school inspector is as welcome as the first two. In the first two volumes, we followed Gervase's meeting with Christine, and their courtship. In this book, they eventually get married, and set to renovating the derelict country cottage with its overgrown garden, in which they start their married life.

The real stars of the book, though, are the children, and it is clear that Gervase Phinn has a wonderful relationship with them, and a real affection for them. He must have been a fantastic teacher.

We also meet old friends from the previous books - the rest of the inspection team, Brenda Savage - the alarming PA who made a pass at Gervase in an earlier book - Julie (the inspectors' secretary) and Connie, who rules the Professional Centre with a rod of iron.

If you have read the other two books, you will love this one. If not, buy the paper back versions of the other two, and then enjoy this one.

Oh, and if you are a teacher, read this to remind yourself what life was like before OFSTED inspections!