A Fortunate Grandchild

Miss Read Memoirs #1

by Miss Read

A Fortunate Grandchild

Genres: Memoir, Biography, Autobiography, Biography Memoir, Nonfiction

108 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1982

About the author

Dora Jessie Saint MBE née Shafe (born 17 April 1913), best known by the pen name Miss Read, was an English novelist, by profession a schoolmistress. Her pseudonym was derived from her mother's maiden name. In 1940 she married her husband, Douglas, a former headmaster. The couple had a daughter, Jill. She began writing for several journals after World War II and worked as a scriptwriter for the BBC.

She wrote a series of novels from 1955 to 1996. Her work centred on two fictional English villages, Fairacre and Thrush Green. The principal character in the Fairacre books, "Miss Read", is an unmarried schoolteacher in a small village school, an acerbic and yet compassionate observer of village life. Miss Read's novels are wry regional social comedies, laced with gentle humour and subtle social commentary. Miss Read is also a keen observer of nature and the changing seasons.

Her most direct influence is from Jane Austen, although her work also bears similarities to the social comedies of manners written in the 1920s and 1930s, and in particular the work of Barbara Pym. Miss Read's work has influenced a number of writers in her own turn, including the American writer Jan Karon. The musician Enya has a track on her Watermark album named after the book Miss Clare Remembers, and one on her Shepherd Moons album named after No Holly for Miss Quinn.

In 1996 she retired. In 1998 she was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire for her services to literature. She died 7 April, 2012 in Shefford Woodlands.

Reviews

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely little book remembering two special grandmothers.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this very much. It is short, simply written, and describes the WWI era through a child’s eye with short descriptions of her grandparents and maternal aunts and uncles. There is a Victorian flavor to the book because of the grandparents’ age and upbringing and the details of their houses. I love Miss Read’s books so it is delightful to learn more about her own upbringing and family.

[Summer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A look into Miss Read’s childhood and her memories of her grandparents. It was honest with memories she held and the sight of an adult looking back on weaknesses and strengths of each. Gracefully written. It makes me want to write about my memories of my grandparents.

[Squeak2017 · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short novella offering a nice character study of her paternal grandparents. Interestingly, the grandmother was the one who was kind and indulgent to the children, but the daunting and religious grandfather had the lion's share of the description.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short and easy to read.

[Gina House · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5🌟 The coziest and most comforting memoir I’ve ever read! Not only are you treated with the simple and lovely writing of Miss Read, but the reader gets a sparkling glimpse into her childhood as well.

Her descriptions of her family (especially her Grandmothers) and the details of the homes she visited were so wonderful. The illustrations really brought this book to the next level - very sweet and magical.

I’ll be reading the next book right away and I can’t wait! Miss Read books (even non fiction ones!) never disappoint. 😍❤️

[Leaflet · Rating 4 out of 5]

A slim volume about the author’s memories of her loving grandmothers. I learned that Dora Saint took her pen name, Miss Read, from her maternal grandmother, Sarah Ann Read, who had been long widowed before Saint was even born. She describes Grandma Read as small and neat with possible Portuguese forebears, a happy lady with smiling eyes who had borne twelve children, eight of whom survived. She also loved films and rarely missed going to the cinema.

On the paternal side, she describes Grandpa Shafe as a quite formidable figure, a difficult man, “always right, was narrow-mindedly religious, relishing the taboos imposed by Victorian standards...a holier-than-thou-attitude which made him very few friends.” Grandma Shafe was his polar opposite: jolly, merry, quick to laugh. She also sprinkles in descriptions of various aunts and uncles.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a delightful little read!🥰

[Priscilla Herrington · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miss Read's remembrances of her early childhood and her family. Although known for writing about England's village schools, Miss Read was a London child until the age of seven, and in this book recalls a rather Victorian upbringing in which her grandmothers figure largely.

[Stacie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just lovely! Especially if you’re already a fan of Miss Read and her writing style. Thoroughly enjoyed.

[Debbie Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Utterly delightful short memoir based on her memories of her grandparents around the time of the First World War, with charming line-drawing illustrations helping to recreate the spirit of the age. Her childhood full of interesting adults who loved her in their different ways helps explain why Miss Read grew into such an interesting and kindly writer about well-observed characters.I think I've read all of her other books, so was very pleased to come across a secondhand copy of this one by chance at the excellent Book Barn in Somerset.

[Nadia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book so much! I love all ofMiss Read’s books (but especially the Fairacre series), so it was so interesting to read about her real life - especially when she goes together events from books to her life - such as the connection between her grandmother’s drawing room and the one in The Carley Chronicles.
Also, I have reread her other books so often, so it was enjoyable to read something new by Miss Read (at least for me). There were new jokes and new stories for me to enjoy.
Overall, the only issue I had with this book that it was way too short! Now on to “Time Remembered.”

[Pam Keevil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Miss Read or Dora Saint, as she was known in real life, recounts stories of her childhood in the 1920s and 1930 focussing on memories of her two very different sets of grandparents. It is a picture of a world, very different to our own when the pace of life was dictated by the hors, the train and the early cars. A delightful piece of social history as well as an interesting insight into the grandchild grand parent relationship.

[James Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book about Miss Read's early life and about her grandmother who had twelve kids. It also looks at some of the other people in her early life. There's lots of black-and-white illustrations in this peaceful and very nice book.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This brief memoir focuses on the people and places of the author's early childhood. Many little insights as to how these early experiences shaped the content and style of Miss Read's writing. Very enjoyable!

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was fun to read a bit more about one of my favorite authors, and to see more of the mind behind the novels.

Very nicely illustrated.

[Novascot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely memories by the Miss Read author.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brings back my own memories of childhood spaces at my grandparents. Makes me want to try my hand at a similar memoire.

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was surprised that I didn't enjoy this reminiscence more than I did. I am a big fan of the "Miss Read" books and have tried to read all of them, although I may have missed one here or there. However, this book of personal remembrances of Miss Read's own childhood, while no doubt scrupulously accurate, was not full of the delightful insights and quirks that make the Fairacre, Thrush Green, etc. books so charming. It was a bit humdrum.
It did ,though, give me pause to wonder what memories and opinions my own grandchildren will have of me and our extended family!

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short little memoir of Miss Read's (Dora Saint) grandparents. She tells a little of their history, and anecdotes of times when she lived or visited with them. Charming little read, like all Miss Read books!
It is normally a one-sitting read, but I was picking it up off and on between other books, so it took a while.
Reread November 2022 A one-sitting read this time. Pages are falling out - I need to replace this book!

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though this is just a bit more than a short story, it is a wonderful memoir of Miss Read's childhood. I loved the stories of her grandparents and the visits to her father's parents home on the east coast of England. The illustrations were beautiful and evocative of the pre-world war one period.

[Norah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Borrowed this from someone I met randomly and we discovered we had some mutual friends from away back! She was taking old books to the dump, but had saved this one as she knew her mother liked it, but decided to give it to me instead, though I think she'd like it back!!

[Jaime · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice read...

[Michell Karnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read and loved all of the Miss Read books both fairacre and thrush green and thought they were fantastic! This book was equally great so, simple and good old days of a simpler time.

[Booksingarden · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful book remembering two grandmothers at the time of WWI. Charming.

Reread in January 2023