Customer Reviews

Gossip from Thrush Green (Thrush Green, Book 6) (Miss Read)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I discovered the world of Miss Read's English villages several years ago, and when I am in a certain mood there's nothing like revisiting Thrush Green, or Fairacre, or the market town of Caxley. By now I have probably listened to all the books in audio format, and hands down my favorite narrator for this material is Gwen Watford. This production of Gossip from Thrush Green is no exception. Watford adeptly voices the inhabitants of the tiny village - the kindly rector, the grouchy church sexton, eccentric Dolly Harmer, the schoolteachers, retirees, postmen, and all.

"Gossip from Thrush Green" finds Dolly Harmer in trouble, Charles and Dimity Henstock coping with a housing disaster, young renters disrupting the peace at night, the school teachers deciding whether to retire, and curmudgeonly Albert Piggot finding his equal in stubbornness in the form of Dolly's goat Dulcie. This is neither the most dramatic or least interesting book in the Thrush Green series; it is another visit to see how the lives of the people there are moving along.

I don't know if these books are "timeless" - whatever that means. They are obviously set in the 20th Century and reflect their times, but they remain in my library and do not seem stale or dated to me even after repeated readings. Or in this case, listening sessions.

The villagers of Thrush Green may enjoy gossiping about their neighbors and sharing little tidbits across the hedge, but they show their truly good hearts when they band together against a variety of disturbances that threaten the peaceful village life - from a devastating fire to a noisy group of visitors - and support each other as they make difficult decisions about retirement and family choices. Their gossip is only another symptom of the care they have for each other and it provides the reader with an interesting glimpse into the lives of the characters that fans of the series grow to love. Though it isn't the best book in the series, I certainly enjoyed my "visit" to Thrush Green in this installment and would certainly recommend it to anyone who's a fan of Miss Read's wonderful stories about this charming little town.

[...]

I love this series of Thrush Green, Fairacre and all the Miss Read books. They are sweet, funny and present great, quirky characters. Makes me want to live in a small village in England. Reading these just relaxes me... going to a simpler time when small pleasures and natural beauty made life grand.

If you are like I am, an avid Thrush Green fan, you will love book #6 just as much as the first 5...a continuation of the tales of a gentle, quaint Englsih village and it's cast of delightful characters. I'd love to live there.

one of better ones just loved,it she always works a whole year of peoples lives in her village, takes you right into their homes, fears happyness just great really enjoy it very much you will too.