Bells of Burracombe

Burracombe Village #1

by Lilian Harry

When Stella Simmons comes to the Devonshire village of Burracombe to start her teaching career, she is alone in the world. Orphaned as child and brought up in a children's home, she was separated from her sister Muriel and has never been able to trace her. Stella is soon caught up in the life of the village, and especially in the plans for celebrating the Festival of Britain. As headmistress Miss Kemp and vicar Basil Harvey try to keep the peace between villagers who all have their own ideas for the proposed pageant and fair, Stella tries, with the help of artist Luke Ferris, to find her sister. The Bells of Burracombe begins the story of life in a Devonshire village in the 1950s, and shows us a picture of Britain coming to terms with the aftermath of the Second World War and entering a new decade.

Genres: Fiction, Romance, Historical, British Literature, Historical Fiction

Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

aka Donna Baker, Nicola West

Donna Thomson was born in Gosport, near Portsmouth Harbour, England, UK. Growing up during the terrifying years of the Blitz in a two-up, two-down terraced house, the youngest of four, she aspired to be a writer from an early age.

As a young woman she worked in the Civil Service and moved to Devon to be near her sailor husband. They had a son and a daughter. When the marriage ended, she and her two children moved to the Midlands, where she happily married again to her second husband. After living in the Lake District for twelve years, she finally moved back to Devon, and now lives in a village on the edge of Dartmoor. She lost her son Philip in 2008, and has two grandchildren. A keen walker and animal-lover, she now has a dog and three ginger cats to keep her busy, along with a wide range of hobbies she enjoys.

She started signing her romance novels as Donna Baker and Nicola West, now she also writes as Lilian Harry (inspired by the first names of her grandparents). Among her works are historical novels, romances and even two books giving advice on how to write short stories and novels.

Reviews

[Shirley Revill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book and I have read it many times since I bought it. Recommended.

[Shirley Revill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed. Recommended.

[Shirley Revill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the stories by Lillian Harry and this was the first of the Burracombe series that I had the pleasure of reading.
Every time I pick up a book by this author it's like coming home to an old friend.
Recommended.

[Terena · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book in Lilian Harry's series about the villagers of Burracombe, an idyllic village in Devon, set in the 1950s. Stella Simmons who first appeared in the April Grove series set in Portsmouth as a girl, who along with her sister Muriel, lost both parents in the war, has now qualified as a school teacher and gets a job at the school in Burracombe village. This is a lovely gentle story about all the villagers, and a good piece of escapism to simpler times.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet read. Angela Rickett would love the English life style after WWII.

[Squinekat Beacher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed reading this book looking forward to reading the series .

[Tarquilla · Rating 4 out of 5]

As good a read and full of historical facts as all of her books. This is one of the Devon/Dartmoor based books which really show her love of the moor.

[Marion Granigan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't finish it. This was touted as a novel in the Miss Read tradition, but it falls far short. The characters are underdeveloped, the pace is glacial; I have too many good books in the wings to waste my time.

[Elizabeth Ducie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a wonderful recreation of another time, more than 60 years ago. WWII has been over for 6 years and Britain is starting to recover from the after-effects. The Great Exhibition is taking place in London, and the Devon village of Burracombe decides to make its own contribution to the nation's celebrations.

In the first of the Burracombe novels, we are introduced to a wide range of characters that will no doubt feature in the books to come. And the geography of West Devon is as much a part of the story as are the people. This could be described as The Archers on Dartmoor. There are a mix of story lines, some of which are resolved here; while others have time to run yet. Lilian Harry has created an authentic picture of rural Britain in the 1950s. A most enjoyable read.

[S. A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice story.

[Stacey Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this after the WW2 series which I am glad I did even if it is the wrong way round.
Not as great as the WW2 series. It does carry on from it and you meet a few of the old characters which is nice and its nice to see how they have progressed.
Not a lot happened as such in this book but it could just be the intro to all the new characters for the series.
I though the story line with Stella and Muriel might of got mentioned a bit more, it all seemed to happen over 2-3 pages near the end which was a shame. I hope it carries on in the next book.
Even still, its an ok book worth a read after the WW2 series.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bit slow but pleasant read. Did skim through the last few pages though as it had to be back at the library!

[Juliana Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had this on talking book in the car - a pleasant enough story, I'll definitely read the next ones but quite light and fluffy!

[Helena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will look for more of these delightful stories!

[Lian Tanner · Rating 3 out of 5]

The cosiest of cosies, but well-written and a good read, with an authentic sense of the fifties and the post-war period.

[Fi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, & look forward to reading more of the same
Rather reminded me of Miss Read's books

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it! Wonderful stories about Britain's post-war years, and that enduring spirit of resilience and "pulling together" that makes it such an admirable nation.
Definitely a must for Anglophiles...

[Christine Goodnough · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice blend of Rebecca Shaw's Turnham Malpas series and Miss Read's Fairacres series. Stella, a war orphan show has grown up in a children's home, now has a teaching job offer in Burracombe. She arrives and falls in love with the little Devonshire village.

The story follows the lives of half a dozen other residents, too, and may well have been called the Belles of Burracombe. Taking place in 1951, the story is overshadowed by war losses: family members, fiances, a centuries-old social order that will never return.

Stella was separated from her younger sister when the two girls were placed in different children's homes and no records were kept. She was told to get on with life and forget the past, but she can't help thinking her sister Muriel must be somewhere in England.

This is a book I'll read again and I've bought the second book in the series.

[Hilde · Rating 2 out of 5]

A sweetly written country novel, situated in the heart of Devon, early 1950’s. The post war era. If you love hugely predictable storylines and too many flat characters in a village where just about all is hunky-dory, all children are angels and every neighbour is a saint, the by all means, soak in this sickly-sweet mixture of nothingness. It’s not all bad for a rainy day. But I’ll give the follow-ups a miss.

[Johanna Cogbill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved all the Burracombe novels, collected them all and have read them all, wonderful stories and characters. Lillian Harry is such a wonderful story teller the characters and Burracombe came alive on the pages.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book in a series. It takes place in Devon during the early 1950s. It was a gentle story of life in a small village.

[Lizzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a good book. I couldn’t put it down.

[Lynn Hutchinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gentle little tale, I had guessed the ending which was a little disappointing but nevertheless I enjoyed the book.

[Punit Sahani · Rating 4 out of 5]

A feel good simple story of people living inna small village. Their fates, their challenges and their survival through the war.

[Goldie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Got to page 20 just too many characters for me I couldn't keep track of everything happening but it was quite slow at the same time .

[Susanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

A pleasant and undemanding story, like reading a short story in a traditional women's magazine - but it lasts for a whole book! Nothing nasty or complicated, happy ending guaranteed. Very good when you're in the mood for that sort of a read.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great series of stories. Good light read.
Book 1 in a series.

[Kerry Deacon · Rating 5 out of 5]

really enjoyed this book.