[2] One of a genre at the time, the novel examines the changing nature of English society during the interwar period.
[4] The novel won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction in 1933.
Taking to the country and provincial cities, Donald spends his time doing research for a book on the English by consorting with journalists and minor poets, attending a country house weekend, serving as private secretary to a Member of Parliament, attending the League of Nations, and playing village cricket.
The village cricket match is the most celebrated episode in the novel, and a reason cited for its enduring appeal.
An important character is Mr Hodge, a caricature of Sir John Squire (poet and editor of the London Mercury), while the cricket team described in the book's most famous chapter is a representation of Sir John's Cricket Club – the Invalids – which survives today.