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Miss Clare Remembers and Emily Davis
In the English village of Fairacre, the retired schoolteachers Dolly Clare and Emily Davis enjoyed a remarkable friendship, as this moving volume reveals. Childhood playmates in Beech Green, they would remain close throughout their long lives, eventually sharing a cottage in their retirement. They felt grief when a village family was lost on the Titanic. They each experienced young love and then heartbreak when the First World War interrupted both of their romances. The triumphs and tragedies of their days are depicted with all the humor, heartbreak, and human warmth for which Miss Read is known, providing a sensitive portrait of life in the country.
448 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
106 people are currently reading
211 people want to read
About the author
Miss Read
159 books521 followersDora 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
June 29, 2025
Miss Clare Remembers in 4th in this series and Emily Davis is 8th, but they were included in one volume because the two old women were lifelong friends, and this series goes back and forth in time, so the 2 books gelled perfectly. As always, a joy spending time with them.
December 15, 2010
My favorite in the series so far, Miss Clare Remembers is rich with the social history of English town, rural, and village life of the late 19th century and early 20th. Thanks to third-person narration we see life before Dolly Clare--whom we meet in the first three Miss Read books but never really get to know--is even born, and enjoy snapshots of her long and satisfying life as schoolteacher and beloved citizen of Fairacre. Emily Davis is the story of Dolly Clare's beloved best friend whom we meet in the first book of this volume; they grow up together, lose their fiances as a result of World War I, and at the beginning of this book, are enjoying a companionable retirement in Dolly Clare's cottage. Emily dies in the very beginning, and while Miss Clare mourns, the rest of us learn of some of the lives that Emily Davis has touched in her lifetime. Just magnificent storytelling all around.
December 21, 2018
As Christmas approaches, I find that I want to read something cosy, like the Fairacre series by Miss Read. The next book in the series is Book 4 – Miss Clare Remembers – but for some reason, the library only has the copy where it’s bundled together with Book 8 – Emily Davis.
Miss Clare remembers moves away from the perspective of Miss Read and focuses on Miss Clare, Fairacre’s well-beloved teacher who had to retire due to health problems. I always liked Miss Clare and enjoyed her stories, so it was a treat to read about her life. Miss Clare was born during the Victorian era and lived through a lot of things.
While the story is told with a lot of affection, it’s clear that lives back then wasn’t easy. Sure, you had the village spirit, but there was also great poverty. The first few chapters open with a description of the ‘marsh lot’, the people who lived in slums and from their “dank dwellings, very early each morning, issued the old crones who cleaned steps or scrubbed out shops, the labourers on nearby farms, and those employed in digging a new way for a branch line of the local railway.” In fact, we learn that the disagreeable Mrs Pringle (who was disagreeable from the start) was hired after the previous leaning lady was found dead “rolled up in a thin grey blanket before an empty grate” a week or two after she passed away.
Amid this poverty, Dolly Clare grows up, learns what it means to be a teacher, and even falls in love. Her life is full of heartbreak, but she manages to find beauty in everything. We also get to find out why she and her sister have such a tense relationship – something hinted at in the previous books.
Miss Clare ends just as Emily Davis is about to arrive at Dolly Clare’s house. Emily Davis begins, on the other hand, with the death of Emily. I really hope that the books in between don’t feature Emily too prominently because it will be so sad to read if they do.
Although Emily is only ‘alive’ at the beginning, her death sends ripples throughout Fairacre and beyond and as people hear the news, they remember. We learn more about Emily’s childhood, her tragic love affair, and how she has always been a faithful friend to Dolly Clare and others in the village.
I can see why these two books are bundled together. Dolly Clare and Emily Davis were meant to be fast friends and reading these two books let me see how deep and genuine their friendship was. These books are an affectionate portrayal of these two characters and the time they lived in.
This review was first posted at Eustea Reads
Miss Clare remembers moves away from the perspective of Miss Read and focuses on Miss Clare, Fairacre’s well-beloved teacher who had to retire due to health problems. I always liked Miss Clare and enjoyed her stories, so it was a treat to read about her life. Miss Clare was born during the Victorian era and lived through a lot of things.
While the story is told with a lot of affection, it’s clear that lives back then wasn’t easy. Sure, you had the village spirit, but there was also great poverty. The first few chapters open with a description of the ‘marsh lot’, the people who lived in slums and from their “dank dwellings, very early each morning, issued the old crones who cleaned steps or scrubbed out shops, the labourers on nearby farms, and those employed in digging a new way for a branch line of the local railway.” In fact, we learn that the disagreeable Mrs Pringle (who was disagreeable from the start) was hired after the previous leaning lady was found dead “rolled up in a thin grey blanket before an empty grate” a week or two after she passed away.
Amid this poverty, Dolly Clare grows up, learns what it means to be a teacher, and even falls in love. Her life is full of heartbreak, but she manages to find beauty in everything. We also get to find out why she and her sister have such a tense relationship – something hinted at in the previous books.
Miss Clare ends just as Emily Davis is about to arrive at Dolly Clare’s house. Emily Davis begins, on the other hand, with the death of Emily. I really hope that the books in between don’t feature Emily too prominently because it will be so sad to read if they do.
Although Emily is only ‘alive’ at the beginning, her death sends ripples throughout Fairacre and beyond and as people hear the news, they remember. We learn more about Emily’s childhood, her tragic love affair, and how she has always been a faithful friend to Dolly Clare and others in the village.
I can see why these two books are bundled together. Dolly Clare and Emily Davis were meant to be fast friends and reading these two books let me see how deep and genuine their friendship was. These books are an affectionate portrayal of these two characters and the time they lived in.
This review was first posted at Eustea Reads
September 9, 2019
“Miss Clare Remembers” was the fourth book in the Fairacre series and was published in 1962. Kindle has packaged it with “Emily Davis” which was the seventh book in the series and appeared in 1971. You get two books for the price of one. What could be better?
I’d love to know how Dora Saint came to detour from her narrative of life in Fairacre in the mid-1900’s to write these two books about earlier times. Did readers of the first books demand more stories about the retired teachers mentioned so often and so fondly? Or were they labors of love for the long-time school teacher/author who wanted to write more about these two dedicated women and the mark they left on their small world?
Dolly Clare and Emily Davis were born into working class families and grew up in the tiny village of Beech Green. They trained as teachers, but hoped to be marry and have their own children. Like many women of their generation, their romantic lives were destroyed by WWI. Both stayed close to Beech Green, spending their professional careers as “infant” teachers in village schools.
Dolly was quiet and reserved, but notable for her shrewd commonsense and unassailable moral compass. Emily was out-going and confident and never afraid to fight injustice. The two friends were steeped in the Victorian virtues of honesty, consideration for others, and devotion to duty. The world changed around them, but they continued to model those virtues for generations of students.
What I love about this series is that the villages aren't fairy tale worlds with perfect people. Ms. Saint wrote about unfaithful spouses, feuding neighbors, and cadging relatives. There are lazy, violent husbands, spineless wives, and abused children. There are generous employers and others who take advantage of their workers. Some families protect and care for each other, but in some families selfishness is the norm. They talk and dressed differently, but these are people you recognize.
The biographies of these women is the story of England in the first half of the 20th century. There were two world wars and numerous social upheavals. As is true in every era in every society, those brought up by wise, loving parents have an advantage. Some never had a chance, but others rose above unfortunate backgrounds. How do we explain it?
A dedicated teacher touches many lives. These are heartwarming books filled with the author's trademark shrewdness and humor. The story of impish Emily Davis spiking the guns of a selfish mother trying to keep her grown sons under her control is worth the price of admission all by itself. "Miss Clare Remembers" has been one of my favorite books for years. The look back at Emily Davis' life and times is just as fascinating. These are some of the best books in a fine series. Don't miss them.
I’d love to know how Dora Saint came to detour from her narrative of life in Fairacre in the mid-1900’s to write these two books about earlier times. Did readers of the first books demand more stories about the retired teachers mentioned so often and so fondly? Or were they labors of love for the long-time school teacher/author who wanted to write more about these two dedicated women and the mark they left on their small world?
Dolly Clare and Emily Davis were born into working class families and grew up in the tiny village of Beech Green. They trained as teachers, but hoped to be marry and have their own children. Like many women of their generation, their romantic lives were destroyed by WWI. Both stayed close to Beech Green, spending their professional careers as “infant” teachers in village schools.
Dolly was quiet and reserved, but notable for her shrewd commonsense and unassailable moral compass. Emily was out-going and confident and never afraid to fight injustice. The two friends were steeped in the Victorian virtues of honesty, consideration for others, and devotion to duty. The world changed around them, but they continued to model those virtues for generations of students.
What I love about this series is that the villages aren't fairy tale worlds with perfect people. Ms. Saint wrote about unfaithful spouses, feuding neighbors, and cadging relatives. There are lazy, violent husbands, spineless wives, and abused children. There are generous employers and others who take advantage of their workers. Some families protect and care for each other, but in some families selfishness is the norm. They talk and dressed differently, but these are people you recognize.
The biographies of these women is the story of England in the first half of the 20th century. There were two world wars and numerous social upheavals. As is true in every era in every society, those brought up by wise, loving parents have an advantage. Some never had a chance, but others rose above unfortunate backgrounds. How do we explain it?
A dedicated teacher touches many lives. These are heartwarming books filled with the author's trademark shrewdness and humor. The story of impish Emily Davis spiking the guns of a selfish mother trying to keep her grown sons under her control is worth the price of admission all by itself. "Miss Clare Remembers" has been one of my favorite books for years. The look back at Emily Davis' life and times is just as fascinating. These are some of the best books in a fine series. Don't miss them.
April 24, 2023
Surely a valuable Chronicle of a way of life that has mostly passed
The Miss Read series takes me back to my childhood. I grew up in the country with 3 brothers and a sister. We also had a large extended family with our dezr grandmother, many aunts and uncles and literally dozens of cousins. Our way of life was a generation behind the lives of my cousins, all most all of them raised in towns. The seasons were each in their way hivhly important, the weather closely followed. We grew and raised most of our own food, sewed our clothes, curtains, pillow covers, cut firewood for the winter. We entertained ourselves, were never bored. The days were too short for all we wanted to do. These books are a journey to my past, sharing the pleasures of the delights of the natural world to please the lovely people in this series, much as they did for me. I am so grateful to be reminded of older times, of close families.
The Miss Read series takes me back to my childhood. I grew up in the country with 3 brothers and a sister. We also had a large extended family with our dezr grandmother, many aunts and uncles and literally dozens of cousins. Our way of life was a generation behind the lives of my cousins, all most all of them raised in towns. The seasons were each in their way hivhly important, the weather closely followed. We grew and raised most of our own food, sewed our clothes, curtains, pillow covers, cut firewood for the winter. We entertained ourselves, were never bored. The days were too short for all we wanted to do. These books are a journey to my past, sharing the pleasures of the delights of the natural world to please the lovely people in this series, much as they did for me. I am so grateful to be reminded of older times, of close families.
June 21, 2024
Sweet book as always…
I’ve said many times how soothing the Fairacre series is; these stories were like being wrapped in a warm hug with my grandmother and listening to her life. Mis Clare begins by simply reminiscing as she is waiting on a visit with her dear friend, Miss Emily; from their first meting when Clare sat next to Emily in school, to them both being chosen as pupil teachers, through their teaching careers, their lost loves, and finally, their retirement and their eventual “rooming” together in Miss Clare’s childhood home as well as stories of many of the town folk they came in contact with. I’m sure many would find them boring, but I love them and all their mild adventures.
I’ve said many times how soothing the Fairacre series is; these stories were like being wrapped in a warm hug with my grandmother and listening to her life. Mis Clare begins by simply reminiscing as she is waiting on a visit with her dear friend, Miss Emily; from their first meting when Clare sat next to Emily in school, to them both being chosen as pupil teachers, through their teaching careers, their lost loves, and finally, their retirement and their eventual “rooming” together in Miss Clare’s childhood home as well as stories of many of the town folk they came in contact with. I’m sure many would find them boring, but I love them and all their mild adventures.
January 20, 2025
2024 bk 9. This is among my favorite of the Miss Read novels for it features the former Infants teacher of the school. Using flashbacks the story of Miss Clare and Miss Emily is told from the 1880's through the 1960's. Two single school teachers, best friends from childhood. Two women who loved and lost to WWI what might have been, but continued on. Two women who found worth in what they had done to help raise the children of their villages and provide assistance when needed. Between them they had more secrets held in keeping than most intelligence agencies. Finally, the story of two women who were loved greatly by their communities. I read this through the night, only to find it was 4 am.
March 5, 2022
Simply wonderful! I've yet to read the entire series (I'm getting there though) but I think this one (or rather these two) even top my favourite which was the first in the Fairacre series, Village School. They're just so soothing while remaining full of interesting characters and events. These two novels detail reminiscences of the title characters, of times gone by and how characters influenced and touched the lives of others in these small, rural communities. How the author manages to knit all these people together throughout the run of novels and over the generations of her characters' lives is truly impressive.
November 30, 2018
Miss Clare Remembers tells the story of her life, from her childhood in Beech Green where she meets Emily Davis, through her schooling, teaching in Fairacre, through two world wars, to her retirement back in her old home in Beech Green, with her dear friend Emily coming to live with her.
Emily Davis begins with the two old friends living together in their 80s. After Emily dies, the book is mostly reminiscences of Emily's old friends and students about her life and how she helped them. A lovely book about two lives and an enduring friendship.
Emily Davis begins with the two old friends living together in their 80s. After Emily dies, the book is mostly reminiscences of Emily's old friends and students about her life and how she helped them. A lovely book about two lives and an enduring friendship.
November 22, 2024
Miss Read gives us an intimate look into the lives of Dolly Clare and Emily Davis. The two young girls meet in infant school at the ages of six and seven and are friends for the rest of their long lives. Oh my, how can I describe their lives? We read of both heart-warming and heart-breaking episodes, joys, and triumphs. We also read of how they endeared themselves to their students and were remembered for the love with which they embraced them. Oh, to have grown up in an English village on the edge of the Downs. You can at least read and revel in it if you did not.
August 19, 2019
Vignette of past
Rereading and catching up on the books in the series I missed. Finely drawn characters and descriptions of English villagers. Some might think overly sentimental but miss the point of a slice of life that holds lessons for us all
Rereading and catching up on the books in the series I missed. Finely drawn characters and descriptions of English villagers. Some might think overly sentimental but miss the point of a slice of life that holds lessons for us all
April 22, 2021
I believe this series may have influenced the writings of Jan Karon. Speculation on my part. Both books illustrate the sorrows and loss alongside the gentle joys of a humble rural community, rife with a covey of local characters, their shenanigans and delights.
May 20, 2020
Heartfelt and charming. Slow country life
April 25, 2021
I enjoy all the books in this series. The simple day to day lives of the main character and her neighbors are a quiet pleasure to read.
June 22, 2023
My favorite of the series so far! This is such a good and heartwarming story!
November 1, 2023
It took me a bit to get pulled into this book- my first of Miss Read. I finished completely charmed. I loved the plot of unfolding impressions/memories of Emily Davis’s life from different people.
August 21, 2024
An old book but enjoyable!
March 19, 2025
Two sweet stories in one. Quite delightful!
August 9, 2025
So far, my favorite in the Fairacre series.
July 20, 2020
Such a Wonderful Book of the Memories of Two Fine Old Ladies
Miss Clare and Miss Emily shared a beautiful friendship. Their memories were simple and touching. Some were happy and some were sad, but they all made a beautiful story.
Miss Clare and Miss Emily shared a beautiful friendship. Their memories were simple and touching. Some were happy and some were sad, but they all made a beautiful story.
July 27, 2015
The first half of this book is, as the title states, about Miss Clare remembering her childhood. It goes back a little farther than she can actually remember to talk about how her parents met, and their early years together. Then we learn about Miss Clare's upbringing during the Victorian years, her move to her beloved thatch cottage, how she became a teacher, a romance and about her strained relationship with her sister. Most importantly we learn about her life-long friendship with Emily Davis, who also became a teacher. This part of the book started out a bit slowly, but soon I became very caught up in details of daily life in the Victorian and Edwardian ages.
The second half of the book is about Emily Davis and the impact she has made on others through the course of her life. We meet characters we've met in other Miss Read books, but many new characters as well. Sometimes the smallest loving action on her part changes the future of others in ways nobody could have predicted. There are some bits which are repeated from Miss Clare's part of the book which was frustrating at first, but I'm glad I stuck with it because it really blossomed into something special. Emily Davis was written 10 years after Miss Clare Remembers.
There are parts that are extremely sad, and I cried, like I have never cried with a Miss Read book before this one, but ultimately it is a book about hope, resilience, strength, and friendship.
As fair warning, there are a handful of racially offensive terms that would have been common usage in the times portrayed and at the time this book was written (1962 and 1971). Also, there is a brief, but grisly scene in a Victorian butcher's shop.
The second half of the book is about Emily Davis and the impact she has made on others through the course of her life. We meet characters we've met in other Miss Read books, but many new characters as well. Sometimes the smallest loving action on her part changes the future of others in ways nobody could have predicted. There are some bits which are repeated from Miss Clare's part of the book which was frustrating at first, but I'm glad I stuck with it because it really blossomed into something special. Emily Davis was written 10 years after Miss Clare Remembers.
There are parts that are extremely sad, and I cried, like I have never cried with a Miss Read book before this one, but ultimately it is a book about hope, resilience, strength, and friendship.
As fair warning, there are a handful of racially offensive terms that would have been common usage in the times portrayed and at the time this book was written (1962 and 1971). Also, there is a brief, but grisly scene in a Victorian butcher's shop.
March 11, 2012
This volume is a double with two gentle stories written about ten years apart. The first can be summed up by a phrase which aptly depicts the times in a few words. "It was an age that was geared to great efforts for small returns.' How very different from current times in which we expect a large return for every little effort. Miss Clare was a school teacher who began her work just after the turn of the last century. It was a difficult era with society in a post industrial revolution rural poverty that affected many.
The story follows Miss Clare through the war to end all wars and changes from gas to electric, horse to car, kite to rocket science. These were part and parcel of Miss Clare's existence and none of it challenged her equanimity.
The second story chronicles the death of octogenarian Emily Davis. As the news diffuses to many people who remember Miss Emily Davis their fond memories of how this stalwart school teacher touched and improved their lives, are shared. If the reader can ever seeing him or herself as leaving such footsteps in the sand they blessed indeed. Emily was Miss Clare's lifelong friend and fellow teacher. There are many parallels in these two lives, part of which is the same struggles of losing the loves of their lives, teaching in small country schools and the ardent love of nature in the country and all it has to offer.
The story follows Miss Clare through the war to end all wars and changes from gas to electric, horse to car, kite to rocket science. These were part and parcel of Miss Clare's existence and none of it challenged her equanimity.
The second story chronicles the death of octogenarian Emily Davis. As the news diffuses to many people who remember Miss Emily Davis their fond memories of how this stalwart school teacher touched and improved their lives, are shared. If the reader can ever seeing him or herself as leaving such footsteps in the sand they blessed indeed. Emily was Miss Clare's lifelong friend and fellow teacher. There are many parallels in these two lives, part of which is the same struggles of losing the loves of their lives, teaching in small country schools and the ardent love of nature in the country and all it has to offer.
January 30, 2015
I enjoyed this book. It is a nice place to visit. The book is told in the third person, and I wish that the events were told instead of retold. The books are compared to Jan Karon's books and they are in that they are a collection of characters but they are not nearly as quirky or in-depth. The book is a series of memories told about the main characters from people that they interacted in the past. I think that this method of storytelling is ok but I personally don't get emotionally involved with the characters.
March 23, 2015
Oh how I loved this little book! Even though some of the stories were repeated from other books, I still enjoyed them. The death of one of the sweetest and kindest characters in the series of books just about did me in! Miss Emily Davis was dealt quite a cruel hand in life, but as the old Doc Martin stated, she had no self-pity, and knew how to laugh. Perhaps we would all be better off if we ascribed to a like philosophy!
July 21, 2010
This pair of novels are a loving and lovely account of the daily life and concerns of Miss Clare, a rural school teacher in England, during her long life that spans from the 1880s to the 1960s. It's especially interesting to see the social changes as the country evolves around her, and how she and the other people in her tiny rural town respond and change as society does.
December 11, 2008
All my reviews for Miss Read books are going to sound the same. Her characters live the life I want to live and live where I want to live.
June 8, 2009
All the Miss Read books are very pleasant, simple stories about life in an English village.
July 5, 2009
Some of my favorite, relaxing, English village nonsense. I actually hadn't read these before. Ahhhhhh.
December 29, 2011
This was a really sweet read. I always enjoy my visits to Fairacre.
March 29, 2014
Extremely nice tales of quiet country life. Very lovely to read, gorgeous descriptions of nature & of human kindness.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews