Tab Article

Genre: Non-Fiction, Oral History, Social History, British Countryside
Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5)

Book Review:
''Country Voices'' is a charming and priceless piece of social history, capturing the essence of rural English life just as it was vanishing. Author Charles Kightly has preserved the vivid, first-hand accounts of a generation of farm labourers, horsemen, dairymaids, and craftsmen, allowing them to tell their stories in their own wonderfully expressive words. This book is a fascinating miscellany of harvests and hard times, traditional recipes and remedies, and the feasts and fights of old England. It’s a deeply human and evocative read that feels both like a vital historical record and a warm, engaging conversation with the past. A must-read for anyone captivated by oral history, rural traditions, or the world that inspired authors like Thomas Hardy.