The Bells of Burracombe [Hardcover]

Lilian Harry (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2006

When Stella Simmons comes to the Devonshire village of Burracombe to start her teaching career, she is alone in the world. Orphaned as child and brought up in a children's home, she was separated from her sister Muriel and has never been able to trace her. Stella is soon caught up in the life of the village, and especially in the plans for celebrating the Festival of Britain. As headmistress Miss Kemp and vicar Basil Harvey try to keep the peace between villagers who all have their own ideas for the proposed pageant and fair, Stella tries, with the help of artist Luke Ferris, to find her sister. The Bells of Burracombe begins the story of life in a Devonshire village in the 1950s, and shows us a picture of Britain coming to terms with the aftermath of the Second World War and entering a new decade.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'A perfect nostalgia hit. 5/5' YOURS

About the Author

Lilian Harry grew up in Portsmouth and now lives in a village on the edge of Dartmoor. She has a son, a daughter and two grandchildren, and is a keen walker.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Orion Publishing (January 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0752867199
• ISBN-13: 978-0752867199
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,149,890 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Hi,I am Lilian Harry and am delighted to welcome you to my Author Central page. I've been writing for a long time now, under the name Donna Baker as well as Lilian Harry, and most of my books are classed as 'historical novels', including those set during the Second World War (which is slightly hurtful, since I remember it....) I grew up near Portsmouth in Hampshire, have lived in Devon, Herefordshire and the Lake District (my favourite place!) and am now back in Devon on the edge of Dartmoor, where I am out every day walking my miniature schnauzer. Apart from writing, I ring bells, take part in amateur dramatics, go to concerts, theatre etc, read and play bridge - but only with very tolerant, forgiving people who like me a lot. (Or on the computer!) I would like to be cloned so that I can do all these things simultaneously.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A joy to read, December 8, 2009

By 

Maude (Oklahoma, OK, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Bells of Burracombe (Devon) (Paperback)

I really enjoyed this book. The author presents a gallery of people who you get to care about. She moves the story forward logically and in a comfortable pace and ties up everything nicely in the end. A story about how people manage to move on, overcome hardship, and how people can help and support each other. At the same time, the book captures the time period and the feelings of young and old people in the beginning of the 1950s. Based upon reading this book, I am going to order the rest of the series, and I look forward to curling up in a comfortable chair with them.

3.0 out of 5 stars Readable, but Predictable, January 30, 2010

By 

Just Jayne "Escape and Learn" (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Bells of Burracombe (Devon) (Paperback)

May be a nice airplane book, but for easy chair reading, it disappoints. Lacks complexity and finesse. Characters are pathetically one diminsional.