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Original poster

old fashioned gentle books

260 replies

mumwon · 27/05/2019 14:33

Talking on another topic 2 of us mentioned "Mrs Harris goes to Paris" a lovely uplifting old fashioned book - ia there any books that other people like - either as a child or as an adult that you can suggest & tell us about them - briefly!
Mrs Harris is about an old fashioned char who saves & goes to Paris to buy Dior dress
& "Family at One end Street" children's story about a family with several dc before the ww2

OP posts:
redexpat · 27/05/2019 17:05

Yy to mu naughty little sister! Also Alfie.

Yabbers · 27/05/2019 17:05

We're reading the faraway tree for the millionth time here.

FrancisCrawford · 27/05/2019 17:08

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Children's books
Michaelbaubles · 27/05/2019 17:08

Another vote for Elizabeth Anne Howard - she has other novels as well which aren’t quite as immersive as the Cazelet ones but still lovely to read.

Surprisingly some Ruth Rendall have that appeal for me too. And Anne Tyler for a more modern version.

AwkwardSquad · 27/05/2019 17:12

The Miss Read books. Gentle stories of a village schoolteacher.

Lillian Beckwith’s Scottish island tales.

Both very calming!

imsorryiasked · 27/05/2019 17:13

Anne of Green Gables series
Mrs Pepperpot (for children)

AwkwardSquad · 27/05/2019 17:14

Oh the Monica Dickens ones, I loved those! There was one about being a cub journalist as well, wasn’t there? Loved Lark Rise to Candleford too.

Quintella · 27/05/2019 17:14

Mapp and Lucia series by EF Benson - very amusing battles of provincial one upwomanship in a pretty English village.

AwkwardSquad · 27/05/2019 17:16

‘My turn to make the tea’ - Monica’s adventures working for a small town newspaper.

timeforakinderworld · 27/05/2019 17:16

I've only just discovered the wonderful Persephone books www.persephonebooks.co.uk

There are so many on my list now that I want to read and they are absolutely beautiful.

CherryBlossom23 · 27/05/2019 17:16

Not a novel but the Hannah Hauxwell biographies/autobiographies (she dictated to the author) is similar. A remarkable woman living a very simple impoverished life.

FrancisCrawford · 27/05/2019 17:18

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Soola · 27/05/2019 17:20

Helen Cresswell - Lizzie Dripping

FleasAndKeef · 27/05/2019 17:21

Love this thread! I enjoyed the Josie Smith series by Magdelene Nabb and anything by Noel Streatfield

Soola · 27/05/2019 17:22

This is one of my favourite childhood books

www.amazon.co.uk/Late-Halloween-Camilla-Fegan/dp/B0000CN0RS?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

SparklesandFlowers · 27/05/2019 17:23

I'm currently re-reading 'The Best of Everything' by Rona Jaffe. 50s New York, following the lives of 4 or so early-20s women who start off being in the typing pool together. An easy read, nothing too awful happens and it gives you all the glamour (and expectations of women) of the era. If you want a standalone novel for adults I highly recommend it!

Foxyloxy1plus1 · 27/05/2019 17:24

As a child I loved the Jennings books by Anthony Buckeridge. I laughed out loud at them. I laughed again, reading them to my children.

Marcia Willett’s early books are quite gentle and I loved Miss Read. Faith Addis wrote Down to Earth, which was later a TV series and several other books. Autobiographies and very amusing.

Shadycorner · 27/05/2019 17:25

The Didakkoi and The Dolls House by Rumer Godden

The Armourers House by Rosemary Sutcliffe

Fluffiest · 27/05/2019 17:28

Yes to James Herriot! I have a lovely little book of just his cat based stories. Always puts me in a happy place.

Also Pollyanna and The Hobbit leave me feeling sunny inside.

LittleLongDog · 27/05/2019 17:34

Another one for the Miss Read books. I have them on audiobook and they’re so lovely and chill to fall asleep to.

Loved Milly Molly Mandy as a child and the Sadlers Wells ballet series as a young teen.

Gatekeeper · 27/05/2019 17:47

The 'Hanovarian' series of books by Joan Aitken- just fabulous

'A traveller in time' Alison Utterley
'A country Child' - ditto
'Charley' -Joan G Robinson

one of the loveliest ones I have read is a series of short stories called " The ten tales of Shellover" by Ruth Ainsworth...it is so sweet and lovely I could cry reading it

Nomintrude · 27/05/2019 17:55

Anne of Green Gables and all the others in the series, The Little Prince, Brambley Hedge Tales were all favourites of mine as a child Smile.

maddiemookins16mum · 27/05/2019 17:55

Deric Longden wrote some lovely books, one in particular called Lost for Words, later made into a TV film starring Thora Hird as an elderly lady with her long suffering son played by Pete Postlethwaite I think. She also had a hilarious cat. Lovely, bittersweet story.

Original poster
mumwon · 27/05/2019 17:56

thank you - lots of great books
Georgette Heyer is one of my favourites & Mary Stewart Crystal Caves Merlin series & little Long Dog are you talking of Lorna Hill's series - How about Monica Edwards - she did the Punchbowl series I think & "Wish for a Pony" I would also add "Seven Little Australians' "

OP posts: