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Miss Read

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 Karon

The 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 well as some rather particular characters.

The new owners, Peter and Diana Hale, plan to create their own rural refuge by converting the middle two cottages into one. But beset by carpenters, plumbers, electricians, and bills, as well as their neighboring tenants—the redoubtable Sergeant Burnaby and the sour Mrs. Fowler—the couple soon has cause to ponder their decision. Fairacre isn’t the utopia they expected, and the Hales must adapt to life in a village that’s not always picture perfect.

Featuring a “rare combination of humor, delicacy, irony, and precision, ” the novels of Miss Read capture the challenges and joys of small-town community life (TheNew York Times Book Review).

“The more turbulent the real world, the more charming we may find the stability of Miss Read’s tiny fictional world. ” —Los Angeles Times

“Miss Read has three great gifts—an unerring intuition about human frailty, a healthy irony, and, surprisingly, an almost beery sense of humor. ” —The New Yorker

Mariner Books

The Beloved Fairacre Series

Tyler's Row: A Novel

Discover these “novels about the gentle rhythms of English village life,” as a community bands together to save their beloved local church (The New York Times).

 The first day of October brought an unheralded and violent storm, which whipped through the quiet English village of Fairacre, blowing down trees and telephone poles—and, worst of all, damaging the roof of St. Patrick’s church.
 
 The inhabitants of tiny Fairacre can’t imagine how they’ll be able to afford the repairs, until Mr. Willet suggests a fundraising festival. Preparations for a food sale, concert, school play, and gigantic Christmas bazaar are soon made—but will they be enough?
 
 With her customary humor and grace, Miss Read recounts a story of catastrophe and courage.
 
 “If you’ve ever enjoyed a visit to Mitford, you’ll relish a visit to Fairacre.” —Jan Karon
 
 “Miss Read reminds us of what is really important. And if we can’t live in her world, it’s certainly a comforting place to visit.” —USA Today

The Fairacre Festival: A Novel

“If you’ve ever enjoyed a visit to Mitford, you’ll relish a visit to Fairacre. ” —Jan Karon

Miss 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 many newcomers, such as the headstrong Amy; the earnest new infants’ teacher, Miss Jackson; and Mr. Mawne—whom the villagers would like to see the reluctant Miss Read marry …

“Miss Read's Books … have deservedly received the highest praise from both English and American reviewers. ” —The New York Times Book Review

“Miss Read reminds us of what is really important. And if we can’t live in her world, it’s certainly a comforting place to visit. ” —USA Today

Village Diary: A Novel

Big changes are afoot in a small English village— “If you’ve ever enjoyed a visit to Mitford, you’ll relish a visit to Fairacre” (Jan Karon, #1 New York Times–bestselling author of To Be Where You Are).
 
 Trouble brews in the tiny country village of Fairacre, when it is discovered that Farmer Miller’s Hundred Acre Field is slated for real estate development. Alarming rumors are circulating, among them the fear that the village school may close. The endearing schoolmistress Miss Read brings her inimitable blend of affection and clear-sighted candor to this report, in which a young girl finds her first love, an older woman accepts a new role in life, and the impassioned battle to save the village from being engulfed is at the forefront of every villager’s mind.
 
 “Wise, ironic, kindly, full of atmosphere and characters, rural charm, broad dialects, and the impishness of children.” —St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 
 “Affectionate, humorous, and gently charming . . . Sometimes funny, sometimes touching, always appealing.” —The New York Times

Storm in the Village: A Novel

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 each experienced young love and then heartbreak when the First World War interrupted both of their romances. In this two-in-one volume, the triumphs and tragedies of their days are depicted with all the humor, humble tenacity, and human warmth for which Miss Read is known.

“Miss Read’s Books … have deservedly received the highest praise from both English and American reviewers. ” —The New York Times Book Review

“Miss Read reminds us of what is really important. And if we can’t live in her world, it’s certainly a comforting place to visit. ” —USA Today

“[Read’s] heroes are the good, the uncomplicated, and those who do the unsung work of the world. It’s a warm, comfortable, part of the picture. ” —Kirkus Reviews

Miss Clare Remembers and Emily Davis: A Novel

“Here you’ll find delicious wit, quirky characters, the colorful intrigues of daily life, and certainly love and laughter… . Delightful. ” —Jan Karon

Throughout 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 for weight loss found in an old notebook—and used with alarming consequences—to the tragic story of the village ghost. In Over the Gate, Miss Read retells many of these treasured stories of Fairacre past and present, with characteristic grace and wit.

“Affectionate, humorous, and gently charming … sometimes funny, sometimes touching, always appealing. ” —The New York Times

“Miss Read has a humble, laughing heart. ” —Mademoiselle

Over the Gate: A Novel

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 retrieving lining paper from her landing cupboard, she falls and breaks her arm. Will she now spend her holiday resigned to the ministrations of the dour Mrs. Pringle?
 
 Just when the summer seems to be ruined, Miss Read’s old friend, Amy Garfield, comes to her aid with a diverting suggestion. They can travel to Crete for two weeks, the change of scenery providing a welcome break for them both—and perhaps when Miss Read returns, refreshed, to her beloved village, she’ll be ready to tackle the various quandaries and mishaps that await her . . .
 
 “The more turbulent the real world, the more charming we may find the stability of Miss Read’s tiny fictional world.” —Los Angeles Times
 
 “Miss Read has three great gifts—an unerring intuition about human frailty, a healthy irony, and, surprisingly, an almost beery sense of humor.” —The New Yorker

Farther Afield: A Novel

“Delicious wit, quirky characters, [and] the colorful intrigues of daily life” make Fairacre America’s favorite English village (Jan Karon, #1 New York Times–bestselling author).

The English village of Fairacre may appear idyllically peaceful to passersby, but those who live among its shady lanes always have problems to untangle. When a terrible rumor emerges—that the Fairacre School is to be closed and the children bused to nearby Beech Green—the village is up in arms at once. The schoolmistress, Miss Read, suffers agonizing indecision at the prospect, and her situation is made worse when her infants’ teacher decides to leave and the short-tempered Mrs. Pringle becomes more contrary than ever.

“Affectionate, humorous, and gently charming … Sometimes funny, sometimes touching, always appealing. ” —The New York Times

“Miss Read reminds us of what is really important. And if we can’t live in her world, it’s certainly a comforting place to visit. ” —USA Today

Village Affairs: A Novel

There’s no pleasing Mrs. Pringle—and everyone in Fairacre knows it. “Miss Read’s novels are sheer delight” (Chicago Tribune).
 
 Miss Read is certain of one thing—she won’t be forced to hire grumpy Mrs. Pringle to straighten up her house. Mrs. Pringle of Fairacre chronicles the life of the beloved but curmudgeonly school cleaner through the stories of her fellow villagers. Readers will delight in the quirks of this favorite character, from the “flare-ups” of her bad leg to her possessive fondness for the school’s two coal stoves. Her neighbors also remember Maud Pringle’s little-known benevolence, like the time she knitted mittens for poor Joe Coggs. The downland village of Fairacre bustles with familiar characters, who all have stories to share about the town’s (and readers’) favorite grouch.
 
 “Miss Read is a master of characterization and description . . . Mrs. Pringle is a book to savor to the very end.” —Broward Sun-Sentinel
 
 “A soothing oasis of tidy living for the frazzled reader weary of an untidy world.” —Kirkus Reviews

Mrs. Pringle of Fairacre: A Novel

In this small English village, when one door closes, another opens for its favorite schoolteacher. “You’llrelish a visit to Fairacre” (Jan Karon, #1 New York Times–bestselling author).

Gradually worsening health forces Miss Read to consider an early retirement from her job as the village school’s headmistress. John Jenkins, a handsome newcomer, competes for her affections with the newly widowed Henry Mawne. However, Miss Read has more on her mind than men. Orphans living in her former house have bolstered the village school’s roll, but these new students seem to be having problems with their adoptive family. In the midst of all this turmoil, readers can rest assured that Farewell to Fairacre boasts all the elements they have come to love: eccentric villagers, gentle humor, and a verdant rural landscape teeming with lambs, larks, and blackthorn bushes.

“As soothing and warm as a cup of Earl Grey tea, this book will delight fans and newcomers to the series alike. ” —Library Journal

“Sensible, well-read and acutely observant, the delightfully prim Miss Read continues to be very good company indeed. ” —Publishers Weekly