Farther Afield

A schoolmistress's summer vacation is ruined-or is it?-in this delightful English village tale. The end of a school year often brings a burst of joy to children's hearts and unmitigated rapture to those of their teachers. And so it is for Miss Read, schoolmistress in the charming English village of Fairacre. She happily anticipates long weeks to call her own, free of timetables, bells, children and their parents. But on the very first day of the summer holiday, while retrieving lining paper from her landing cupboard, she falls and breaks her arm. Will she now spend her holiday resigned to the ministrations of the dour Mrs. Pringle? Just when the summer seems to be ruined, Miss Read's old friend, Amy Garfield, comes to her aid with a diverting suggestion. They can travel to Crete for two weeks, the change of scenery providing a welcome break for them both and perhaps when Miss Read returns, refreshed, to her beloved village, she'll be ready to tackle the various quandaries and mishaps that await her . . . "e;The more turbulent the real world, the more charming we may find the stability of Miss Read's tiny fictional world."e; Los Angeles Times "e;Miss Read has three great gifts an unerring intuition about human frailty, a healthy irony, and, surprisingly, an almost beery sense of humor."e; The New Yorker