Good Morning, Miss Dove

by Frances Gray Patton

A very strict, dreaded, and old-fashioned teacher becomes ill and her former students rush to aid her

Genres: Fiction, Classics, Short Stories, Historical Fiction, Education, School, Novels

218 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1947

Reviews

[Susan's Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

The classic 1955 20th Century Fox movie by the same name inspired me to seek out and read Frances Gray Patton's book, Good Morning, Miss Dove. We've all had teachers like Miss Dove: supremely ladylike and a stickler for proper behavior and meticulous dress from her students. The book goes into far more detail about the indomitable Miss Dove, who gives up the love of her life so that she can pay back her father's debts, support her siblings, and maintain the family's good name.



In the movie version, Richard Stack's performance brought tears to my eyes as he recounted being adrift at sea during the war - dying of thirst, and how he had managed to stay alive by recalling Miss Dove's voice, telling his classmates that under no circumstances would she ever issue a hall slip for the drinking fountain until class was dismissed. His and his classmates' forced endurance of their parched thirsts until the final bell rung proved to be a good practice that stood him in good stead that fateful day.

The story goes on to recount how Miss Dove helped many of her students throughout her career as a geography teacher. When, in a lovely melodramatic twist, Miss Dove falls ill and requires immediate surgery, the entire town rallies behind her.



I sobbed like a fool the first time I saw this movie, and sobbed again after I read this very well written novel. They just don't write books and make movies like they used to anymore! (Just kidding!) But I highly, highly recommend both the book and the movie.
Each is timeless in its own way.

[Diane Barnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

An old fashioned book that gave me just what I needed to go to sleep peacefully after reading. Miss Dove was one of those teachers who gave kids just what they needed, structure, rules to obey, a sense of morality, and of course, a splendid knowledge of geography suitable to their age. I remember a few teachers like that, but I don't think they exist anymore because of modern methods and beurocrasy. . That's a real shame. I'd love to see the movie,, but my search indicates that where it's available the cost is astronomical.

[Bettie · Rating 2 out of 5]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4WLh...

Synopsis: sentimental story of a beloved schoolteacher who reflects back on her life and former students when she is hospitalized.





Definitely sentimental, absolutely a period piece.

[Moonkiszt · Rating 4 out of 5]

2026: Times have changed so much. I started to prepare a snip of one of the stories in this book, where older brother Thomas's (a soldier) letter telling of the experience for which he was decorated was shared in his younger brother's class. It is a story of fear-facing done in the ocean and elementary school teacher - stern and strict - Miss Dove's encouragement were what saved the soldier's life. Thomas wraps up the letter to his little brother Randy (both these boys have been students of the Terrible Miss Dove) by saying to share the story with the class and give a kiss to Miss Dove from him.

Miss Dove aims her stern cheek his direction to receive said kiss. Randy approaches and does so while the entire class watches. . .I'm keystroking away and it hits me and I tear up. This could never happen now. Never. But I will continue because the story is simply too dear to leave out of your take-away of this sweet book:

He walked with the deliberate stoicism of a martyr going to the chopping block. He did not come any closer than he had to. He leaned forward stiffly from the waist and placed his puckered lips against her cheek. His kiss resounded a small explosion in the room.

"Thank you, Randolph," said Miss Dove. "you may give Thomas my regards." She straightened up and faced the class. To her surprise, nobody was grinning.

Jincey Webb spoke. She did not raise her hand for permission. She just spoke out.

"It's like a medal," Jincey said softly. "It's like he pinned a medal on Miss Dove."

For a moment a lamp seemed to burn behind her face. Then over the light swept a shadow. It was as if Jincey had glimpsed some universal beauty–of sorrow, perhaps, or of nobility–too poignant for her youth to bear. She began to cry. She flopped her head down on her desk with her red hair falling forward and spreading out like a crinkly fan.

All the other girls wept with her. All the boys stared sternly into space.

For the first time in her teaching career Miss Dove was at a loss. She wanted to make a speech. She wanted to say something beautiful and grateful about what life really meant to her, about the overwhelming generosity of children. But the words would not come.

Then she saw that what she had to thank her class for was not generosity at all. It was something much better than that and much harder to come by. It was justice."

~Frances Gray Patton, page 138

If you are the kind of reader that loves old books, vintage, retro books, I highly recommend this one. Written in 1947 it is full of memories from a few generations before - of a school in a small community that comes together, and a teacher who stays long enough to have taught the parents and their children.

There is a movie out there, by the same name as the book with Jennifer Jones as Miss Dove, and some other actors you may recognize if you are of a certain age and familiar with the Rifleman or other such early TV offerings. While it is book that features a woman in a non-domestic role, that is about the extent of its diversity, but it gives rise to appreciate the past, but also the present in the many healthy strides we've taken to broaden those paths.

I'll leave you here, Dear Reader, and hope you have the chance to one day cross paths with the Terrible Miss Dove. You'll surely think about the influential teachers who've shaped your path.

NOTE: There are beautiful covers of this book. I have a picture of mine, but there are no easy ways to share the photograph. . .unless there is some GR angel who can help me. . .

* * * *
2025: A surprise random read. . .looking for more from this author. Kinda hard to find.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently re-watched the movie version of Good Morning, Miss Dove and was moved to seek out and read the book. I am a retired teacher and thoroughly enjoyed the now long-vanished world of Liberty Hill and Cedar Grove Elementary School. I think many of us have had a teacher somewhat like The Terrible Miss Dove, who inspires fear, a desire to achieve, and, eventually fondness. I think every teacher would like to think he or she has had the kind of influence on students' lives that Miss Dove has had.
The book had some minor surprises for this fan of the movie, including mention of Miss Dove's sisters, but the biggest and best surprise came almost at the end. Miss Dove's anesthesia dream was a gem, particularly in light of her earlier thought of Heaven as a place she would certainly go to but probably not enjoy.

[Samantha Glasser · Rating 3 out of 5]

Miss Dove is an institution in her small hometown. She teaches the elementary grades with an iron fist, requiring her students to mindlessly memorize facts of her choosing and to behave like little men and ladies. After teaching several generations of children, now Miss Dove has a back ailment that causes her to miss class for the first time in her life. Her former students, now grown up into doctors, preachers, and even criminals, help her during this stressful time of the unknown by visiting and waiting on her and reminding her of the impact she had on their lives and on the town.

An easy read with no chapter breaks aside from a few sketched drawings, this book is simply written with a simple message. It does not make a big impact, but it is pleasant reading and makes one think of the teachers that have impacted our lives.

The movie adaptation starring Jennifer Jones is a more emotional journey than the book and if you can find a copy, I highly recommend it.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read numerous books, but I've never read a novel as charming as Good Morning Miss Dove. It was an absolute delight. Miss Dove is a teacher who has touched the lives of numerous children and the adults of Liberty Hill. Only when Miss Dove develops a life threatening illness does she discover the depth of feeling that she has inspired in others.

[Lynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I had had a teacher like Miss Dove. A moving novel of how one woman can influence a whole town.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

My mother suggested this book, and even convinced my father (who rarely reads fiction) to give it a try, and we were both pleased she did. I was hooked from the first few pages because of the lyrical and humorous writing, which also gave me a surprise challenge. Eventually, I found myself reading with an electronic dictionary because I was both amazed and delighted by the numerous words and phrases with which I had either never heard of, or needed to be refreshed about, in such a simple little, straightforward story. In truth, by then I was under Miss Dove's spell and felt that she would be displeased with me if I weren't studious enough to understand precisely what I was reading. I even compiled a list of words or phrases (which numbered over 50) to study later...which I think would have made her proud. The storyline is dated, to be sure, but even the more charming for it. A delightful little treasure.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

From IMDb:
Miss Dove is a strict disciplinary, plus a well respected teacher, who has inspired her students to individual greatness. One day during class, Miss Dove experiences great pain in her back, but continues with the class. After class she asks one of her students who is staying after class to get a doctor. Thomas, a doctor, and a former student of her's takes her to the hospital and hospitalizes her. While in the hospital her former students rally around her causing Miss Dove to reflect on her past.

[Sonia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the novel that one of my favorite childhood movies was based on. So good! This is the way things should be. Hopefully we all have had a Miss Dove in our lives.

[Mandolin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Miss Dove is a young girl, the apple of her father's eye, with big dreams of touring the world and a big heart she hoped to give to a young archeologist. Sadly, Miss Dove's life was struck early by tragedy and changed completely. Resolved to keep her family's name unsullied and her home untouched, Miss Dove decided to become a teacher. Like all else that she did, she put her entire being into that decision and never looked back. Though she never passed her teacher's final examination, Miss Dove became one of the most successful - and feared - teachers in Liberty Hill. With her ramrod posture, tightly coiled bun, cool grey eyes and unwavering adherence to right, Miss Dove reined in the first graders who entered her geography classroom and held them in awe and respect until they left it as sixth graders. Under her tutelage, they learned not only geographic facts of the world they lived in but also truths about life. At their graduation, Miss Dove evaluated their characters, rating them as tractable, awkward, babyish, original or - very rarely - satisfactory. They, in turn, held her memory in sacred place. She would always be to them "the terrible Miss Dove," even when they become mothers and fathers themselves. An institution of the town, they would call her. A certainty. A sure thing. Until Miss Dove experiences a pain unlike any other and is forced to face her own mortality. Suddenly regretting the fact that she never visited any of the exotic places she teaches about and wondering if she really is ready for Heaven, Miss Dove looks back on her life and on the children she's led, realizing how happy she's been though she never would have said so before. The townspeople, too, are forced into recollection. As they look back through the rosy glasses of time, they begin to understand how important she was in helping them to become the people they are today.. What will Liberty Hill's next generation do without Miss Dove to guide them with her prim and proper ways? And what will Miss Dove do if she can never teach again?

A comforting read set in the middle of the 20th century, this book takes a gentle look at the influence that a teacher can have on the lives of those in her care. Slightly sentimental without being overly simplistic or trite, it's a sweet glimpse back into a world where patients couldn't know too much about their diagnoses, where teachers were respected and obeyed (at least some of the time!) and where women like Miss Dove could truly make a difference in the world just by remaining true to their principles. I picked this up at a bargain table sale at my local library and it is worth so much more than the fifty cents I paid! I'm looking forward to watching the movie version and hope it is just as good.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book, because my sister-in-law’s grandmother wrote it! Since I am a senior citizen myself, this story definitely conjured images of my childhood - and the way teachers could strike fear (and obedience) in a roomful of kids.

It was interesting to come across terms you don’t hear anymore: “carpet slippers”, for one. And alternately, the word that WASN’T spoken aloud, or written: “cancer”.

Four stars are for the nostalgia factor, and level of escapism it provided to today’s crazy world.

[Amy Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet story about a teacher who made a big impact in individual lives over several generations of students. Similar to Goodbye, Mr. Chips (including the title with the vocative), but an American elementary school, not a British boys school. Stories like this improve with time because the contrast with present day teachers and students is far greater--and therefore more interesting for what it says about us.

[Donnell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Have known this story existed since I was a kid. One day during a family trip to some place in the northern California mountains, my father very excitedly introduced me to a youngish man--who had played the young Chuck Connor (who plays the police officer Bill Holloway) in the movie of this book. One of my life regrets is that I was dismissive of the poor fellow, who stood before me smiling kindly. Feeling my pre-teenish need to NOT find exciting what my dad thought I'd find exciting, and not wanting to appear uncool and "star struck."

Miss Dove is the beloved town teacher yet, strangely, taught not English, math, science or even history--but geography. Thus her whole life dedicated to a subject most people who did not live in her town, never have a course in. The school was also set up in an interesting way in that all students grades 1-6 had a period of geography each day.

Most painful part of reading is that, clearly, Miss Dove was an intelligent, capable, responsible woman--the type of woman who today, would--if she chose to make education her life--might become the head of the University of California a la Janet Napolitano who, by the way, resembles Miss Dove in certain ways. Both forsook marriage and kids to focus on a career, are of a similar age, and recently, similarly, ended up in the hospital.

Then there is the whole fact that this geography teacher, who longs to see the world's geography, does not get to. And then we are supposed to accept that what is going to make her really happy is that, after 35 years of teaching, she can spend another twelve at it--until the age of 67!

[Krisette Spangler · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Liberty Hill was a small freshwater town... It was like a hundred American towns, smug and cozy, and it put its special stamp upon its own. People born and raised there- high and low, rich and poor- were neighbors in an irrevocable way, because their imaginations had been nursed on the same sights and sounds and legends and early ordeals. They had played in the same sunny fields and cooled off after the heat of their games in the same shade. They had grown up hearing the same courthouse clock tell the hours and the quarters in a tone as timeless as time itself. They had all, for the space of a whole generation, been exposed at a tender and malleable age to the impartial justice, the adamantine regulations, and the gray, calm neutral eyes of the same teacher- the terrible Miss Dove."

This was the opening to a very tender and sweet story of a small town teacher who rose above early trials to make a difference in the lives of her students. It's set in the 50's, and so many of the ideas are old fashioned. However, I felt like this added to the richness of the story. Unfortunately, it is out of print, and our library does not have a copy. I had to order a used one online.

[Shonda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miss Dove is anal, yet she cares. She's precise and makes her students toe the line. She expects the best, she watches over some of her more troubled students, and she's an asset ot her community. It takes a sudden operation on her back to prompt the townpeople, many of them her former students, that while Miss Dove may be viewed as a tyrant, she has made an impact on their lives. This book taught me the value of honesty and the need to help others who are afraid to ask for help. (And the book is waaaaaaaaaaaaay better than the movie, although the movie isn't all that bad. Read the book first.)

[Karyl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miss Dove, the town's most feared teacher for her strict adherence to rules, suddenly takes sick and needs to stay in the hospital, where she is cared for by former students who recall her class with real affection. This is a sweet story of a woman who has made sacrifices in her personal life for the greater good, and is finally realizing what a positive mark she has left on the town. Previously she had felt that no one really noticed her, or really even cared what happened to her.

The story features a very idyllic 1950s small town in which everyone knows everyone else, and I have to say, I almost wish I'd grown up in such a town.

I read a condensed version of this novel.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

...being my kids' teacher, I guess I hope they remember some of the things I'm teaching them when it's most needed! I'm not Miss Dove. No way, no how. I'm those other teachers...but I think the kids had respect for Miss Dove (and maybe some appreciation for me...that I do let them get a drink now and then?:)

This was a great literature story. It was good for the kids to see a static character that molded other characters throughout the story. While there wasn't much "EXCITEMENT" the story had great elements and made a great point...most everything in life is a trial.

[Melinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the Reader's Digest Condensed version. It's awesome. I'd love to find the uncondensed version at a yard sale. I understand better what I'm trying to do as a homeschooling mom, because of Miss Dove's example.

[Markus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderfully developed story. I found this book and was going to toss it/donate it, but decided to read the first chapter. I'm really glad I did. It's a great story for teachers and the legacy they leave.

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short delightful book was one of my grandmother's favorite novels. It's also a great film.

[Rhonda Lee Wunder · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a story of a teacher who influences 35 years of students.

[Gwynplaine26th · Rating 3 out of 5]

Se ognuno di noi fruga nei propri ricordi di scuola, ritroverà certo nella protagonista di questo romanzo una figura ben nota, un viso rimasto vivo nella memoria dopo una così lunga fuga di anni. "La terribile miss Dove" così la chiamavano da due generazioni i bambini di Liberty Hill, una tipica cittadina di provincia americana.

Era la maestra che tutti temevano e rispettavano per la rigida disciplina e la perfezione che esigeva dai suoi alunni.

"Buongiorno Miss Dove" è un libro garbato, d'altri tempi, pubblicato nel 1955 (dal quale è stato tratto l'omonimo film), e si legge volentieri: una trama semplice ma ben strutturata dà all'autrice ampi motivi di indagine psicologica alla narrazione, permettendo di creare situazioni commoventi e intimamente personali con le trascrizioni dei pensieri e dei flashback della protagonista in un particolare momento della sua vita. Fila narrative intelligibili, venate da un umorismo spontaneo e delicato.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a sweet read. I wouldn't compare it to as good as Miss Read but it does feature a school teacher and her students, so it does remind one of her books. I do think if you enjoy Miss Read, then you will this as well. I watched the film before getting the book and recommend both!

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable novel. I'm left pondering the importance of giving children firm boundaries and having high expectations of them.

[Jennie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a very old book and it follows the life of one teacher named, Miss Dove. I watched the movie a few weeks ago and was interested in reading the book. I feel that the movie follows the book almost exactly.

[Herb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend this to anyone who just loves a good story (hint..hint..my friend Maggie)...briefly, a short, but inspiring story of a dedicated schoolteacher (think New England) who has spent generations molding the minds of her students, who, in the past, have often referred to her as "The Terrible Miss Dove." When Miss Dove falls suddenly and seriously ill, the townspeople suddenly realize just how much she really means to them. A must read for all fiction readers. Definitely 5 stars!
Yes, I am reading this again..I just love it!

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

This sweet book was one of my mother’s favorites, and my copy was a gift from her. I’ve read it several times, and will doubtless read it again. It is the kind of love story I like best (non-romantic) — the story of the Terrible Miss Dove, a teacher, and the town that loved her.

The pedagogy will doubtless seem foreign to younger readers (but the student’s reaction is worth noting — justice and consistency are never inappropriate), but older readers just might be reminded of a teacher like Miss Dove.

[Stacy Jensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a treat to read such a wonderful little book like this. It's unfortunately out of print but shouldn't be. I think it will continue to delight future generations of readers. You are introduced to several inhabitants of a small town in the forties, all seen through the eyes of the strong-willed Miss Dove. I wish I had another daughter so I could name her Jincey. I guess I'll just start calling one of my friends Jincey. How about you Krisette? Can I call you Jincey?