so slow, so British

This novel will delight fans of convoluted descriptions of landscapes and customs of England before the war. Everything is like in a guide: the academic atmosphere of Oxford, teatime odors, rain in the green English countryside, interior leather and burl walnut sedans, the bellowing pubs without forgetting the homosexual hero. Alas for outstanding amateurs, wait (in vain?) Half of the book to discover the alternate history and point of divergence, which would have deserved better than this endless rise of the plot.
In short, to read during a sad and rainy fall day, just to set the mood. The style is typically British, ie overloaded, the message is very British, ie hypocritical, the plot is very British, ie original.