The effects on many lives in the village of Thrush Green, in Southern England, when a carnival comes to town on May Day.

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.

In Affairs at Thrush Green, Miss Read continues the fortunes of the Thrush Green families whom we last met in Gossip from Thrush Green. Here we follow the kindly vicar, Charles Henstock, to the neighboring Lulling, after his home was burned to the ground at the end of the earlier novel. Going to a new church is never easy, even in the best of times; indeed, poor Dr. Henstock encounters some very redoubtable females in Lulling. A full-scale power struggle...

"Miss Read greets her retirement with excitement, determined to prove wrong the friends who doubt that shell be able to cope. Upon her return from a trip to Florence, Miss Read is ready to settle down to a stream of lazy days. Of course, thats not about to happen. The eccentric Fairacre characters weave a colorful background as the beloved schoolmistress tackles new problems ranging from coping with strange electronic appliances to the worries of...