Christmas At Thrush Green: By Miss Read

Thrush Green #13

by Miss Read, June Barrie

The villagers of Thrush Green celebrate Christmas traditionally, in a way that has hardly changed over the generations. Children eagerly hang up their stockings, families go to church together, everyone enjoys treats of the festive season. And when it snows as the carol singers make their way round the cottages on the green, it seems as if Christmas will be perfect this year. But not everything is as peaceful as it seems. Phyllida and Frank have their work cut out for them when they agree to take on the Nativity play - made all the more difficult by an outbreak of chicken pox. The indomitable Ella has lived in Thrush Green for as long as anyone can remember, but lately she has been behaving strangely. Then there are the dreadful Burwells, newcomers to Thrush Green, who cause something of a stir with their 'home improvements'. For Nelly, owner of The Fuchsia Bush tea shop, Christmas is an especially busy time, with people dropping in for much-needed refreshment, weary from all their Christmas shopping, but then she receives an unexpected letter.

Genres: Christmas, Fiction, British Literature, Historical Fiction, Classics, Audiobook, Holiday

Audio CD

First published October 1, 2009

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

[Diane Barnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

My last visit to the village of Thrush Green was not actually written by Miss Read. She outlined the plot, but it was written by one of her editors. I suspect age was a factor as Miss Read would have been in her 90s at the time of writing.

It was a nice finish nevertheless. There were just a couple of instances that seemed a little off, but was still true to the previous novels. Reading it in December was appropriate.

So I'll leave Thrush Green for a while, knowing I can return at any time.

[Beth Bonini · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is no point in reading this book if you aren't familiar with the Thrush Green universe of the Miss Read novels. I have many trusted reading friends who rate the Miss Read books very highly, but this book was written by the author's editor - and while it may have imitated the Miss Read style, and drawn on familiar (one assumes beloved) characters, it seems to be missing the charm/wisdom/humour (I'm just guessing) that made the preceding novels such favourites. There are a few mildly entertaining and poignant situations, but mostly I found this novel a pretty bland and insipid presentation of English village life. I also thought it leaned too heavily on stereotypes and middle-class snobbery. Some of the characters seemed appealing, but because the book is a series of very small vignettes, the plot line never allows the first-time reader to really get to know any of them. Tis the season and all, but my response was somewhere between 'meh' and 'bah humbug'.

[Gina House · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading Miss Read books at any time of year is rewarding, comforting and oh-so-wonderful. Christmas At Thrush Green is even more of a treat during Christmastime. I love following the everyday activities, mini-dramas and foibles of the villagers. Even the annoying people are fun to read about. This is my second time reading this volume in the Thrush Green series and it was just as delightful as I remembered it. I'm sure it will always be on my must-read (Miss Read!) Christmas shelf. Highly recommended!

[Cindy Rollins · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very difficult to read even knowing all the characters. An attempt by an editor to say goodbye to everyone without Miss Read, Dora Saint, on hand.

[Moonkiszt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my third or fourth read of Miss Read's Christmas at Thrush Green . It has been a long time since, though, and so it was a homecoming of sorts. I love the characters, the setting and the satisfaction of all those cozy expectations - Miss Read is brilliant at that!

Now I'm ready to step into a new year, having had a cuppa in Thrush Green at Christmas. I do long for a mince pie, though. I'll have to fix that soonish.

[Terris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished "Christmas at Thrush Green"! It was really good. Though I read my last Miss Read book in 2007 (39 at last count!), the story was told in such a way that many of the people and their relationships to each other were explained, and I did remember some of their stories. It was very sweet, and a good one to read at Christmas time :)

[Melody Schwarting · Rating 3 out of 5]

Christmas at Thrush Green is technically the final installment of Miss Read’s Thrush Green series, which has been a balm to my soul for the past four years. Yet, it’s also not fully written by Dora Jessie Saint, but co-written with Jenny Dereham. Anyone who’s read the previous books can tell it’s not Miss Read’s trademark style, but Dereham’s voice suffices, and to me the characters felt true to the previous dozen books.

Certain parts of this are treasured moments for me about characters I’ve come to know and love over the series. Nelly winning the award for her shop was a blessedly cathartic moment. The Nativity play, which happens early on in the story, was really funny, and though it wasn’t quite something Miss Read would have written, it didn’t feel out of place. And the resolution of a certain dilemma tied up the series in a nice bow. Dimity and Ella reunited, with Charles along for the ride!

I knew that The Year at Thrush Green was the real last book in the series, but there were some nice moments of closure in Christmas at Thrush Green that the series needed. Yet, Christmas at Thrush Green made me face the need for the series to end in this spot. How much longer could we have gone without character death? Even though the series began with a major character’s death, and we bade farewell to the doctor early on, the demise of one of the inhabitants at this point would change the whole tone of the series.

Published fourteen years after the last Thrush Green book, Christmas at Thrush Green felt weakest when the narration spent several paragraphs catching us up on the each character arc of the ensemble characters. This is Thrush Green, though, so the arcs are not very complex, but still, I felt dishonored as a reader when the narrator did this. I’ve spread out my reading over several years, and still I remember the gist of what happened in each character’s life and don’t need a refresher. When the publishers marketed Christmas at Thrush Green, fourteen years after The Year at Thrush Green, they should have understood that dedicated readers would either re-read the series in anticipation or just remember the characters themselves. (I find myself speaking of characters rather than plot, because no one reads Miss Read for the plot!) My dear friend who introduced me to Miss Read says she is “always re-reading” one of the Miss Read series. Suffice it to say we readers “live” in Thrush Green and don’t need to be debriefed on the life stories of our neighbors.

One set of characters did not feel “right” in the story. The Burwells were unfairly lambasted for no reason, and they author’s choice to get Jean Burwell drunk at the party drove it home. Edward’s hatred of their Christmas decorations, driving his son to vandalism, was cruel and unusual for the mildness of Thrush Green. The decor sounded like what I often see at a certain famous art museum, and at a certain famous library. Both in the USA, of course. Edward really needed to learn to be indifferent to his neighbor’s choices, but his character is not developed in this way. Instead, he is justified in his prejudices when the author makes Jean a lightweight. Yes, the Burwells do sound like an unpleasant couple with little social awareness, but the author could have brought them to a point of redemption. Unfortunately, we are left with a rather depressing end to this plotline: the Burwells go on living in Thrush Green (unless their otherwise lovely neighbors chase them out) and continue annoying the other residents.

I will certainly miss my time in Thrush Green, and eventually I will re-read the books. For the next few years, I’m planning to venture into Mitford, partially for a change, partially because I want to meet this Father Tim I’ve heard about, and partially because I know the Fairacre series will blend with Thrush Green in my mind if I don’t give the two series some space.

[Catie · Rating 2 out of 5]

#MissReadalong on IG - December 2017

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I consider myself a true fan of Miss Read and her books. So much so that I've collected most of her books throughout the years and I re-read them when I'm in special need of old friends in the form of gentle, uplifting books.

I approached this one with some trepidation because I heard it had been co-authored due to Miss Read's advanced age and failing health. A note in the acknowledgements at the beginning of the book reads:

I would like to thank my long-time editor, Jenny Dereham, for all the work she has done on this book. We discussed the initial idea, developed the unfolding story-line and then I left her to put that into words, based on my original Thrush Green characters. I am more than happy with the result and hope those people who enjoyed all the other Thrush Green books will enjoy this as much.
Miss Read

As I read it was apparent that though the much-loved characters are familiar, this was certainly not Miss Read's writing. However valiant the effort, even those long years of working together did not imbue Ms. Dereham with Miss Read's unique voice. In that it is a disappointment. I also noticed that several of the characters came across as thinner versions of themselves (or acted uncharacteristically in my opinion); and there was altogether too much back-tracking, relating bits of history from previous books, something Miss Read did with utter seamlessness. Not so here.

Still, since our beloved Miss Read has passed on to greater things and there will be no more books, I appreciated Jenny Dereham's labor of love to bring us one final book in which we might revisit a wonderful place called Thrush Green.

[Sharon Weinschreider · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very obviously not written by the original Miss Read.

[Hope · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I enjoyed this series very much, this last book was not one of my favorites. Yes, I appreciated re-meeting each of my favorite characters. And I liked it that Ella (one of the less appealing characters in the series) was shown in a more sympathetic light. But the presence of the Burwells at the Christmas party and the negative reactions from most of the Thrush Green folks ended the book on rather a sour note.

Still, I'm sure I'll revisit my Thrush Green neighbors from time to time.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is nothing so soothing as a Miss Read novel. And when it's about Christmas, then the nostalgia of the festivities of our childhood is guaranteed!

I listened to the audiobook, extremely well narrated, and the language in which it is written made me chuckle quite often: I can just imagine my own grandmother, in her snug cottage in a small Sussex village, saying such things. She went blind too.

Nothing extraordinary really happens, it is everyday life just a few decades away, but the characters are lovely and endearing. Thoroughly recommended for that feel-good Christmas spirit.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm holding onto this gem until closer to Christmas. How exciting that Miss Read has chosen her long-time editor to write this book for her. Dora Saint is now 96 years old and is legally blind. We in the Miss Read yahoo group were delighted to know there would be another book after so many years without one. I love Miss Read's books.

I savoured this book over Christmas. Although there are parts of it that don't sound like Miss Read, I was glad to catch up with the characters. Dora Saint's own eye problems were detailed in Ella's story.

[Karen Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thrush green is one of my go to reads when i am really fed up

[Shauna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just about three stars. I was delighted to find this new book by Miss Read but it turns out that she only provided the ideas and the actual writing was done by her editor. It lacks the charm of the originals but it was good to catch up with the familiar characters.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmm. I didn’t really care for this one. Too many characters that you never *really* got to know. It’s hard to explain, but it was like the book was similar to town gossip. You heard all about the villagers and their goings on, but didn’t really get to know them. A couple characters you got more glimpses of as the story progressed and perhaps knew better, but I just didn’t feel that drawn or connected to them or their hardships/plights.

I think Cranford by Gaskell, which is very similar, is a much better book, and you like and care for the villagers so much more.

Cleanliness: there is a LOT of drinking. A woman smokes and later gives it up for her health. A couple d*mns are used. There is an alcoholic. Mentions a wife who left her husband but later came back to him. A couple young teen boys “accidentally” get drunk. There is some vandalism but the perpetrator is punished.

**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide a Cleanliness Report, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!

So Follow or Friend me here on GoodReads! And be sure to check out my bio page to learn a little about me and the Picture Book/Chapter Book Calendars I sell on Etsy!

[Bookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little disappointed in this one. Firstly, when I heard it had been mostly written by the editor with Miss Read's help, my heart sank. Then my fears were justified.
Every once in a while you could taste the old flavor-just enough to keep you rolling and interested. But there was so much going on with every character I got a little mixed up, and they also drank absolutely more wine and sherry than any of their five books combined; the picture became one of social class strolling about with a glass in their hand, deploring the weather or the loss of a business they were particularly fond of.etc.
I did like the story line of Christmas in a small village, and friend helping friend through tough times.. and the characters (aside from the glasses) seemed to be themselves. Except Edward & Joan came off a bit snobby and their son too cheeky for good humor.
I won't say you shouldn't read it; just don't expect to find the village and people like Miss Read created them.

[Jackie Bridgen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, I was worried about this one! Mainly written by her editor of thirty years, in close consultation with the lady herself, who is now in her nineties, I'd guess - I almost didn't go for it.
I'm glad I did though. With the exception of about three phrases that made me suck in air and go 'oh no, Miss Read wouldn't have said that' it was classic Thrush Green, and had matured nicely.
It helped a lot that they found an illustrator whose work is a real homage to J S Goodall, and all in all, a lovely Christmas read. Get it for next year!

[ValeReads Kyriosity · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one had what I like about pleasant domestic fiction — the small, everyday goods and bads of everyday people. Unfortunately, it was also heavy on what I dislike: an atrocious view of the Christian faith. What’s portrayed here is the root rot in the CoE that has led to it embracing all manner of perversity. This aspect of the story centers around a nativity pageant. On the surface, it’s a bit like The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, but the comparison doesn't hold up long. TBCPE is charming and sweet because it’s Christmas as seen through the eyes of kids who are new to the story. They have questions, and they get confused, but at the core of their reaction is wonder, and we receive grace in their receiving of grace. But in Thrush Green, the modernized spin on Christmas is perpetrated by adults who know the story and are just bored with it. Their most appalling twist? Ending the program with, “And they all lived happily ever after.” No wonder when next thing we know the rector is preparing his homily for the following Sunday, Holy Innocents, and decides he doesn’t want to distress his flock with that bummer of a tale, so he digs around in a quote book for some innocuous pabulum about innocence. Know what’s not innocent? Being a false shepherd who refuses to feed or protect his flock, that’s what.

And while I’m on the topic, let me take a swipe at typical Christmas pageants in general. There aren't many female roles in the Christmas story—Mary, Elizabeth, perhaps an innkeeper’s wife. So what do we do with the little Sunday school girls? How will our pageant pass the Bechdel test? How will we provide Title IX equal opportunities? We cast them as angels. You know...the multitude of the heavenly army, the mighty warriors of the Lord’s host. We present angels in drag and think it’s sooooo cute. And then we’re surprised that real drag shows have come even to our churches.

Just when I think I sufficiently hate twentieth-century sentimentalist Christianity, something like this comes along to make me hate it even more.

Book #150 for the year.

[The Library Lady · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually read this book on Christmas day. It is the last book in the series, and I am not sure that Miss Read truly wrote it. From the preface it was apparently written by her editor based on a plot they discussed together. You might not know it unless you read the preface, because it smoothly continues the stories of people in a small English town. Not everything is neatly wrapped up because lives are not that neat, but it does make a satisfying conclusion to a sweet but not saccharine series that has given me a great deal of reading pleasure.

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny, but I was finishing the book on New Year’s Eve, right when the thrush green friends were celebrating the new year and singing old lang syne. I finished right as the clock was striking midnight in my world!
Fun story- I love the thrush green family.

[Lindsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

A delightful Christmas read- like a hot cup of tea on a cold, snowy day. Comfort.

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not my first Miss Read book. It took a while for me to get into her writing style when I began reading her books. At times it seems like the story jumps from one character (and there are many) to another without any recognizable plot. But keep reading and soon a plot emerges, usually how this quaint village comes together to help one another. Her stories make the reader slow down, like sinking into a favorite comfy chair at the end of a hard day and breathing a deep sigh of relief. The characters are unique—not all sweet, but even the grumps are kindhearted underneath. In this particular story, the character of Ella fascinated me. I felt some kind of kinship with her. The story is written during the Christmas season, but it could be read year round and be just as enjoyable. I listened on Audible and I really enjoyed this narrator. This book was just the ticket for 2020—a great escape.

[M.K. Aston · Rating 3 out of 5]

I adore reading Miss Read, her Thrush Green and Fairacre stories all, and it's become a bit of a habit to dust off one of her Christmas books at this time of year. While this most recent title (written in collaboration with her long-time editor Jenny Dereham) has all the nostalgia, charm and colourful characters of her other books, for me, it doesn't quite match them in it's overall enjoyment. But it's still a lovely tale and I'll no doubt read it several more times in the future when the evenings begin to draw in and Christmas decorations start to appear in shop windows.

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for the second time this Christmas, because it's on the shelf of Christmas books.

This was mainly written by Miss Read's editor, and it's just not the same! The characters don't quite behave and talk like themselves.

The award for the Fuschia Bush is a bright spot. Poor Ella's troubles are believable, as is Dimity and Charles' response.

But the nativity play, while funny, doesn't seem to belong outside of the school. And where is Paul Young's little sister Mary? No mention.

I have to just enjoy it for itself, or not read it again, ha ha.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Thrush Green books were written in the 1960's,'70's, '80's and 90's by a delightful woman who was born in 1913. I first read a few of the "book club" editions, which were published in the late 1970's. I was excited to see the library carried some of them which kept me busy reading one summer. There's just something so peacefully charming and cheerful about all of Miss Read's books ...

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book - 3 stars
I still think Jenny Dereham's versions of Miss Read's characters were way off the mark. Many of them come across as critical, gossipy, and rather backbiting--so different than how they were originally written.
Previous review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Narration - Nicolette McKenzie - 4 stars

[Teri Pre · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish there were more of these books. I'll miss the folks in Thrush Green.

[Carolyn Hill · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is like old home week at Thrush Green, which might be nice for reminiscing if you'd read all the earlier volumes in the series. I read a couple many years ago and slightly remembered a few characters, but most of these were new (or unremembered) to me. So there was no point in catching up with the many, and there are many, characters whom it was hard to keep straight. Besides, it's rather a spoiler for going back and reading the earlier books because now we know how they all ended or were resolved. The characters all remain true to their roles and nothing much changes. This was a late addition to the series, written by the books' editor under an outline provided by Miss Read, so it's not surprising that it is somewhat lacking in charm. Though published in 2009, it tries to be of the time of the original series which began in 1955, but seems a bit off. The most modern device mentioned is a cassette tape player. There's not much plot, and since it was a Christmas story, I expected the antagonist characters to show some redeeming qualities at the end. But, alas, not. The despicable characters are mostly just self-important, short-tempered, well-to-do ex-urbanites with poor nouveau riche taste who obviously don't belong in this close-knit charming village. I actually felt a bit sorry for them. There is no Christmas message here and even the new Christmas pageant was so painfully corny as to make virtual eye rolling an exercise. This is one to miss unless you're a devoted Miss Read fan who has read all the other books and want to complete the series. A re-read of the earlier ones might be more in order, though.

[Kathleen Herb · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the Miss Read books can be both a little slow and a little predictable, they are charming books that really give a flavor of British life. One of the characters, Ella, is developing macular degeneration, and she gives a very strong characterization of what happens when people have to loose their independence. There is the prerequisite Christmas pageant, and lots of day to day description of life in a small village in the winter. In our current climate, it was relaxing to read about a place where people are faithful to their friends, and work out their problems because friendship is more important than money.