Over the Gate: A Novel
By Miss Read
3.5/5
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About this ebook
Throughout her years as schoolmistress, Miss Read has gathered excellent accounts of the rich and varied history of her beloved English village, often through neighborly conversation over the gate. Fairacre has garnered its share of odd incidents, entertaining episodes, and village folklore, from an unusual recipe for weight loss found in an old notebook—and used with alarming consequences—to the tragic story of the village ghost. In Over the Gate, Miss Read retells many of these treasured stories of Fairacre past and present, with characteristic grace and wit.
“Affectionate, humorous, and gently charming . . . sometimes funny, sometimes touching, always appealing.” —The New York Times
“Miss Read has a humble, laughing heart.” —Mademoiselle
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 the 1998, she was awarded an MBE, or Member of the Order of the British Empire, for her services to literature.
Read more from Miss Read
The Caxley Chronicles: The Market Square and the Howards of Caxley Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Village School Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFresh from the Country Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Winter in Thrush Green Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related to Over the Gate
Titles in the series (15)
Mrs. Pringle of Fairacre: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Farewell to Fairacre: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Peaceful Retirement: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Changes at Fairacre: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Storm in the Village: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Village Affairs: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Over the Gate: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Village Diary: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Miss Clare Remembers and Emily Davis: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5No Holly for Miss Quinn: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Farther Afield: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Tyler's Row: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Fairacre Festival: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Summer at Fairacre: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Village Centenary: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
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Reviews for Over the Gate
3 ratings3 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This novel is set up as a series of stories, loosely linked by Miss Read's interactions with different members of the village. It is effective in providing a reason for her stay in Fairacre when there is a possibility that she might move on to a different school.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This book, the fifth in the Fairacre series is a story pulled together by the school year and a group of anecdotes that several of the characters tell to Miss Read as they reminisce and teach her more about the area she calls home.
Miss Read, the village school mistress has been doing the same thing now for several years and while she still enjoys her job and the children, she wonders if it is time to move on and get out of her rut. The thought of another teacher taking her place is what makes her accept the fact that desperately miserable winters are not enough to chase her away.
Miss Read creates an idyllic world where even a stranger at one's door is more of an adventure than a threat of home invasion. Her description of the bucolic surrounding sent me to google on several occasions to find out what feverfew, cowslip and thrushes look like. These pleasures in the smallest of plants and animals that inhabit a country lane, all of which have individuality is lovely. Sadly when I take a walk in a rural setting I can put a name to nothing but the most common of plants like yarrow, Queen Anne's lace and dandelions. - Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This book relies more on the casting back and relating historical tales from long-dead village residents rather than than following chronologically the earlier books. It's still a warm, delightful book but it's not, to my eyes, as engaging as the earlier ones. But I liked it a lot, even so.