Thursday 3 January 2013

Read in 2013 - 1: Village Teacher

My Christmas parcel from England contained three books this year, all by Jack Sheffield, and all part of his series about a village school in North Yorkshire during the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Mary, my mother-in-law, bought the (so far) six books that make up the series; she kept books 1, 2 and 3 and sent me # 4, 5 and 6 with the intention of swapping them round once we've read our half.

I finished # 4, "Village Teacher", last night. Good job one can enjoy it without having read the first three! And enjoy it I did:
Not only because I know many of the places mentioned in the book (Ripon, Harrogate, York, Leeds and some more), but I also remember that time from my own childhood and early teenage years quite well. Of course, some things were a bit different in Germany, but we, too, had the first Sony walkmans; computers and electronic typewriters were making their way into most offices; people were watching "Dallas" on TV, and many here were avidly following the newspaper stories about Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer and were part of the 700 million viewers watching the live broadcast of their wedding on the 29th of July in 1981.

Jack Sheffield's writing style is simple enough to befit the kind, simple rhythm of village life (which is, by no means, always kind and simple, but can turn rather complex!); it makes for pleasant and relaxing reading but is not without a bit of drama and suspense. 
In this story, village schools are undergoing evaluation, and some will be closed. Right until the end of the book, the reader does not know whether Jack's school is facing closure or not. His professional future being uncertain reflects on his private life as well; while at the start of the book, Jack is very much in love with his fiancée and very certain about their future together, things start to change in the course of the year, and more than once I expected the next chapter to bring about a serious conversation between the couple. But the book ends without Jack's dilemma being solved, making one eager to read the next instalment.
There were only one or two bits that weren't quite right, but they didn't take away from the overall pleasant reading experience. One example is this:
I looked up and there on the first floor, leaning over a wrought-iron Juliet balcony, was an aristocratic lady with grey hair tied in a neat bun, a warm cardigan covering a smart cream blouse, a calf-length tweed skirt, thick stockings and smart leather brogue shoes. The string of pearls around her neck sparkled in the bright sunshine.
Well, call me picky if you like, but pearls never sparkle - diamonds do, yes, but pearls shimmer, or maybe they gleam or glow; anyway, they do definitely not sparkle. As I said, though, such minor stuff does not occur often enough in the book to diminuish the pleasure of reading along as the village and its school go through their year, with Christmas, Easter, a pancake race and many other events that make up village life on top of the daily goings-on.

The author clearly knows what he is writing about: he used to work as head teacher of village schools himself, and the books are based on his own experiences, although set in a fictious village and with fictious characters. You can find out more on his website.

I am definitely going to read books # 5 and 6 next - I want to know what happens to Jack and Beth, and to the school!

21 comments:

  1. Dear Meike,

    I always love reading books where I know some of the places and landscapes. This series sounds like it is sweet, but with a good bit of drama! I do love the British mystery series that are set in small villages - amazing what goes on there... ;-)

    xoxo, Silke

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    1. Dear Silke, this series is not about mysteries, it just goes on about daily life at the village, with its school as the primary focus. Of course, there are recurring characters, such as the school caretaker, the vicar and his sister, the teachers and students and their families, the landlord and -lady of the pub, and so on. A cosy read which can make you chuckle more than once, but not without serious bits.

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  2. Meike, what a wonderful review. You are definitely a girl after my own heart, with your remarks about pearls not sparkling! That's just the sort of thing I usually pick up on too. Which definitely slows things down when it's my own writing I'm trying to edit!! But the books sound fun, and a perfect antidote to all the bad stuff that keeps cropping up in the news every day. Happy New Year and all the best in 2013, Carol

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    1. Thank you, Carol, and the same to you and yours!
      Yes, these are fun, but not naive or overly rose-tinted; the historical background is always precise and well-researched, such as what Margaret Thatcher's government meant for the everyday lives of normal people, the Falkland war on the horizon, and much more.

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  3. I spent one summer in the early 70's with an English family in Yorkshire so that's the part of England I know best too. I added the first book of the series to my Amazon wish-list for now, not to forget about them. I've never heard of the author before.

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    1. Neither did I, Monica, until I opened my Christmas parcel. Last night I spoke to Mary on the phone and told her that I'd finished the first one of my half of the series. She has finished all of hers already, I think, and we compared notes and had a good laugh repeating to each other some of the funny bits we found.

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  4. I'm imagining Jack's soon-to-be-ex fiance reading this book and yelling loudly that's not how it was

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    1. Well, I can imagine a few people reading these books and finding some discrepancies between how they remember things and how they are described in the books :-)
      Last night, I have started on the next instalment. At the moment, Jack and Beth are still engaged...

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  5. Yes I think that's another author on my list. Researching for my comment on your last post 15 or so minutes ago I ordered a book I came across that you reviewed in 2011 which will be waiting for me when I get back to Scotland in May.

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    1. Oh, which one is it, Graham?

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    2. Talk to the Hand: The Utter Bloody Rudeness of Everyday Life. It struck me that there could be quite a few blog posts arising from this apart from some general humour. I've now also ordered the first six of the Jack Sheffield books because they were on offer at the same price as one book - £6.99! I do tend to enjoy that sort of light reading and at that price it's worth the risk.

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    3. Ah yes, I remember "Talk to the Hand" well. While I was reading it, I frequently thought of one of my aunts in Yorkshire. We had been talking about rudeness and shared pretty much the same views, and I sent her the book after I'd read it.
      That was a good bargain for the sixpack :-)

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  6. Meike-
    Your blog is lovely--
    I have just loaded your blog into my Grow Your Blog party post - so you are all set. Latest updates are on my blog - see you on the 19th

    Vicki

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    1. Thank you, Vicki! I am glad I came across your "Grow Your Blog Party" through, I think, Dorothy's blog.

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  7. Just wanted to say that my daughter got me a pair of socks from your mum's site and they are lovely! so give my congratulations to your mum. Happy new year to you and your family.

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    1. Oh, that is sweet! I remember now that my Mum mentioned someone from the UK buying from her Etsy shop before Christmas, and she asked me whether I knew the name; I did not, but now I know who it was :-) My Mum will be so pleased to read that.
      Happy New Year to you and yours, too!

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    2. Hello Jenny,
      I am really glad you like the socks I knitted! About a nice feedback I am always pleased! Thank you so much!

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  8. What a coincidence....I had ordered _Teacher! Teacher!_ and _Village Teacher_ after you first mentioned them, and they arrived yesterday. I usually enjoy this sort of book and have high hopes. We all need things to make us smile in January.

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    1. Let me know how you like them, Kristi! I am not about half way into my 2nd book (actually, the 5th one) of the series.

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  9. What fun reading a book set in areas with which you are familiar!

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    1. I love it, Norma! It makes visualizing of all that's happening in the book so much easier.

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