READ: Mr Perrin and Mr Traill by Hugh Walpole

Moffat, the fictional boys public school on the coast of Cornwall, is the setting for this story of the conflicts, obsessions, and banalities of the school institution Mr Perrin and his rival, the young, new and popular Mr Traill. A torrent of emotions is unleashed over the "battle of the umbrella." (Pun intended.) The crumbing of Mr Perrin's psyche is a marvel. It's also one of the few novels that deals with the teachers and staff of a British public school, rather than the students. It was originally published in 1911.

I’m a big fan of Hugh Walpole, a writer I’ve discovered late in life. This novel, his third,is considered to be his best, and was praised by many of his contemporaries, including H.G. Wells and E. M. Forester. He also wrote Portrait of a Man with Red Hair, reviewed here.