Discover the little English village that neighbors Fairacre, in a novel that's "enchanting, lovely, gentle, pointed, and charming" ( Minneapolis Sunday Tribune).Miss Read's charming chronicles of English small-town life have achieved legendary popularity, providing a welcome return to a gentler time with "wit, humor, and wisdom in equal measure" ( The Plain Dealer).Welcome to Thrush Green, the neighboring village to Fairacre, with its blackt...

"If you've ever enjoyed a visit to Mitford, you'll relish a visit to Fairacre." —Jan KaronMiss Read once again transports readers to the picturesque English village of Fairacre with her Village Diary. Having received a beautiful diary for Christmas, she proceeds to set down a year's worth of observations and experiences as the village school's headmistress. And what a year it is!As the villagers prepare for their country pageant, Fairacre welcomes ma...

The first novel in the beloved Fairacre series, Village School introduces us to the remarkable schoolmistress Miss Read and her lovable group of students, who, with a mixture of skinned knees and smiles, are just as likely to lose themselves as their mittens...Welcome to 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, ev...

A schoolmistress's summer vacation is ruined—or is it?—in this delightful English village tale.The end of a school year often brings a burst of joy to children's hearts—and unmitigated rapture to those of their teachers. And so it is for Miss Read, schoolmistress in the charming English village of Fairacre. She happily anticipates long weeks to call her own, free of timetables, bells, children and their parents. But on the very first day of the summer holiday, while...

Even a small English village can't escape growing pains— "If you've ever enjoyed a visit to Mitford, you'll relish a visit to Fairacre." (Jan Karon, #1 New York Times–bestselling author).Times are changing in the charming downland village of Fairacre, and Miss Read isn't certain it's all for the best. The new commuter lifestyle has caused a decline in attendance at the local school, and officials are threatening closure. Miss Read worries about the failing...

Two novels in the beloved Fairacre series, full of "delicious wit, quirky characters . . . and certainly love and laughter" (Jan Karon).In the English village of Fairacre, retired schoolteachers Dolly Clare and Emily Davis enjoyed a remarkable friendship. Childhood playmates in Beech Green, they would remain close throughout their long lives, eventually sharing a cottage in their retirement. They felt grief when a village family was lost on the Titanic and ...

Two novels following the intertwined lives of a pair of English families through the world wars, by the beloved author of the Fairacre series.Set in the quiet country town neighboring the village of Fairacre, The Caxley Chronicles follow two families, the Howards and the Norths, through the tumultuous first half of the twentieth century. The first novel, The Market Square, portrays the deep-rooted camaraderie of Septimus Howard and Bender North, wh...

Take a trip to America's favorite English village: "If you've ever enjoyed a visit to Mitford, you'll relish a visit to Fairacre." —Jan KaronThe two-hundred-year-old cottages known as Tyler's Row have been home to Fairacre residents for generations. With leaded-glass windows and an arched thorn hedge over the gateway, they make an ideal subject for a "Beautiful Britain" calendar. But the charming exterior of Tyler's Row conceals more than its share of quirks, as wel...

"Here you'll find delicious wit, quirky characters, the colorful intrigues of daily life, and certainly love and laughter. . . . Delightful." —Jan KaronThroughout her years as schoolmistress, Miss Read has gathered excellent accounts of the rich and varied history of her beloved English village, often through neighborly conversation over the gate. Fairacre has garnered its share of odd incidents, entertaining episodes, and village folklore, from an unusual recipe fo...

A retired bachelor's arrival brings changes to a Cotswolds village: "There is never a dull moment in Thrush Green." — The New York Times Book ReviewDistinguished bachelor Harold Shoosmith has retired to the English village of Thrush Green. But while he plans to enter a peaceful new stage of life, his arrival stirs ripples of excitement in the small community. Before he knows it, he's enmeshed in village politics and involved in the private lives of his neig...

"If you've ever enjoyed a visit to Mitford, you'll relish a visit to Fairacre." —Jan KaronAfter many years of teaching in the charming English village of Fairacre, Miss Read settles down to what she hopes will be a relaxing retirement. But, of course, it is not entirely so. Having bid farewell to her pupils at Fairacre School, Miss Read finds herself as busy and in demand as ever: on holiday in Florence, helping with church and school affairs, and offering a kind ea...

An English village scrambles to prepare for a big anniversary: "If you've ever enjoyed a visit to Mitford, you'll relish a visit to Fairacre." —Jan KaronVillage Centenary welcomes readers back to Miss Read's cozy English downland village just in time for the hundredth anniversary of Fairacre Shool. Miss Clare, who was a pupil and later a teacher there, points out that such a milestone should be celebrated, and all of Fairacre is quick to offer suggestions—f...