A Peaceful Retirement

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0395850622 ISBN 13: 9780395850626

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin, 1996

Far from peaceful, Miss Read's first year of retirement is filled with homespun adventures, as this charming book brings the Fairacre series of novels to a close. Having bid farewell to her pupils at Fairacre School, Miss Read finds herself as busy and in demand as ever, on holiday in Florence, helping with church and school affairs, and offering a kindly ear to her often eccentric neighbors. Soon she is counseling Henry Mawne on his thorny marriage, gently resisting her own perennial suitor, John Jenkins, and, finally, discovering her talent for writing. Once again, Miss Read's affection for the minutiae of village life, her love of nature, and her good humor make her excellent company. Miss Read's many fans will have more to look forward to: the author will continue to add to her Thrush Green series of novels.

About the Author:

Miss Read is 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. She lives in Berkshire.

From AudioFile:

Miss Read's books are like comfort food for the soul. The stories are wholesome, familiar and untroubling. In this story Miss Read leaves her job as schoolmistress of Fairacre School and settles down to retired life. She receives advice, volunteer work, writing assignments and the opportunity to be a marriage counselor. Sian Phillips, the distinguished actress, reads the story in a thoroughly professional, cultured manner. Hers is a solid, determined Miss Read and not a frail old lady who simply rests and roams about her gardens. For those seeking to return in spirit to a simpler place, this story about retirement in a Cotswold village is just the thing. D.L.G. (c) AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine