The Thoughts and Happenings of Wilfred Price Purveyor of Superior Funerals by Wendy Jones

The Thoughts and Happenings of Wilfred Price Purveyor of Superior Funerals

Wendy Jones

A sunny day, a sumptuous picnic and a pretty girl in a yellow dress spell disaster for a young undertaker when he makes a proposal of marriage he instantly regrets. The 1920's rural Welsh setting and a cast of engaging characters combine to suggest a confection of quaintness and charm. And although the plot is driven by the discovery of a dark secret, it is handled with great sensitivity and lightness of touch. A memorable read.

Extract
The awkwardness of unsaid words settled between them. Wilfred wanted to tell his father all about Grace; say: 'I have asked Doctor Reece's daughter to marry me. I proposed. But I didn't fall in love, I don't love her and I don't want to marry her. What shall I do? I don't know what to do.' He yearned to admit his vulnerability and uncertainty to his da, but he and his da didn't talk about private matters so Wilfred said nothing. But it was as if his father had heard him.
'There we are then, Wilfred, my son,' he said. 'There we are then.' And with that he placed his weathered hand on the soft earth in which his wife was laid, and Wilfred understood.
Parallels
  • On Open Ground by Tia Jones
  • Tethered by Amy MacKinnon