I normally try to read the Fairacre series in order, but when I saw this, I knew that it had to be read in the Christmas season. Christmas with Miss Read is a collection of stories that are, in some way, linked to Christmas. Some of them, I think I’ve already read (The Fairacre Ghost seems very familiar), but most were new to me. Out of all the stories, I particularly liked:
No Holly for Miss Quinn: Miss Quinn is an introvert who has moved to Fairacre. She has done her best to make sure that she has a quiet Christmas with the minimum amount of socialising, but when her dear brother calls her to help with an emergency, Miss Quinn must step out of her comfort zone.
The Christmas Mouse: Mrs Berry lives with her daughter, Mary, and her grandchildren. One night, Mrs Berry is driven from her room by a mouse – her greatest fear. But as she tries to settle in the living room, she’s awakened by a mouse of a different sort.
The Christmas Mouse is pretty interesting because it’s the most overtly religious Miss Read tale that I’ve come across. Most of the stories are set in the village with a Church, but the Church activities and the vicar tend to be the focus, instead of the theology. In this story, however, we do get discussions of how people might react to tragedy – by drawing closer to their faith or by drawing away. As a Christian who is all to prone to trying to ‘Do It Myself’, these lines struck me:
“Without submission to a divine will, who could be happy? We were too frail to stand and fight alone, but that’s what Mary was doing, and why she secretly was so unhappy.”
The Christmas Mouse by Miss Read
I’m digressing, but for me, there is comfort in the fact that I don’t have to go through things alone and that God is watching over all. It’s also something that I am prone to forget, so these lines struck me as a timely reminder.
The story doesn’t end with Mary coming to a sudden realisation of her need for God because it’s not that type of story (it’s about a Christmas mouse) but I liked that the story grappled with both responses to tragedy, even if it was a minor part of the tale.
Village Christmas: A very friendly family has moved next door to Mary and Margaret. The two sisters find the family a bit too friendly, but when an emergency strikes during Christmas, they must find the village spirit and help each them out.
The White Robin: A white robin has been spotted in Fairacre and thanks to Mr Mawne, has become the darling of the village (and even further afield!) Unfortunately, tragedy strikes – but can there be a happy ending?
As much as I enjoyed The White Robin, the book was published in 1979 and it shows its age in some places. There is a minor character who appears to be suffering from mental illness, and though she is portrayed sympathetically, the treatment she gets is definitely not up to date (mostly taking her away to ‘rest’). I couldn’t help thinking that if this was modern times, there would be a lot more help available.
Overall, this is a gentle, cosy read that takes us into the village of Fairacre (and once to Caxley). Singapore is currently hit with an unusually cool season (which for us means anything below 25 degrees celsius) so it actually felt like Christmas while I was reading it.