Chronicles of a Curate — Fred Secombe

This is an excellent value omnibus edition of the first three books in Fred Secombe's entertaining and nostalgic series. It is comprised of: How Green Was My Curate, A Curate for All Seasons and Goodbye Curate. Set in sleepy Welsh valleys at the close of the Second World War, the books cover the period of Fred's curacy in the village of Pontywen -- from inauspicious but hilarious beginnings (he falls flat on his face at his first service) through his courtship and marriage to young doctor Eleanor, to the point where he becomes a vicar. Quirky, memorable characters abound in these extremely likeable and humorous stories.