Miss Read (1913–2012)

This is my third Miss Read book, and I find her work intriguing. There is a lightness almost of meringue that I expect in books where nothing goes wrong and there are no social issues to be grappled with, and where I end up a little choked at times by the twee perfection of it all. In Miss Read's books, almost without the reader noticing them at first, issues do abound. They are part and parcel of the whole cloth of village life.

"Storm in the Village" involves a threat by government to take show more over farmland for a housing development, an uninformed romantic impulsiveness that threatens a young teacher, and the difficulties faced by a poor child in a family where the father spends too much money on drink. No one is eviscerated, problems are solved more easily than in real life, but it is remarkable nevertheless that Miss Read manages to touch thoughtfully on the difficult matters that intrude on our lives while maintaining the calming tone her books were intended to create. She may be safe, but she is not maudlin.

Miss Read writes fine prose. Intimate details are sprinkled lightly across the pages with a baker's judicious hand. I'm delighted to read that the stove was kept going at night by burning fine coal dampened with tea leaves. But I never feel over-burdened with descriptions. I'm brightly aware of my surroundings, delight in the author's observations, and am buoyed along by them through the story which meanders, but never wanders lost.

Once again, an enjoyable read. show less

A pure comfort read. A cosy non-mystery. This is the first in Miss Read's Fairacre series; it follows students, teachers and villagers through a school year in the English village of Fairacre, through Christmas pageants, substitute teachers, gentle romances, and the occasional domestic upheaval shortly after the end of WWII. It will unruffle your feathers if they need it, supposing you like this sort of thing. When the mood is on me, I like it very well. Jan Karon, without so much show more ecclesiastical perspective; or, as my daughter would have it, Angela Thirkell with the snark dialed back. show less

I enjoy an older, cozy British novel from time to time, and in many ways, Village School did not disappoint. Our narrator, Miss Read, is a primary school teacher in a two-room schoolhouse in Fairacre, a village in the bucolic English countryside. Through her eyes we see the quiet doings of the villagers and especially the children both in school and out. Festivals, measles outbreaks, and choir practices enliven an otherwise placid atmosphere. I enjoyed escaping to a simpler world for a show more while. Unfortunately that world is also home to an undercurrent of gentile racism that was startling whenever it appeared. Because of it I was unable to truly enjoy the novel and won't be continuing on with the series. show less

I listened to an audio version of Emily Davis, the 8th book in Miss Read’s Fairacre series of stories about rural life in England. In this outing we explore the life of Emily Davis, after her death. She had been a well-loved teacher and in her twilight years had lived with another beloved local teacher, Dolly Clare.

Dolly, as well as other friends in the village and previous pupils remember Emily for her warmth and wisdom and through their individual recollections we grow to know Emily and show more at the same time are given a lovely portrait of life in the country from the turn of the century to the beginning of the 1970s. Emily and Dolly grew up together and were each other’s best friend. Emily was there to comfort Dolly when her fiance was killed in WW I and Dolly returned the favour when Emily’s fiance fell in love with another woman. The story is full of little stories about Emily's care and concern for others.

Emily Davis is a delightful read and an intriguing addition to the Fairacre series. Yes, Emily and Dolly are elderly spinsters, but Miss Read depicts them as strong, independent and interesting women whose stories touch the heart but are not at all “sappy”. A quiet, simple read that soothes the soul. show less