Celebrations in Burracombe (Harry Lilian); Orion, 2015

The latest book in the Burracombe series, Celebrations in Burracombe draws together many threads of life in the little Devonshire village where triumph and tragedy have always rubbed shoulders.

It's the late 1950s, and change is in the air. For the Napier family, up at the big house, the old ways are shifting. Hilary must discover if reaching out for a chance of happiness must mean breaking away from the life expected of her, while Patsy, their young housekeeper's help, is facing motherhood without her own family around her.

Down the hill from the Napiers, villagers young and old are setting out on adventures - Stella and Felix begin married life, change comes to the village school and the Tozer family continue to find surprises in their midst. Warm, poignant and heartfelt, Celebrations in Burracombe serves up another delicious slice of country life.