Village Centenary

"Miss Read lovers everywhere will welcome her...novel set in the beautiful English village of Fairacre. It's the one hundreth anniversary of Miss Read's school, which first admitted pupils in 1880. It was Miss Clare, who was a pupil and later a teacher there, who pointed out that such a centenary should be celebrated; and all Fairacre was quick to offer suggestions ranging from a tea party to a full-scale pageant. Thinking of a practical way to stage such an occasion was only one of Miss Read's problems. A much grander affair, the Caxley Festival in May, took up a great deal of time and temper. The ancient skylight that had dripped for a hundred years on teachers and pupils alike was to be replaced by a new dormer window, about which Mr. Wllet had his doubts. The new teacher, Miss Briggs, fresh from college with idealistic theories, was a thorn in her headmistress's side. Mrs. Pringle was her usual dour self. Fairacre had other problems. The vicar decided to keep bees. Miriam Quinn feared that she might have to leave home. Henry Mawne went house-hunting, and Amy, Miss Read's sophisticated friend, toyed with the idea of writing her autobiography. The centenary year unfolds with its hopes and feard, its memories and forecasts, its friendships and feuds, and a lot of favorite characters return to delight and amuse in America's favorite English Village."

Miss Read books are lovely stories of the everyday life of a village schoolteacher. They are wholesome, funny and light reading. This particuluar story chronicles a school year where the school is celebrating its 100th anniversary. The banter between Miss Read and her school cleaner Mrs. Pringle is wonderfully funny. I love Jan Karon and the Mitford series, these books are as delightful as a visit to Mitford.

The recently retired schoolteacher Miss Clare points out to Fairacre schoolmistress Miss Read that this is the one hundredth anniversary of the school. Miss Clare thinks back to when the villagers celebrated the fiftieth anniversary and the numerous suggestions by the villagers on how to celebrate and honor that milestone before settling on a marvelous tea party. However, soon history repeats itself, as everyone seems to have an opinion on how to celebrate the centennial. Miss Read would relish just concentrating on the gala event and the myriad of ideas, but she has distractionss besides the welfare of her pupils to deal with. The school's skylight leaks will be difficult and expensive to repair. Miss Clare's replacement Miss Briggs needs seasoning, as she contains idealistic energy of youth not yet tempered by experience. Other villagers share unique problems with Miss Read, who thanks the heavens that custodian Mrs. Pringle remains as morose as ever. VILLAGE CENTENARY is over two decades old but retains a freshness rarely seen in a long running series like the Miss Read Fairacre novels. The story line is a simple look at village life as a key milestone event is to occur. Heated arguments over what to do in a cozy environs seems so insignificant. That is until one thinks of some of the same types of debates in America such as the centennial celebration for the Statue of Liberty, the bicentennial of the Declaration of Independence, and even the one-hundredth anniversary of the Brooklyn Bridge, etc. Miss Read's tales are fun, insightful, invigorating, and universal.Harriet Klausner