Tales from the Norfolk Alps: An Evening with Louis de Bernières

Step inside the historic Old School Bookshop for an unforgettable evening with one of Britain’s most beloved storytellers.

Best known for his international bestseller Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Louis de Bernières joins us to launch his highly anticipated, wonderfully eccentric new memoir, Smelling of Rooks: Nine Years in the Norfolk Alps.

Moving to a dilapidated former rectory in the heart of Norfolk, de Bernières traded metropolitan life for a world of erratic water pumps, unruly wildlife, and local eccentricities. From the trials of moving half a ton of books to unexpected encounters with local wildlife, Smelling of Rooks is a witty, poetic, and deeply affectionate love letter to the English countryside and the joy of a life less ordinary.

During this exclusive event, Louis will share the hilarious mishaps, quiet observations, and rich histories that shaped his rural adventures. Whether you are a lifelong fan of his fiction or a lover of great British nature and travel writing, this promises to be an evening filled with laughter, literature, and nostalgic charm.

 Details:

The event will include Louis de Bernières in conversation with S E Craythorne, an author reading, an audience Q&A session followed by a book signing and chance to meet the author.

Copies of Smelling of Rooks will be available for purchase on the night or when booking for the event for a discount - see below

EVENT DETAILS

Date: Thursday 26th November

Time: 6pm (doors open from 5.45pm)

Refreshments:

Light Refreshments will be included in the ticket price as well as a chance to browse the bookshop after the event

Price: 

Event Only: £10

Event + Preorder Book: £20 (Saving £2.99!)

Limited places.

Book Only £12.99:

Smelling of Rooks: Nine Years in Norfolk Alps - Louis de Bernieres £12.99 - visit our online bookshop to order the book

From the author of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin comes a candid, comic and irresistibly companionable portrait of a writer’s life in rural Norfolk.

Drawn from Louis de Bernières’s hugely popular Facebook posts written between 2015 and 2024, Smelling of Rooks gathers a decade of reflections, anecdotes and observations on everything from music, cats and motorcycles to politics, parenting and the perils of social media. It is a book about the texture of ordinary days, told with the warmth, eccentricity and mischief that have made de Bernières one of Britain’s most beloved storytellers.

Set against the rolling fields and modest peaks of what he calls the ‘Norfolk Alps’, this accidental memoir captures a writer at ease with his life, his readers and his absurdities. There are riffs on the pleasures of cooking and DIY, portraits of friends and neighbours, the escapades of his children, and the unpredictable joys of country living.

At once funny, tender and defiantly unfiltered, Smelling of Rooks shows Louis de Bernières as he really is – reflective, unpretentious and gloriously human. A celebration of family, friendship and the small wonders of daily life, it is a book to dip into, laugh with, and treasure.

Please Note:

All Old School Bookshop event tickets are fully refundable if you provide 14+ days notice. 

Books ordered at the time of booking are non-refundable but remain available for you to pick up from Old School Bookshop in advance of the event or at the event.

Please contact us if you have any access needs or questions about the event.