Great novels and autobiographies set in the British countryside

Our pick of the greatest novels and best autobiographies set in the British countryside.

Save 30% and receive a Stanley Trigger Action Travel Mug when you subscribe to BBC Countryfile Magazine
Published: May 8, 2019 at 9:27 am

Here is our literary guide on the best novels and autobiographies set in the British countryside.

1

Thrush Green, Miss Read (1955)

Location: The Cotswolds

Set in a fictional Cotswold village, this series of novels quietly chronicles small-town life in the countryside. Thrush Green is the first instalment and is set during one pivotal day: May Day. It is feel-good reading from a different world.

2

Duncton Wood, William Horwood (1980)

Location: Avebury, Rollright Stones and Duncton Wood in Oxfordshire

This book centres around two moles, Rebecca and Bracken. The jovial descriptions of the English countryside are offset by the brutal rules of survival of the fittest, a reality of the animal kingdom. Similar to Watership Down, the animal characters are remarkably easy to empathise with.

oxfordshiremain-a758025

3

All Creatures Great and Small, James Herriot (1972)

Location: Thirsk, North Yorkshire

The memoirs of a country vet, this book is filled will all sorts of different stories, from tear- jerking moments to hilarious anecdotes.

4

Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte (1847)

Location: Yorkshire Moors

This gothic novel contains some of the most famous descriptions of the Yorkshire Moors in literature, and is as hauntingly tragic today as it was in 1847. A classic tale of love, death and revenge, the plot sweeps through the lives of three generations, while the wild landscape of the moors provides a backdrop to their triumphs and dramas.

United Kingdom, England, Great Britain, North York Moors National Park, British Isles, North Yorkshire, Walkers sitting amongst the heather at The Hole of Horcum
United Kingdom, England, Great Britain, North York Moors National Park, British Isles, North Yorkshire, Walkers sitting amongst the heather at The Hole of Horcum

5

Lark Rise to Candleford trilogy, Flora Thompson (1945)

Location: Oxfordshire

This semi-autobiographical trilogy follows the everyday drama of Victorian village life in rural Oxfordshire on the brink of industrialisation. It's a wonderful portrayal of a young girl growing up in a hamlet, village then small market town, from children's games and May Day celebrations to her first job as an assistant to the local post mistress.

6

On the Black Hill, Bruce Chatwin (1982)

Location: Herefordshire and Welsh Borders

This book is set in a farmhouse called The Vision on the border of England and Wales in Herefordshire. It is based around a family with identical twin boys who work together, sleep together develop a special bond. Mainly narrated through flash backs, it makes for a nostalgic read and offers a fascinating insight into this beautiful area of Britain.

British Camp
Footpath on Herefordshire Beacon in The Malvern Hills. Herefordshire & Worcestershire. England. UK.

7

How Green Was My Valley, Richard Llewellyn (1941)

Location: Rhondda Valley

Set in the valleys of South Wales, this novel deals with the daily life, struggles and tragedies of a small mining community, narrated by the youngest son of a poor family.


8

To the Lighthouse, Virginia Woolf - Isle of Skye/St Ives (1927)

Location: Isle of Skye, Scotland and St Ives, Cornwall

This landmark modernist novel revolves around the Ramsay family and their time at holiday home set on the Isle of Skye in Scotland, although it is generally thought to be based on Woolf’s childhood memories in St. Ives.

Porthmminster Beach, St Ives, Cornwall, England, Großbritannien
Porthmminster Beach, St Ives, Cornwall, England, Großbritannien

9

A Kestrel for a Knave, Barry Hines (1968)

Location: Barnsley, South Yorkshire

This book is probably known better as the film adaptation Kes. The novel makes inspiring reading with vivid descriptions of 1960s Britain in the full bloom of spring. This coming of age story, which is full of hope and humor, still strikes a cord with readers today.

10

Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons (1932)

Location: Sussex

Flora Poste’s stay at the aptly-named Cold Comfort Farm, in the fictional village of Howling in Sussex, is an unashamed parody of melodramatic rural life. This comic account of the doomed Starkadders family, and Flora’s attempts to help them, is best reflected in the names of the cows – Feckless, Graceless, Aimless and Pointless.

Firle Beacon East Sussex
Firle Beacon East Sussex ©Getty
This website is owned and published by Our Media Ltd. www.ourmedia.co.uk
© Our Media 2024