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  • Village Diary

  • By: Miss Read
  • Narrated by: Gwen Watford
  • Length: 7 hrs and 45 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (178 ratings)
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Village Diary cover art

Village Diary

By: Miss Read
Narrated by: Gwen Watford
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Summary

‘As I have been given a large and magnificent diary for Christmas... I intend to fill it in as long as my ardour lasts.’ Luckily, Miss Read’s ardour lasts all year, encompassing every aspect of Fairacre life.

Whether embroiled unwillingly in her friend Amy’s marital hiccups, discussing the changing world with Miss Clare or the modern problems of good local education and rural impoverishment with the schools inspector and the doctor, she remains balanced, humorous and wise and never forgets either her most important charge, the mixed bag of children in her school, or the joys of the changing seasons.

©1946 Miss Read (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

What listeners say about Village Diary

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Lovely Comforting Tales from Fairacre

I loved this book, real feel good stories, just as Miss Read always delivered. One little complaint though, not just for this book. Is Tibby a boy or a girl, half the time it is he and the other half she please sort this out and make updates to the audio.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

memories

A good listen on a sunny afternoon in a deck chair remembering your lost childhood, before the kids call they are hungry

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Gentle, enjoyable series

What made the experience of listening to Village Diary the most enjoyable?

Rediscovering old friends in Thrush Green and Fairacre has been very enjoyable. I read all of Miss Read's books many years ago and having them read to me has been very pleasant.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Village Diary?

I enjoyed all of it.

Have you listened to any of Gwen Watford’s other performances? How does this one compare?

Gwen Watford is an excellent narrator for Miss Read's books, She is by far the best of those I have heard.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Hooray For Miss Read

Whether it is a Miss Read novel or one of Thrush Green, I always feel soothed & happy listening to Gwen Watford narrating these stories. She is my absolute favourite for these books & is part of the magic. These are not fairy stories, but tell of everyday life, with its sadness & happiness, but from an era when values were different. Relish the nostalgia!

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

How Refreshing.

Such a truly delightful diary it takes me back to my tender years as a child and how much I now admire the hard work and patience that went into teaching back then but village life even then is so refreshingly brought to life with all the characters and such a wonderful narration by Gwen I really enjoyed this and have now downloaded more Miss Read to listen to.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Disappointed

I read all these books years ago and hugely enjoyed them.

I found the narrator voice so aggravatingly upper-class it really spoiled the story for me.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great story but unsuitable narrator

I’m a big fan of Miss Read and was looking forward to listening to this one... very disappointed with the narrator.. she just doesn’t fit with Fairacre, just way too “ posh”. June Barrie is far better in other Miss Read books.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Always a lovely break from reality!

Have loved Miss Read books for decades, so much so l always hoped l would live in a village and my children would attend the local school. which they did! Miss Read is witty, wry and endearingly observant of human strengths and weaknesses. l dip into her books when l want a break from my usual reads of medieval history, thrillers and classics. They never fail to make smile and feel grounded.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful book beautifully performed

This is a wonderful book, and Gwen Watford is an excellent narrator. Every character has a distinct voice, both male and female voices are performed brilliantly. The sound quality is excellent, you can hear every word. I have already listened to this audiobook twice and I know that I will listen to it again in the years to come. There is so much to enjoy – the lovely location, the humour, and all the interesting details of life in the 1950s. I think that this would also be a very useful book for young people – to help them to gain understanding of our history and of modern society, the common-sense wisdom of those days is just as valid today.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Peaceful and relaxing

Relaxing and peaceful. Nothing much happens. Pleasures in reading beautiful little details of apparently mundane things and ways of life gone by. Comforting read. Excellent narration.

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