Patrick Barrett: 10 books

The Valley is a place populated with the eccentric and paranoid. In a continuous series of unfortunate misunderstandings, mixed communication and tomfoolery, Death Valley will have you smiling and laughing out loud. Just when Cuthbert thinks life is becoming dull it turns out he's botched up...

At the heart of this riotous laugh-a-paragraph farce that will delight members of amateur dramatic societies everywhere, lies a forgotten village in a remote valley where the 'real valley folk' live, including Cuthbert, the village undertaker, impressario of the shambolic annual theatre production,...

In the spring of 2011, Wisconsinites took to the streets in what became the largest and liveliest labor demonstrations in modern American history. Protesters in the Middle East sent greetings—and pizzas—to the thousands occupying the Capitol building in Madison, and 150,000 demonstrators converged...

This book investigates the experiences of older people who remain at home with care. It examines the transition points for the important life changes faced by family members who take on a greater care-giving role. The book draws on demographic analyses and qualitative fieldwork to explore the...

Becoming a caregiver is increasingly an inevitable experience for many people and, therefore, a likely life transition. Drawing on research and personal experiences of working with family caregivers, this book examines a range of family caregiving situations from across the life course. It seeks to...

They said Cuthbert would never make Act II, but ... Last time around, Cuthbert was up against thieves infiltrating the Valley, planning to steal William Shakespeare's first - and, well, worst - works. This time it is the forces of global exploitation and Big Business who have decided...

The Cuthbert series continues with hilarious shenanigans when a circus unexpectedly arrives in Cuthbert's yard. This unlocks a spellbinding plot to discover the missing gold reputed to be left to Cuthbert by his enigmatic Aunt Edith. Soon the local council honcho, Marvin, gets an anonymous...

Trouble in the Valley continues as a reckless statement by Ronald Chisholm that women are genetically incapable of playing golf provokes Arkle, the woman more equine than a horse, to challenge, “Would you redundant hunter-gatherers care to challenge the weaker sex?”, and it becomes immediately...

Cuthbert’s Valley is abuzz when the ladies decide to take part in a cooking competition! Suddenly everyone makes the best pastry and everyone is suspicious of the other as secret recipes try and remain hush-hush. When Arkle leaves a cube of pastry with Cuthbert to hide her secret formula,...

When little toy soldiers suddenly become men in costume upon a battlefield, Cuthbert's Valley is in trouble. The Great Dragon Droppings require a place to play the war game Sledgehammer, a place to build forts and throw stuff at each other. Percy betrays his friends to play at soldiers and along the...