The Fairacre Festival: A Novel

Front Cover
HMH, May 2, 2007 - Fiction - 112 pages
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

From inside the book

Selected pages

Contents

Section 1
Section 2
Section 3
Section 4
Section 5
Section 6
Section 7
Section 8
Section 10
Section 11
Section 12
Section 13
Section 14
Section 15
Section 16
Section 17

Section 9

Other editions - View all

Common terms and phrases

About the author (2007)

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 1998, she was awarded an MBE, or Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, for her services to literature.

Bibliographic information