ewer Calories Than Ice Cream
Miss Read's fiction is "comfort food" without the calories! In an age of in-your-face "realism" (that is really very unreal), it is nice to know that all we have to do to retreat is pick up a Thrush Green or Fairacre novel. Thrush Green is a fictional English village inhabited by people who, although far from perfect, have an endearing characteristic in common--they care about one another. Thrush Green has a sense of community that I have never found in any of the small towns and rural communities I have lived in. Of course, Thrush Green is fiction, but it is fiction we would all do well to emulate. If you happen to be familiar with the children's animation series, Postman Pat, then you will know what I mean when I say these books are Postman Pat's village of Greendale for adults. These novels are refreshing, uplifting, and, yes, they are very entertaining.
All of the books deal with real-life type events--love, marriage, divorce, aging, sickness, death, crime, disasters. It is just that they are not sensationalized. They are dealt with gently, lovingly, sometimes humorously, and often as a community with support from neighbors.
Gossip from Thrush Green is the latest I have read, and I found it to be the best yet. It is very well plotted, and I was surprised by one chapter that made me burst out laughing.
Are the Thrush Green books for everyone? Unfortunately, probably not. Some people would no doubt find them boring and old-fashioned. If you are looking for car chases, explicit sex, or vampires, look elsewhere.
Oh, if only the whole world were like Thrush Green!
