Have a happy Christmas in the English countryside with a volume of three heartwarming holiday tales from Miss Read.
As frost sparkles on cottage roofs and smoke rises from chimneys, the English village of Fairacre is a perfect vision of Christmas joy — but even in this cozy community, celebrations of the season do not always go as expected. In this enchanting holiday collection, Miss Read shares three of her most beloved and memorable Christmas tales.
In "Village Christmas", the Emery family is preparing to celebrate their first Christmas in Fairacre, having moved from London just three months before, and to welcome the birth of their fourth child. When the unexpected happens on Christmas morning, their new neighbors, the elderly Waters sisters, are fortunately nearby to lend a hand.
"The Christmas Mouse" takes us to the nearby village of Caxley. Mrs. Berry has just finished her Christmas Eve preparations when a winter storm brings two visitors seeking refuge to her hospitable home. Their chance encounter will make this an unforgettable Christmas for them all.
In "No Holly for Miss Quinn", a family emergency disrupts Miss Quinn’s plans for a quiet and fuss-free holiday. She agrees to look after her brother’s three young children while their mother is ill and soon finds herself swept away by holiday traditions, the infectious enthusiasm of the children, and the surprising arrival of someone from her past.
For uplifting reading, no one rivals Miss Read. Her delightful Christmas tales brim with good cheer and the spirit of Christmas itself.
Editorial Reviews
"To receive a book by Miss Read in the dead of winter is like coming on a group of purple crocuses in the snow. Or perhaps it's like biting into a tart red apple, because Miss Read is often tart in a gentle sort of way. Her humor is delightful and her quiet style with its simple and innocent content gives proof of the fact that there is still a large audience for the decent book about normal people." —Chattanooga Times
"Miss Read is her charming self once more as she spins a delightful tale of ordinary people and ordinary lives in her own extraordinary way. Tuck it under the Christmas tree for someone special." —Publishers Weekly
"An affectionate, humorous and gently charming chronicle...sometimes funny, sometimes touching, always appealing." —New York Times
"Here you'll find delicious wit, quirky characters, the colorful intrigues of daily life, and certianly love and laughter...Delightful." —Jan Karon
About the Author
Miss Read, or in real life Dora Saint, was a teacher by profession who started writing after the second world war, beginning with light essays written for Punch and other journals. She then wrote on educational and country matters and worked as a scriptwriter for the BBC. Miss Read was married to a schoolmaster for sixty-four years until his death in 2004, and they had one daughter.
Miss Read was awarded an MBE in the 1998 New Year Honours list for her services to literature, She was the author of many immensely popular books, including two autobiographical works, but it was her novels of English rural life for which she was best known. The first of these Village School, was published in 1955, and Miss Read continued to write about the fictional villages of Fairacre and Thrush Green for many years. She lived near Newbury in Berkshire until her death in 2012.
