Village School (The Fairacre Series #1)

Someone did a very poor job of digitizing the first 2 books. Where there should be a double L "really" the book will show "ready". I could go on but the Kindle version is just chock full of obvious OCR errors that should have been edited. A cursory read through by anyone would have made this obvious. Very glad I got it at a steep discount, it's not worth any more than that.

I received my book in a timely manner and it looks brand new! Thanks!

I found this historic series by Googling the phrase "English village series" looking for something new to read. The Thrush Green series popped up first, and after some digging I found that Miss Read had written two beloved series over the course of her long life. The Fairacre series was written first, and this book, "Village School" written in 1955 is the first in the series.Miss Read is the Head School Mistress in the two room school house in the village of Fairacre, and from this vantage point she sees and relates the many stories of her co-workers, her pupils and their families. Through these stories we are granted insight into the charm and myriad details of the way of life during that time.Miss Clare is Miss Read's teaching partner in charge of the infants in the other school room, but is suffering of late from mysterious headaches. Mrs. Pringle (my favorite secondary character) is in charge of cleaning the school has a "bum leg", to hear her tell it, which seems to have "flare ups" whenever unappealing work is before her. There is a village doctor, the vicar who wears a very bad choice of winter gloves, and so many more.Expect tale after tale of simple rural life, tied to the English landscape, gently following the changing seasons. Do not expect action or suspense. These stories play out almost like diary entries without much of the action modern day readers may have come to expect.I've finished this book and the second in the series, "Village Diary" and I've moved into the third book. Perfect bedtime reading.

It was a bit slow at first but then picked up. The characters are well written. A quick read in a Saturday afternoon.

I want to preface this review by saying I have known and loved Miss Read for years. I have a hardback “omnibus” of the first 3 books which I just can’t hold comfortably in my small hands any more, so I bought Village School to start with. I am not noticing too many grammatical errors, and I would. I was en editor for over 25 years at a publishing company and things like that jump out at me. Regarding the reader who made 100 notes of errors in the book, I think that’s just silly. Read the book for pleasure if you will, but if you feel the need to document 100 errors, read the dictionary instead. I’m sorry, but in my mind this just had to be said.

I found the Ms. Read (Dora Saint) books at the library several years ago and began reading her collection. I have since bought as many as I can find. The Fairacre series is my favorite. I love anything set in England. All her books share a wonderful view of what life and school was like in a small English village. The main character is a school teacher. When I want to escape to a pleasant calmer time, I read one of her books. I believe Village School is the first in this series. You can read them in the order written or not as each can stand on it's own and you soon catch on to the characters who appear in each book. If you like Jan Karon's Mitford series of books, you will like the Miss Read series as they were a model for Ms. Karon and she corresponded with Mrs. Saint in her later years. I would highly recommend this book and the entire series. I am sad to say that I can only find two in the Kindle version but I'm hoping that will change.

I love this character-driven series. Miss Read introduces you to and lets you get to know each of the many people who live in the English village of .Fairacre—some quirky, some hard-working, some lovable, and some not. Life in Fairacre is a microcosm of people then and now. As a teacher, I enjoy the interactions of parents, teacher, and students. I highly recommend this series!

A charming book depicting country life, school teaching, and a "by gone" era. A great read for relaxing and "getting away" to another simpler, sweeter time.

Totally different from the usual books I read. I am however really enjoying it. Having grown up and attended school West Berkshire in the 50's I was actually taught by Miss Read (AKA Doris Saint) This has been a real walk down memory lane for me. A wonderful insight into village life during the 1950's .

Village school is the first book in the Fairacre series. The series begins in the fities, however the later books still maintain the fifties atmosphere.The book deals with the trials, tribulations and triumphs of being a village school headmistress (definitely a headmistress not a headteacher!)The characters are three dimensional and mostly likeable. Who could fail to love Joseph Coggs trying desperately to flourish despite his shiftless family. Any child who thinks that three helpings of school dinner is the best part of the day just has to be a star. Mrs Pringle is undoubtedly one of the most malignant characters in fiction, full of bile and vitriol "One of the happy martyrs of this world.". Yet she can also be a great comic turn with her 'combustible leg' and her malapropisms.Nevertheless the highlight of the stories is the portrayal of Miss Read herself. She is nice, without being too nice. independent but sociable. Her running battles with the country children and Mrs Pringle are a joy.It is her touches of acerbic wit that prevents the stories from becoming uncomfortably cosy. You have to empathise with a woman who writes "John Burton,...saw fit to repeat his famous dying duck-in-a-thunderstorm act...I leant forward and, without any warning, gave John Burton a sharp box on the ear. It was, I found, the best moment of the day."If you've had a stressful day, if the news is alll doom, gloom and disaster, do what I do read a few chaperters of Village School before going to sleep- It will soon make you feel more at peace with the world.

This is the first book in the series and in the first couple of chapters it sets the scene for the rest. Her description of the school, pupils ,villagers and the characters therein are excellent. You are there - in the playground, in the school room, village hall etc.I enjoy the sketches that run throughout the book-this adds another dimension to the book.A relaxing read.

I read Miss Reads books many,many years ago, and enjoyed them then. However I am enjoying themeven more now. They are set in a very different time, although the way of life then could maybe teachus a bit about how we could live and think today. There is also a lot of humour. I would say to anyonegive these lovely books a try.

Let’s be clear about why I rated this book just three stars. The story is delightful and really evocative of the gentle education system in a village primary school in the mid twentieth century. I had lost my old copy and ordered this paperback one to replace it. Sadly, although in excellent condition, the print was too small to read - even with glasses! Caveat emptor.