Farther Afield (The Fairacre Series #11) [Hardcover]

Miss Read (Author), J. S. Goodall (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1975

Open the gate to Fairacre, America’s favorite English village.

The end of a school year often brings unmitigated rapture for schoolteachers, and so it should for Miss Read, schoolmistress in the charming English village of Fairacre. But on the very first day of the long summer holiday, she falls and breaks her arm. Just when her summer seems ruined, her old friend, Amy Garfield, comes to her aid with a diverting suggestion. They travel to Crete for two weeks, and the change of scene provides a welcome break for both of them. When Miss Read returns, refreshed, to her beloved village, she is ready to tackle the problems that await her.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Miss Read has three great gifts--an unerring intuition about human frailty, a healthy irony, and surprisingly, an almost beery sense of humor." (The New Yorker )

"Humor guides her pen but charity steadies it. Her portraits are delightful." (Time Literary Supplement (London) ) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Miss Read is the pseudonym of Mrs. Dora Saint, a former schoolteacher beloved for her novels of English rural life, especially those set in the fictional villages of Thrush Green and Fairacre. The first of these, Village School, was published in 1955, and Miss Read continued to write until her retirement in 1996. In the 1998, she was awarded an MBE, or Member of the Order of the British Empire, for her services to literature. She lives in Berkshire.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin; 1st edition (February 1975)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395204275
• ISBN-13: 978-0395204276
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,431,012 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Married or Single? Which is best?, April 2, 2010

By 

Miz Ellen "all the letters of my real name" (Bovine Universe) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Farther Afield (The Fairacre Series #11) (Paperback)

Among the many delightful books by "Miss Read", FARTHER AFIELD afield is unique in that part of the action takes place on the island of Crete, far outside the cozy circle of English villages that the dedicated follower of this series has come to know and love.

The book opens just as the school term is ending. Our schoolteacher heroine (also the first person narrator) is looking forward to the summer and has many projects planned for her leisure time. Disaster strikes on the first day! She suffers a accident injuring both an arm and a leg. In one fell stroke, all the simple tasks of everyday living become unbearably difficult if not impossible. Although she has always enjoyed her single status, she wonders glumly if she should have married in order to have someone to help her in this extremity.

Rescue comes from her longtime friend Amy. Amy takes in her old chum as a house guest. But Miss Read realizes that her friend is unhappy and the cause is not hard to determine. Amy's husband is having an affair with a younger woman and Amy is facing the possible end of her marriage.

The two old friends silently support one another in their misfortunes. When Amy's husband refuses to take a long-planned vacation to Crete with his wife, Miss Read is invited along as Amy's companion. "Miss Read" has always delighted her followers with her acute observations; now she takes these "farther afield" and the result is like a delightful holiday.

Everyone they meet has causes for unhappiness. The debate of whether it is better to be single or married is never settled but rest assured that our intrepid friends will find that time heals most wounds.

One note: this page claims that this is the 11th in the Fairacre Series. My edition is identical in text but the cover claims it as "the 14th in the Series". I think it must depend on how they are counting.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I love this author all of her characters come to life., May 11, 2009

By 

Kelly J. Lindstrom "Book Lover" (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Farther Afield (The Fairacre Series #11) (Paperback)

This was just another great story telling by this author. She makes you feel that the people are alive.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Bit Different, April 9, 2008

By 

Elsie Hickman "booklover" (Sweet Home Alabama) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Farther Afield (The Fairacre Series #11) (Paperback)

This book mostly takes place outside of Fairacre -- and is a revealing insight into the characters of Miss Read and her best friend Amy. It also gives insight into the relationship of women and their husbands in the 1960's.