As the spring unfolds, so do the dramas of village life. Dotty Harmer serves up an herbal brew to her neighbor Albert Piggott, who has a soft spot for her despite his crusty facade. Architect Edward Young overhears a rumor that the old people's home he designed may be a bit cramped, and an American stranger arrives in search of family connections. At the Fuchsia Bush restaurant, Albert's wife, Nellie, finds herself in charge when the owner Mrs. Peters...

Welcomes us back to Miss Read's cozy downland village just in time for the one hundredth anniversary of Fairacre School. Miss Clare, who was a pupil and later a teacher there, points out that such a centenary should be celebrated, and all of Fairacre is quick to offer suggestions -- from a tea party to a full-scale pageant. Deciding how best to stage the grand occasion, however, is only one of Miss Read's problems. The ancient skylight in the school...

The last decade of old Septimus Howard's life sees many upheavals. War comes to Caxley, and his favorite grandson Edward, a pilot, brings home a wife who seems too cold and aloof for the Howard family. The Howards' restaurant in Market Square survives the wartime shortages, but its temperamental manager, Robert, is slipping past the point when eccentricity becomes insanity ...

Tullivers, the former home of old Admiral Trigg and his sister Lucy, had stood empty for many months. Then, one bright April day, two newcomers move in -- an attractive young woman and her son -- and the villagers begin to show their interest and attention, especially several bachelors.

A collection of forty anecdotes taken from the author's lifelong involvement in country schools in the Berkshires.

The English village of Fairacre may appear idyllically peaceful to passersby, but those who live among its shady lanes always have problems to untangle. When a terrible rumor emerges -- that the Fairacre School is to be closed and the children bused to nearby Beech Green -- the village is up in arms at once. The schoolmistress, Miss Read, suffers agonizing indecision at the prospect, and her situation is made worse when her infants' room teacher decides...

Through the eyes of many Fairacre friends, we trace Mrs. Pringle's life and her stormy standing as the redoubtable cleaner of the town's school. However maddening she is, life at Fairacre would be poorer without her.

London family, newly moved to a quiet country village, are accepted by the unfriendly townfolk only after a newborn baby boy arrives at Christmas.