Village School (The Fairacre Series #1) [Paperback]

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

Book Description

Publication Date: May 15, 2001

The first novel in the beloved Fairacre series, VILLAGE SCHOOL introduces the remarkable schoolmistress Miss Read and her lovable group of children, who, with a mixture of skinned knees and smiles, are just as likely to lose themselves as their mittens. This is the English village of Fairacre: a handful of thatch-roofed cottages, a church, the school, the promise of fair weather, friendly faces, and good cheer -- at least most of the time. Here everyone knows everyone else's business, and the villagers like each other anyway (even Miss Pringle, the irascible, gloomy cleaner of Fairacre School). With a wise heart and a discerning eye, Miss Read guides us through one crisp, glistening autumn in her village and introduces us to a cast of unforgettable characters and a world of drama, romance, and humor, all within a stone's throw of the school. By the time winter comes, you'll be nestled snugly into the warmth and wit of Fairacre and won't want to leave.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"If you've ever enjoyed a visit to Mitford, you'll relish a visit to Fairacre." -- Jan Karon

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.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Mariner Books; 1 edition (May 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 061812702X
• ISBN-13: 978-0618127023
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #73,671 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A delightful reading experience, June 10, 2001

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Village School (The Fairacre Series #1) (Paperback)

Five years have passed since Miss Read became the schoolmistress of the English village, Fairacre. A new school term is to begin and Miss Read looks forward to it with wonder, some trepidation, but mostly hopes for her pupils including three new students. Miss Read knows that she must help the somewhat frightened newcomers fit into the class as smoothly as possible.

The school year brings its usual learning, fun, and skinned knees needing special tender care. Along with Miss Reed, the dedicated but somewhat old-fashioned yet quite popular "uncertificated Teacher" Miss Clare is back and the gloom and doom custodian Mrs. Pringle is ready to keep the building clean. Finally, the awe and energy of the wide-eyed children and their village relatives offer a new year of promise and hard work.

The first novel in Miss Read's cherished Fairacre series, VILLAGE SCHOOL is a reprint of the 1955 tale that introduced the lovable teacher and her villagers to the world. Though written before Sputnik, the story line surprisingly retains a freshness and high energy level at a leisurely pace even as the remoteness of the village seems impossible in today's Internet world. The enjoyable offbeat cast remains fun to observe and often humorous as life in a bygone era comes fully alive in what was contemporary then but a strong historical now. This demonstrates how good a writer Miss Read is.

Harriet Klausner

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Put the kettle on, April 25, 2001

By 

J. Hilles "city_girl" (the northeastern United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Village School (The Fairacre Series #1) (Paperback)

Bake a batch of scones and settle down to a lovely world, a small English village school as seen through the eyes of Miss Read, a teacher.

These are my run-for-cover books. When the world is too much with me, I find my copy of Village School or Village Diary, wrap up in a quilt, and fall under the spell of these gentle novels.

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must read for connoisseurs of English village life!, September 17, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: Village School (The Fairacre Series #1) (Hardcover)

This book is the first leg of a heart warming adventure. Set in the imaginary world of Fairacre, a village in England, Miss Read, the headmistress, regales her readers with humorous stories about her students and the village residents. Come fall in love with such characters as Mrs. Pringle, a cantankerous hypochondriac, who cleans the school house and needles Miss Read with endless complaints. A more lovable character is Miss Claire who teaches the "babies" and is much respected by Miss Read and her fellow villagers. The author, Dora Jessie Saint, is a retired school teacher who pulls extensively from her own experiences. There are a number of books which include further adventures in Fairacre, including her most recent title "Tales from a Village School". In addition to Fairacre, she has other imaginary villages including Thrush Green and Caxley, each village has their own set of lovable characters and unique situations. If you are looking for sex, violence, or "street" language, these books are not for you. They are wholesome stories which engage the reader with their simple presentation of English village life. I highly recommend them for anyone who wants to escape to a simplier more genteel time.