Christmas at Fairacre - Hardcover

Read, Miss

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0618918108 ISBN 13: 9780618918102

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2007

Synopsis

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.

About this title

About the Author:

Miss Read (1913-2012) was the pseudonym of Mrs. Dora Saint, a former schoolteacher beloved for her novels of English rural life, especially those set in the fictional villages of Thrush Green and Fairacre. The first of these, Village School, was published in 1955, and Miss Read continued to write until her retirement in 1996. In the 1998, she was awarded an MBE, or Member of the Order of the British Empire, for her services to literature. 

Review:

"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 normanl 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 (1976))

About this edition

• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0618918108
• ISBN 13: 9780618918102
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 320