#fairacre

Miss Read was the pen name of English novelist Dora Jessie Saint (1913-2012); an author of novels set on the British countryside. Her series included Fairacre and Thrush Green – both set in British villages. “Miss Read” was also a character who appeared in her Fairacre series. Saint also worked as a teacher. She retired from writing in 1996 and was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 1998. Dora Jessie Saint passed away in April 2012 at the age of 98.

Fairacre

Village School (1955) — Buy on Amazon!

Village Diary (1957) — Buy on Amazon!

Storm in the Village (1958) — Buy on Amazon!

Miss Clare Remembers (1962) — Buy on Amazon!

Over the Gate (1964) — Buy on Amazon!

Village Christmas (1966) — Buy on Amazon!

The Fairacre Festival (1968) — Buy on Amazon!

Emily Davis (1971) — Buy on Amazon!

The Christmas Mouse (1973) — Buy on Amazon!

Tyler's Row (1973) — Buy on Amazon!

Farther Afield (1973) — Buy on Amazon!

No Holly for Miss Quinn (1976) — Buy on Amazon!

Village Affairs (1977) — Buy on Amazon!

The White Robin (1979) — Buy on Amazon!

Village Centenary (1980) — Buy on Amazon!

Summer at Fairacre (1984) — Buy on Amazon!

Mrs. Pringle of Fairacre (1989) — Buy on Amazon!

Changes at Fairacre (1991) — Buy on Amazon!

Farewell to Fairacre (1993) — Buy on Amazon!

A Peaceful Retirement (1996) — Buy on Amazon!

Fairacre Collections

Tales from a Village School (1994) — Buy on Amazon!

Thrush Green

Thrush Green (1959) — Buy on Amazon!

Winter in Thrush Green (1961) — Buy on Amazon!

News From Thrush Green (1970) — Buy on Amazon!

Battles at Thrush Green (1975) — Buy on Amazon!

Return to Thrush Green (1978) — Buy on Amazon!

Gossip from Thrush Green (1981) — Buy on Amazon!

Affairs at Thrush Green (1983) — Buy on Amazon!

At Home in Thrush Green (1986) — Buy on Amazon!

The School at Thrush Green (1987) — Buy on Amazon!

Friends at Thrush Green (1991) — Buy on Amazon!

Celebrations at Thrush Green (1992) — Buy on Amazon!

The Year at Thrush Green (1996) — Buy on Amazon!

Christmas at Thrush Green (2009) — Buy on Amazon!

Thrush Green Non-Fiction

The World of Thrush Green (1988) — Buy on Amazon!

Caxley Chronicles

The Market Square (1966) — Buy on Amazon!

The Howards of Caxley (1967) — Buy on Amazon!

Standalone Novels

Fresh from the Country (1955) — Buy on Amazon!

Hobby Horse Cottage (1958) — Buy on Amazon!

The New Bed (1964) — Buy on Amazon!

Plum Pie (1964) — Buy on Amazon!

The Little Peg Doll (1965) — Buy on Amazon!

Tiggy (1973) — Buy on Amazon!

Hob and the Horse Bat (1974) — Buy on Amazon!

Animal Boy (1975) — Buy on Amazon!

Short Story Collections

Little Red Bus & Other Rhyming (1991) — Buy on Amazon!

Miss Read's Christmas Book (1992) — Buy on Amazon!

A Country Christmas (2006) — Buy on Amazon!

Non-Fiction

Miss Read's Country Cooking, Or, to Cut a Cabbage-Leaf (1969) — Buy on Amazon!

Fortunate Grandchild (1982) — Buy on Amazon!

Time Remembered (1986) — Buy on Amazon!

The English Vicarage Garden (1988) — Buy on Amazon!

Early Days (1988) — Buy on Amazon!

Synopsis:

Miss Clare Remembers was written by Miss Read and published in 1962. It is the fourth book in The Chronicles of Fairacre series. This book follows the retired school teacher Miss Clare as she reflects back on her life in the English Countryside from Victorian times to the 1950’s. 

Storyline: 

I really enjoyed this story of Miss Clare’s life after meeting her in the other Fairacre books when she was an aging schoolteacher. I felt like this wasn’t just the story of a life, but that this also showed us the history of that particular span of years just through the lens of a woman living in the countryside. In this book you see Queen Victoria die, two world wars, the titanic sink, technology advancing, cars making an appearance etc. I feel like I got an intimate glance at what all these events meant to someone living a bit out of the way. Perhaps some things didn’t affect Miss Clare quite so personally, but her life is touched by tragedy with others events. 

Setting:

Miss Clare Remembers is set in three English villages. Of course Fairacre, but also Beech Green and Caxley. I really enjoyed the setting of the English Countryside. The places and times were very much brought to life. This was one of those books that felt like time travel. 

Characters:

I grew to really love and care for Dolly Clare in this book. It was so great to get to know her not just as a kind old spinster, but as a child, a young woman in love and overall a woman who loves her job and the children she teaches dearly. She was an admirable woman to me because of how she could see the simple beauty in things no matter the tragedy. She was calm, resilient and kind. I suppose as a more tempestuous personality myself , I always admire these types of women! I could never quite be like them, but yet reading about them always offers me a different perspective on how to deal with life that I find soothing and helpful. 

Did I Enjoy it?:

Yes! This was one of my favorites so far in the series. It was a departure from the other three since it was a looking back novel, but I liked that about it. This series isn’t outstanding in any way, but all of these books are just such pleasant reads that I’m enjoying them so far. I like in particular how it’s main characters seem to be schoolteachers in the age of small country schoolhouses. For whatever reason that appeals to me. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series next year! 

Do I Recommend It?:

I recommend this series to people who like pleasant and quiet stories of English village life in the first half of the 20th century.