Changes At Fairacre [Paperback]

Miss Read (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 24, 1992

The central theme of this novel is the death of Miss Clare, Miss Read's predecessor at the village school. However, there are plenty of side stories about the well-known characters of Fairacre: Mrs Pringle the school cleaner and her niece Minnie, the Partridges and the Willets.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In the 35th novel to be set in the tiny British villages of Thrush Green and Fairacre, the characters and settings are as familiar and comfortable as old shoes. The pseudonymous Read has created an orderly universe in which people are kind and conscientious and cherish virtues and manners now considered antiquated elsewhere. But unwelcome changes are making themselves felt in the villages. Miss Read inherits Dolly Clare's little cottage at Thrush Green, her grief at the death of her old friend and mentor somewhat assuaged by the security of home ownership; the declining enrollment at Fairacre School, where Miss Read teaches, may lead to its closing. Improved highways, higher salaries and the ubiquity of the automobile have enabled many Fairacre inhabitants to shop in distant cities and educate their children at larger schools miles away. Bucolic life has given way to those of the busy, two-income commuter families who have scarcely enough time to plant a few flowers in their gardens. The novel's slight plot sometimes gets in the way of Read's wonderful descriptive abilities, but her characters, as always, fairly leap off the pages; the cantankerous, Cassandra-like Mrs. Pringle; her feekless daughter, Minnie; the crusty old factotum, Mr. Willet; and the young Joseph Coggs-are all completely believable. Read writes with deep affection about what she knows and never succumbs to the temptation of clich6s. An occasional visit to Fairacre offers a restful change from the frenetic pace of the contemporary world.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

A 35th appearance for the author, who, here, takes leave of Friends of Thrush Green (1991) to chronicle neighborly doings in the English village of Fairacre and changes in the career of schoolmistress Miss Read, who narrates. The ``changes'' of the title are those inevitably experienced by people attuned to the millstream pace of a rural community where change comes with a creep as well as a bang. But change does come. Now in the village, farm workers are few and cottages are being bought by ``tinkers'' (young couples with two incomes, no kids); the quiet streets of neighboring towns are choked with traffic; and shawls and ponchos are favored over the essential country cardigan. But, worst of all, the number of village children in Miss Read's school has dwindled to the point where closure is threatened. Some things, however, never change: Miss Read's stout housekeeper, Mrs. Pringle, continues her tirades; the harvest fair and fˆte remain cherished events; Miss Read mentally corrects, as ever, double negatives uttered by the yeomanry; and seasonal galas like daffodils and other spring beauties lift the heart. As to new events: Miss Read's dear old friend dies, and Miss Read takes leave of her old house; friend Amy, with whom she takes a welcome holiday, has a problem with a most unwelcome guest; and there are some rampagings of nature--a snowstorm and a hurricane. For the devoted following: a soothing oasis of tidy living for the frazzled reader weary of an untidy world. As always, there are the line drawings by John S. Goodall. -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam~trade (September 24, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140146490
• ISBN-13: 978-0140146493
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,807,184 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I love Fairacre, March 31, 2006

By 

Marianne O. Schmidt - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Changes at Fairacre (Paperback)

I love all of the Miss Read books; they are witty, and filled with infectious, gentle humor, and periodically, a nice verbal dart to burst a pompous bubble. Much as I love the Fairacre and Thrush Green series, it is always difficult when a beloved character, like Dolly Clare, dies. Once you are drawn into Miss Read's universe, you never want to leave. It's such a warm, comforting, soothing place; you feel as though you know every character and their quirks after just a few books. So you feel as though Miss Clare is a much loved old friend. It's difficult not to admire and love her; the British Empire must have been built on the sturdy backs and common sense, and faith of millions of men and women like Miss Clare. She never makes a big splash in the way of the world, but she influenced, and was loved by all of her pupils and neighbors. She had rare common sense, and humor, allied to a keen intelligence, and she had courage. These books are a journey into a lost world. When I was a child, there were still neighborhoods and people like Miss Clare, and her friends. Those have all but vanished, but you can revisit them over again, in Miss Read's lovely books. Prepare to shed a few tears, or a lot of tears, over the passing of gentle Dolly Clare, but rejoice with Miss Read that Dolly has left her the cottage and it's contents, and secured her future. I have every book in the Fairacre and Thrush Green series, and I find myself rereading them every year, or every other year. No matter how many times you have read them, you can't escape their gentle spell, and kinder worlds. Despite the fact that Dora Saint sometimes switches facts in the same or subsequent books, you just smile, because it's something we all do, from time to time. For instance, in one of the first books, the Coggs twins are already in Miss Clare's class, but at the end of the book, Mrs. Coggs appears to be just registering them for school! The sex of Tibby the cat goes from female to male, and back again, without any explanation. One can assume that Tibby dies and is replaced by another Tibby, but not within the span of pages! That is the only fault I find with these books, other than the fact that there are only so many of them. Any time is right for a Fairacre fix, so sit down with a cup of tea, your very own Tibby, and prepare to be enchanted. Don't say I didn't warn you. If you enjoy Miss Read, then you have probably also discovered D.E. Stevenson and Jan Karon, who also write about small towns and villages, and recurring characters. If you haven't discovered those ladies, yet, let me suggest that you do. You are in for a treat.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a sweet read, January 29, 2007

By 

Annie May "book devotee" (Tonaket, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Changes at Fairacre (Paperback)

When I can pick up a book and instantly be removed from the real world to a world of sweeter times I know I will read the book more than once!