The World of Thrush Green

by Miss Read

Reveals the real Thrush Green behind the author's fictional English village, the settling for her popular novels, in a combination of memoirs, sketches of characters real and imagined, and scenes from her books

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, British Literature

208 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1988

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

[Alisha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this would be a behind-the-scenes look at where exactly "Miss Read" got her inspiration for the Thrush Green books. There is only a very minimal amount about her own experiences and writing process. Most of the book is actually excerpts from the Thrush Green novels, as she recaps who the characters are and what happens to them. So...just read the actual books, I guess!

[Herb · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is actually an overview of the Thrush Green fiction series, with selections from the various books used to illustrate aspects of the series. Interesting format.

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a lovely exploration of the fictional village of Thrush Green, as created by Miss Read. It has color photographs of the area around it, and charming sketches of the areas of the town and the homes and the townspeople. I enjoyed it thoroughly as I always love being immersed in this sweet old fashioned world.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential if you are the kind of person who finds themselves doodling the probable layout of their favorite fictional English village.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The village Thrush Green is known to thousands of readers of all ages around the world. From the publication of Thrush Green in 1959 to The School at Thrush Green in 1987, Miss Read's novels about life in the intimate little village have captured the essence of all that is best in English rural life. But behind the beautiful, tranquil setting and the familiar array of characters, is there a real Thrush Green tucked away somewhere in the heart of the Cotswolds? In The World of thrush Green, Miss Read explores the background to the novels, throwing open the doors on the real-life setting in which her characters play out their lives, their joy, anxieties and friendships.

"Close to the Oxfordshire town of Witney lies the village of Wood Green, in much the same way as Thrush Green lies close to the town of Lulling. From 1940 to 1945, Miss Read and her husband (who was stationed at a nearby RAF airfield) lived in Witney and it was to this setting that she returned in 1959 for the first Thrush Green novel. Changing Wood Green to Thrush Green, she peopled the streets of the village with a lovable host of characters -- such as the two teachers Miss Watson and Miss Fogerty, Doctor and Winnie Bailey, Albert Piggott, Dotty Harmer and many more -- whose regular adventures have kept readers enthralled ever since. Now, for the first time, the reader is escorted on a personal tour of the village, meeting the individuals and listening as they talk about their lives, pass on recipes and whisper good old village gossip.

"Beautiful illustrations by John S. Goodall, who has provided the illustrations for all the Thrush Green novels, capture the inimitable spirit of the village, displaying a shrewd and humourous appraisal of character. Combining the charms of rural England with Miss Read's vivid description of life in and around Thrush Green, this is a privileged glimpse of an enchanting world."
~~front flap

I enjoyed this book because it gave snippets from most of the previous books, including books that I wasn't able to read -- so the blanks were filled in. The tour of Witney was rather less enjoyable, imho, and the pictures rather confusing.

[Eden · Rating 4 out of 5]

2023 bk 253. It has been awhile since I read any of the Thrush Green novels penned by Miss Read but it was still a delight to run across this book at my local library's book sale. This is not one of the novels and is rather hard to pin down as to genre. It recounts the author's time in one of the villages which would be the model for the Thrush Green setting - using her narrative of village activities during WWII juxtaposition with excerpts from the Thrush Green novels. A lovely look at the back story and the tales that would translate themselves into the novel. A lovely read that I took my time exploring. Now to go back and read those novels again.

[Georgina Gowland · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love the Thrush Green series of books and have read them all now. None disappointed. So I was especially pleased to find this book that supposedly explained how Miss Read had created Thrush Green and the characters that inhabited it. Unfortunately, there is very little from the author about how she made the world of Thrush Green come to life and is mainly made up of excerpts from the actual books that I have just finished reading. That being said the illustrations are delightful as always and perhaps, in a few years time, when the details from the books have faded I will return to this book as a reminder of that delightful village and its inhabitants.

[James Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a recap of events in the Thrush Green series with large segments being taken directly from the books. There are some color illustrations, though, that are quite good.

[Steffanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is an absolutely lovely book!

[Madelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A review of all the Thrush Green stories. I enjoyed the art illustrations and the review of all the characters living at Thrush Green.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a big Miss Read fan and love her Thrush Green series, simply charming.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoying this on my kindle ... always enjoy these charcaters!

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a delightful book, full of illustrations by John Goodall. Miss Read is my favourite author and in this book she describes what it was like to live in Wood Green (Thrush Green in the novels) during the war years. There are many excerpts from the Thrush Green books to illustrate her story. It helps if you have read all the books first. I did a course at Denman College, the WI college, in 2012 called Walk in Miss Read Country and we did walk around Thrush Green to see where all the characters lived. There is another course coming up this year and I would love to attend that one too.