Village School

by Miss Read

Ebook, 1955

Status

Available

Call number

Fic Gen Miss Read

Publication

HarperCollins

Description

Fiction. Literature. HTML: 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.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member leslie.98

A gently humorous look at English village life post-WW2 through the eyes of the headmistress of the 2 room school. Not quite as enjoyable as Angela Thirkell but in the same vein. If you like Jane Austen and/or Thirkell, you might want to try this.

15 more

LibraryThing member Cariola

Just not my cup of tea. I didn't see much humor here, the characters were dull and generally stereotypical, nothing much happens, and the writing rather pedestrian. No comparison whatsoever to Barbara Pym or D. E. Stevenson.

LibraryThing member tjsjohanna

An o.k. read - sort of like Mitford books, but not quite as good.

LibraryThing member LittleRach

Lovely gentle tale of life in a village in the 1950's, told by the headmistress of the primary school. An interesting historical social study, kind of like James Herriot but without the cows!

LibraryThing member riverwillow

Beautifully observed tale of life centred around a 1950s English village. Miss Read is a wry and sophisticated social commentator whose gentle humour is never far away - 'She always spoke of "hubby" as though he were a hulking caveman and she a clinging little wisp dependent on him for everything.

This "trembling-with-fear-at-his-frown" attitude was all the more absurd when one had seen "hubby", who stood five-foot-six in his dove-grey socks, had next to no chin and a pronounced lisp.' Superb.

Show Less

LibraryThing member JulesJones

First book in a series about life as the headmistress (and indeed one of only two teachers) in a village primary school in 1950s England, originally published in 1955. It's fiction, but clearly drawing from personal experience. The idiosyncrasies of village life are observed with a gently wry

tolerance, and even gentler irony.

After five chapters, I think that this is a Did Not Finish for me -- not because it's a poor book, but because it's a good book that's somehow not quite my taste, and the To Be Read pile I can see from here contains some 40 books, at least half of which I have good reason to think I'll like a lot better. I shall put it aside and try it again some other time, since it's the sort of thing I ought to like.

Show Less

LibraryThing member thornton37814

Delightful tale of village life in the English countryside. The story centers around the school and its teachers. This is a re-read for me.

LibraryThing member satyridae

Lovely, quiet little story of a village in England where Miss Read is the village school headmistress. Nothing much happens, just peaceful life in a peaceful village where everyone knows everyone's business. I think I'd hate it in real life, but it's certainly delicious to read. Not challenging,

not mind-expanding, just sweet.

Show Less

LibraryThing member Condorena

What struck me about this story were the anachronisms. It appears to take place in the '50s but this locale was extremely backward. While the interests might include Spaceman and things atomic, the pupils still used inkwells which I thought went out at the turn of the century, and they had to use

buckets for toilets. No body minded the archaic nature of the amenities though and the story was delightful.

Show Less

LibraryThing member thesmellofbooks

This is the first of the Miss Read novels and although strictly speaking you don't _have_ to read them in order, this is a good one to start with. None others I've read so far have so much to do with the children, and in this we are given a good picture not only of the school itself and many of its

students but of Miss Read's school house as well. Since we spend a lot of time in these places it's good to see them so clearly.

Lovely collection of anecdotes and reflections set in a term by term setting of the fifth year of Miss Read's career in Fairacre. We get to see both her kindly and her impatient sides more clearly than in some novels where her relationship with the children takes more of a back seat.

Show Less

LibraryThing member RubyScarlett

Very charming tale of a village school told by its headteacher. The characters are interesting and the details of country life and school events fresh and heartwarming without being sentimental. It's not for everybody but I found it awfully comforting and very funny at times. I'm glad it's a series.

LibraryThing member TerriS

I love this series and have read ALL of them and anything I can get my hands on by Miss Read! I have read 40 of hers & wish there were more!

LibraryThing member DeltaQueen50

Village School by Miss Read is the first of her Fairacre series. I had previously read this book some years ago but have lately decided to read the whole series in chronological order and so wanted to start with number one again. In this book, Miss Read talks about the events that occurred over the

course of one school year and along the way she also describes the passing of the seasons in regards to the local flora and fauna. We get to visit all the local fetes, fairs and concerts that were the main source of entertainment for the whole village and, of course, we get to meet many of the Fairacre inhabitants along the way.

I am a huge fan of Miss Read’s book and, as always, I thoroughly enjoyed my idyll in the country and look forward to my next visit.

Show Less

LibraryThing member mazda502001

This is a reread for me and the book still draws me in to the nostalgia of life back in the 1950s. So warm, cosy and gentle…..I just love her books. This is how I remember school life back in those years. All of the characters evolve to make you feel as if you know them all and live in the

village with them.

Show Less

LibraryThing member laytonwoman3rd

A pure comfort read. A cosy non-mystery. This is the first in Miss Read's Fairacre series; it follows students, teachers and villagers through a school year in the English village of Fairacre, through Christmas pageants, substitute teachers, gentle romances, and the occasional domestic upheaval

shortly after the end of WWII. It will unruffle your feathers if they need it, supposing you like this sort of thing. When the mood is on me, I like it very well. Jan Karon, without so much ecclesiastical perspective; or, as my daughter would have it, Angela Thirkell with the snark dialed back.

Show Less

LibraryThing member labfs39

I enjoy an older, cozy British novel from time to time, and in many ways, Village School did not disappoint. Our narrator, Miss Read, is a primary school teacher in a two-room schoolhouse in Fairacre, a village in the bucolic English countryside. Through her eyes we see the quiet doings of the

villagers and especially the children both in school and out. Festivals, measles outbreaks, and choir practices enliven an otherwise placid atmosphere. I enjoyed escaping to a simpler world for a while. Unfortunately that world is also home to an undercurrent of gentile racism that was startling whenever it appeared. Because of it I was unable to truly enjoy the novel and won't be continuing on with the series.

Show Less

Fewer