The inversion of the detective genre, in addition to the accentuated idea of morality is one that makes this text special and one worthy of study in schools year on year. For this reason, reading the plays in succession, it felt repetitive to me - maybe it's different on stage, however. This modern play includes class conflict and differences, the selfishness of individuals, capitalism vs communism, and greed being the root of all problems. This book is still studied in schools I think and I'm not surprised as there's so much discussion to come from it.

The main story is an enjoyable one to read and teach though and I think particularly with the incredibly switched on class I had added to the enjoyment of it. John Boynton Priestley, the son of a schoolmaster, was born in Bradford in September 1894, and after schooling he worked for a time in the local wool trade. Among his latest books are Victoria's Heydey (1972), Over the Long High Wall (1972), The English (1973), Outcries and Asides , a collection of essays (1974), A Visit to New Zealand (1974), The Carfitt Crisis (1975), Particular Pleasures (1975), Found, Lost, Found, or the English Way of Life (1976), The Happy Dream (1976), English Humour (1976) and an autobiography, Instead of the Trees (1977). Well, not exactly, but the nature of time has been an indispensable part of creative literature ever since stories began to be told. It becomes clear only gradually that the stakes are high, with marriage and happiness and careers and a business empire and one person’s life on the table.Registered office address: Unit 34 Vulcan House Business Centre, Vulcan Road, Leicester, Leicestershire, LE5 3EF.

And I tell you that the time will soon come when, if men will not learn that lesson, then they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish. Priestley here encapsulates many of the things I love about twentieth-century writing: chiefly among them the true realisation and reckoning with the passage of time in a turbulent century. We are responsible for each other'

A policeman interrupts a rich family's dinner to question them about the suicide of a young working-class girl. The Linden Tree', a Chekhov-like study of family relationships, finds the Lindens divided : Professor Linden at sixty-five could retire but is dedicated to teaching at a run-down provincial university. The Linden Tree" also challenges preconceived ideas of history when Professor Linden comes into conflict with his family about how life should be lived after the war.he began writing novels, and with his third and fourth novels, The Good Companions and Angel Pavement , he scored a great success and established an international reputation. Side note: In Act III, one of the characters has intimations of the future, as if she has glimpsed what’s to come. Really enjoyed these time plays - there were lines dotted throughout all 4 plays that really makes the reader reflect and think about the bigger questions in life! All these plays take place in the provinces, away from the big cities, and in The Linden Tree one glimpses the urbanization that would mark the second half of the 20th century: two characters have already moved to London, and by the final curtain a third has joined them. It should not be overlooked that Priestley was an outstanding essayist, and many of his short pieces best capture his passions and his great talent and his mastery of the English language.