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BKLYN Bookmatch: English Village Fiction - Ebooks

This list features books set in English villages & World War II historical fiction. This list was created by a librarian with the Brooklyn Public Library for a reader. Would you like your own personalized list of reading suggestions? Visit Bklyn BookMatch here: bklynlibrary.org/bookmatch

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8 items

The Chilbury Ladies' Choir
Jennifer Ryan.
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As England enters World War II's dark early days, spirited music professor Primrose Trent, recently arrived to the village of Chilbury, emboldens the women of the town to defy the Vicar's stuffy edict to shutter the church's choir in the absence of men and instead carry on singing.

Miss Buncle's book
D.E. Stevenson.
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Barbara Buncle is in a bind. Times are harsh, and Barbara's bank account has seen better days. Maybe she could sell a novel ... if she knew any stories. Stumped for ideas, Barbara draws inspiration from her fellow residents of Silverstream, the little English village she knows inside and out.

Major Pettigrew's last stand
Helen Simonson.
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Major Ernest Pettigrew (retired) leads a quiet life in the village of St. Mary, England, until his brother's death sparks an unexpected friendship with Mrs. Jasmina Ali, the Pakistani shopkeeper from the village. Drawn together by their shared love of literature and the loss of their respective spouses, the Major and Mrs. Ali soon find their friendship blossoming into something more. But will their relationship survive in a society that considers Ali a foreigner?

CRANFORD

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The women of an English country village star in this Victorian classic that inspired a BBC series, from the author of North and South. Welcome to Cranford, where everyone knows one another and a cow wears pajamas. It's a community built on friendship and kindness, where women hold court and most of the houses'and men'are rarely seen.

How to find love in a bookshop
Henry, Veronica, author.
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The enchanting story of a book shop, its grieving owner, a supportive literary community, and the extraordinary power of books to heal the heart. Nightingale Books, nestled on the main street in an idyllic little village, is a dream come true for book lovers--a cozy haven and welcoming getaway for the literary-minded locals. But owner Emilia Nightingale is struggling to keep the shop open after her beloved father's death, and the temptation to sell is getting stronger. The property developers are circling, yet Emilia's loyal customers have become like family, and she can't imagine breaking the promise she made to her father to keep the store alive.

Secrets of Nanreath Hall
Alix Rickloff.
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Set in World War II England, Rickoff’s historical novel sends a grieving young woman to her mother’s childhood home—and into the arms of the family who had forced her mother to leave.

Village diary
Read, Miss.
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The enchanting follow-up to Village School, Miss Read's beloved first novel, Village Diary once again transports us to the picturesque English village of Fairacre. Each chapter describes a month in the life of the village school's headmistress, Miss Read. As the villagers prepare for their country pageant, Fairacre welcomes many newcomers, such as the headstrong Amy, Mr. Mawne (whom the villagers would like to see the reluctant Miss Read marry), and the earnest new infants' teacher, Miss Jackson.

Farm fatale
Wendy Holden.
Format:

Two urban couples seeking the rustic bliss of rural life head for the quaint village of Eight Mile Bottom, a rural utopia populated by eccentric residents, where both couples find a host of romantic complications.