I had read this before from the library but it didn't leave a strong impression on me. But I still ended up buying a second-hand copy when I came across one, although it took me several years to get round to reading it.

The time came eventually, however, when I was trying to find something to entertain myself during a day of travelling--and it worked well. I think I got a lot more out of the story this time because in the time that has passed between my first reading of the book and this time, I've seen more of Bogarde's films and read a few things about the background, about British film-making and cinema in the relevant period. ( )