This image is the cover for the book Peaceful Retirement, The Beloved Fairacre Series

Peaceful Retirement, The Beloved Fairacre Series

“If you’ve ever enjoyed a visit to Mitford, you’ll relish a visit to Fairacre.” —Jan Karon

After many years of teaching in the charming English village of Fairacre, Miss Read settles down to what she hopes will be a relaxing retirement. But, of course, it is not entirely so. 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 kind 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.ally important. And if we can’t live in her world, it’s certainly a comforting place to visit.”—USA Today

Miss Read

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.

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (hmhbooks.com)