The unnamed German travel agent, for whom I have a soft spot, is real, as is the speech made at the funeral by the Peruvian lady. There are elements of the late and sadly missed Father John Medcalf, a wonderful man, in Father Paul, though his conversation on his sexual activities is, I am glad to say, entirely fictional. All other characters and events are fictional.
Acknowledgements
Above all, I must thank Lynne Drew, not only for the enthusiasm with which she has taken me on at HarperCollins, but also for her wise and constructive editing. Thanks go also to my wife Susan and my agents, Jonathan and Ann Clowes, for their unfailing faith and support.
I am deeply grateful to Mike Gadd, of Boston Spa, who gave me invaluable and enlightening information on the art and craft of taxidermy. Further valuable assistance was given by Christine Giles and Keith Pettitt. I would also like to thank my good friend, David Lines, who read my first drafts and gave me great advice and encouragement.
In the early decades of my long writing career, in a supposedly more generous world, acknowledgements weren’t made as widely as they are today. I want to mention two people who contributed so much in those days – my first wife, Mary, who was such a guide and support in the years of struggle, and Geoffrey Strachan, who published and edited several of my books with judgement, generosity and humour.
About the Author
OBSTACLES TO YOUNG LOVE
David Nobbs was born in Orpington and educated at Marlborough, Cambridge and in the Royal Corps of Signals, where he reached the lofty rank of Signalman. His first job was as a reporter on the Sheffield Star, and his first break as a comedy writer came on the iconic satire show That Was The Week, That Was, hosted by David Frost. Later he wrote for The Frost Report and The Two Ronnies and provided material for many top comedians including Les Dawson, Ken Dodd, Tommy Cooper, Frankie Howerd and Dick Emery. But David is probably best known for his two TV hit series A Bit of a Do and for The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin, with Leonard Rossiter, now revived in a contemporary version written by David with Simon Nye and starring Martin Clunes. He lives in North Yorkshire with his second wife, Susan. He has four stepchildren, eight grand-stepchildren and one great-grand-stepchild.
Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.
Copyright
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
Harper
An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers
77–85 Fulham Palace Road, Hammersmith, London W6 8JB
www.harpercollins.co.uk
FIRST EDITION
Copyright © David Nobbs 2010
David Nobbs asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
EPub Edition © JULY 2010 ISBN: 978-0-007-36645-3
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
Find out more about HarperCollins and the environment at www.harpercollins.co.uk/green
About the Publisher
Australia
HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty. Ltd.
25 Ryde Road (PO Box 321)
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.com.au
Canada
HarperCollins Canada
2 Bloor Street East - 20th Floor
Toronto, ON, M4W 1A8, Canada
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.ca
New Zealand
HarperCollinsPublishers (New Zealand) Limited
P.O. Box 1
Auckland, New Zealand
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.co.nz
United Kingdom
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
77-85 Fulham Palace Road
London, W6 8JB, UK
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.co.uk
United States
HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
10 East 53rd Street
New York, NY 10022
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.com