Deep in the Somerset countryside, the Combe Pomeroy village library hosts a monthly book club. Ruth the librarian fears she's too old to find love, but a discussion about Lady Chatterley's Lover makes her think again. Aurora doesn't feel seventy-two and longs to relive the excitement of her youth, while Verity is getting increasingly tired of her husband Mark's grumpiness and wonders if their son's imminent flight from the nest might be just the moment for her to fly too. And Danielle is fed up with her cheating husband. Surely life has more in store for her than to settle for second best? The glue that holds Combe Pomeroy together is Jeannie. Doyenne of the local cider farm and heartbeat of her family and community, no one has noticed that Jeannie needs some looking after too. Has the moment for her to retire finally arrived, and if so, what does her future hold? From a book club French exchange trip, to many celebrations at the farm, this is the year that everything changes, that lifelong friendships are tested, and for some of the women, they finally get the love they deserve. Judy Leigh is back with her unmistakable recipe of friendship and fun, love and laughter. The perfect feel-good novel for all fans of Dawn French, Dee Macdonald and Cathy Hopkins. Readers love Judy Leigh: 'Loved this from cover to cover, pity I can only give this 5 stars as it deserves far more.' 'The story's simply wonderful, the theme of second chances will resonate whatever your age, there's something for everyone among the characters, and I do defy anyone not to have a tear in their eye at the perfect ending.' 'With brilliant characters and hilarious antics, this is definitely a cosy read you'll not want to miss.' 'A lovely read of how life doesn't just end because your getting old.' 'A great feel-good and fun story that made me laugh and root for the characters.' Praise for Judy Leigh: 'Brilliantly funny, emotional and uplifting' Miranda Dickinson 'Lovely . . . a book that assures that life is far from over at seventy' Cathy Hopkins bestselling author of The Kicking the Bucket List 'Brimming with warmth, humour and a love of life... a wonderful escapade' Fiona Gibson

Mystery, mayhem, a manor house and a generous serving of romance... When police knock on Alice Donaldson's door at 4am, she knows the news won't be good. There's been an accident involving her ex-husband Grant, and as his existing next of kin, they need her help. Grant is missing up on the North York moors, but the Grant Alice knew could barely be persuaded out on a walk around the block. What on earth possessed him to go on a hike in the middle of the night? Alice soon finds herself working with Grant's girlfriend Jenna and Jenna's gorgeous 'Lord of the family Manor' brother Max, to find out what has happened, and what caused Grant's accident at The Fortune House - the spooky house out on the moors. The locals tell all manner of ghoulish stories about The Fortune House, which Alice is not minded to listen to. But before long, things take a turn for the strange and Max and Alice have a new mystery to solve. While all the while Alice can't help hoping she might meet the requirements to be Max's 'Lady of the Manor' at his country pile, Hatherleigh Hall. Mystery, mayhem, a manor house and a generous serving of romance too, in the page-turning new novel from Jane Lovering. Perfect for fans of Julie Houston, Beth O'Leary and Kate Forster Praise for Jane Lovering: 'A funny, warm-hearted read, filled with characters you'll love.' Matt Dunn on A Country Escape What readers are saying about Jane Lovering: 'Jane Lovering knows exactly how to write the perfect story. Her novels cover a multitude of subjects, some a little more difficult than others, but all are sensitively done with the most perfect endings. 'Jane Lovering has that ability to choose exactly the right words and images to make you laugh, with a wonderful touch of the ridiculous, then moving seamlessly to a scene of such poignancy that it catches your breath.' 'Fall in love with reading all over again with this cracking tale from Jane Lovering. An excellent reminder, if one is needed, of the absolute pleasure of losing yourself in a good book.'

A revealing exploration of political disruption and violence in a rural Chinese county during the Cultural Revolution A Decade of Upheaval chronicles the surprising and dramatic political conflicts of a rural Chinese county over the course of the Cultural Revolution. Drawing on an unprecedented range of sources-including work diaries, interviews, internal party documents, and military directives-Dong Guoqiang and Andrew Walder uncover a previously unimagined level of strife in the countryside that began with the Red Guard Movement in 1966 and continued unabated until the death of Mao Zedong in 1976. Showing how the upheavals of the Cultural Revolution were not limited to urban areas, but reached far into isolated rural regions, Dong and Walder reveal that the intervention of military forces in 1967 encouraged factional divisions in Feng County because different branches of China's armed forces took various sides in local disputes. The authors also lay bare how the fortunes of local political groups were closely tethered to unpredictable shifts in the decisions of government authorities in Beijing. Eventually, a backlash against suppression and victimization grew in the early 1970s and resulted in active protests, which presaged the settling of scores against radical Maoism. A meticulous look at how one overlooked region experienced the Cultural Revolution, A Decade of Upheaval illuminates the all-encompassing nature of one of the most unstable periods in modern Chinese history.

A fresh start in a picture-perfect English town brings the hope of new friends, new adventures and even new romance in this heart-warming novel from readers' top pick Fay Keenan. When Kate Harris accepts the job of redecorating her brother Aidan's house in the picturesque town of Willowbury, she knows it's just a stop gap before she has to decide what to do with the rest of her life. While her three sons spend the summer holiday with their father, Kate has an opportunity to prove to herself that there is a new life, after her divorce. Harry Sinclair is the owner of Vale Volumes book shop on Willowbury High Street. Content, if a little bored with his lot, his shop, as well as his life, could do with freshening up. When Kate offers to spruce up Vale Volumes ready for the visit of a famous author, they find they have a lot more in common than colour schemes. But both have secrets and responsibilities, and when the trials of family life threaten their burgeoning friendship, can they overcome the experiences of their pasts? Will Somerset's most magical town cast its spell on them? Or will Kate and Harry have to concede that their friendship really is just for the summer? Let Fay Keenan transport you to the perfect British summertime, with beautiful countryside, an unforgettable romance, and just the right dose of escapism. Perfect for all fans of Debbie Macomber, Cathy Bramley and Katie Fforde. What authors and readers say about Fay Keenan's novels: 'Guaranteed to put a spring in your step. Feel-good, frisky and great fun with a hearty dash of romance and intrigue.' Julie Houston 'Moving, funny, thoughtful and romantic. Bring on the next one!' Jenny Kane 'This is a lovely and heart-warming story, that has a serious side hidden within the romance.' Amazon reviewer ' It was a wonderful book, guaranteed to put a smile on your face. Amazon reviewer 'I was so engrossed in the storyline, which is thoroughly heart-warming, that I read the entire book without stopping. I always enjoy Keenan's books and am looking forward to the next one!' Amazon reviewer

In the fifty years between 1530 and 1580, England moved from being one of the most lavishly Catholic countries in Europe to being a Protestant nation, a land of whitewashed churches and antipapal preaching. What was the impact of this religious change in the countryside? And how did country people feel about the revolutionary upheavals that transformed their mental and material worlds under Henry VIII and his three children? In this book a reformation historian takes us inside the mind and heart of Morebath, a remote and tiny sheep farming village on the southern edge of Exmoor. The bulk of Morebath's conventional archives have long since vanished. But from 1520 to 1574, through nearly all the drama of the English Reformation, Morebath's only priest, Sir Christopher Trychay, kept the parish accounts on behalf of the churchwardens. Opinionated, eccentric, and talkative, Sir Christopher filled these vivid scripts for parish meetings with the names and doings of his parishioners. Through his eyes we catch a rare glimpse of the life and pre-Reformation piety of a sixteenth-century English village. The book also offers a unique window into a rural world in crisis as the Reformation progressed. Sir Christopher Trychay's accounts provide direct evidence of the motives which drove the hitherto law-abiding West-Country communities to participate in the doomed Prayer-Book Rebellion of 1549 culminating in the siege of Exeter that ended in bloody defeat and a wave of executions. Its church bells confiscated and silenced, Morebath shared in the punishment imposed on all the towns and villages of Devon and Cornwall. Sir Christopher documents the changes in the community, reluctantly Protestant and increasingly preoccupied with the secular demands of the Elizabethan state, the equipping of armies, and the payment of taxes. Morebath's priest, garrulous to the end of his days, describes a rural world irrevocably altered and enables us to hear the voices of his villagers after four hundred years of silence.

The story of the interplay between finance, freeways, and urban form in the 20th century and their enduring impact on American cities and neighborhoods in the 21st. American cities are distinct from almost all others in the degree to which freeways and freeway travel dominate urban landscapes. In The Drive for Dollars, Jeffrey R. Brown, Eric A. Morris, and Brian D. Taylor tell the largely misunderstood story of how freeways became the centerpiece of U.S. urban transportation systems, and the crucial, though usually overlooked, role of fiscal politics in bringing freeways about. The authors chronicle how the ways that we both raise and spend transportation revenue have shaped our transportation system and the lives of those who use it, from the era before the automobile to the present day. They focus on how the development of one revolutionary type of road-the freeway-was inextricably intertwined with money. With the nation's transportation finance system at a crossroads today, this book sheds light on how we can best fund and plan transportation in the future. The authors draw on these lessons to offer ways forward to pay for transportation more equitably, provide travelers with better mobility, and increase environmental sustainability and urban livability.

Living in the shadow of state is not a dark, static and silent world. It was the world in full radiance, involving multiple process of reenactment to life, lifeways and relationship. If state and history demonized the hill people as the 'pest' and 'nuisance' to civilization, and the hill practices as the 'relics' of the 'primitive', the hillmen's narratives celebrated them as their core cultural collective. Against State, Against History is a radical reevaluation of the dominant civilizational narratives on the 'tribe' and attempts to recast their history in the light of recent historiography that presents the hillmen as state evading population. Bringing together both conventional and oral narratives, and from the counter-perspectives of the margin, the book explores the conditions in which section of valley population escaped to the hills, their migration history, how they reenact their space, society, culture and economy in the hills. Their physical dispersion in the highland terrain, choosing an independent village polity, defended by trained warriors, fortressed at the top of hills, connected by repulsive pathways, following jhum economy, and adopting a pliable social, cultural, ethnic and gender formations, are their counter cultural collective at the margins of state. They were reenacted to prevent state control and the emergence of domination relations in the hills. This process is understood as unstate involving the process of disowning state and becoming an egalitarian society where freedom of individuals was located at the core of their cultural collective.

Over the last forty years, the landscape of the United States has been fundamentally transformed. It is partially visible in the ascendance of glittering, coastal hubs for finance, infotech and the so-called `creative class'. But this is only the tip of an economic iceberg, the bulk of which lies in the darkness of the declining heartland or on the dimly lit fringe of sprawling cities. This is America's Hinterland, populated by towering grain-threshing machines and hunched farmworkers, where labourers drawn from every corner of the world crowd into factories and `fulfilment centres'. Driven by an ever-expanding crisis, America's class structure is recomposing itself in new geographies of race, poverty and production. Drawing on his direct experience of recent popular unrest, Phil A. Neel provides a close-up view of this landscape in all its grim but captivating detail, and tells the intimate story of a life lived within America's hinterland

Can the magic of Christmas and the community of Thorndale bring two lost souls together in love?Olivia doesn't have time for Christmas or for romance - she's got a demanding career and has been burned before when it comes to love. This year, she's spending the festive season in her dad's old house, packing it up now that he's moved out. Her dad failed to mention she wouldn't be spending her time there alone... The last thing Olivia expects is for her surprise guest to be the very man who literally ran from her after an evening of mutual flirtation. But Tom has nowhere else to go and Olivia is determined to forget the disappointment she felt at his abandonment and instead help him find his way again. As heavy snow keeps them inside the cottage, will their enforced confinement spark romance once again - or will it push them further apart? The perfect festive romance to curl up with, for fans of Victoria Walters and Trisha Ashley. Praise for A Country Village Christmas 'Warm and comforting and realistic and heartwarming and funny. It's got everything a real family Christmas should have.' Reader review 'The writing evokes a real sense of community, with friendship and family at the heart, and the main characters are well drawn. I could easily imagine this book being made into a "feel good" movie. Perfect if you're looking for an uplifting light read - a cosy novel with a seasonal and romantic theme.' Reader review 'This was my first visit to Thorndale and after enjoying this peep into the village I can't wait to explore more books by this author. It's a book you will want to devour in one sitting, snuggled up with a hot chocolate.' Reader review 'I absolutely loved this beautiful, cosy, heartwarming read that was so much more than just a Christmas book. This was the perfect escapism read.' Reader review

Long a bastion of antigovernment feeling, the Ozark region today is home to fervent strains of conservative-influenced sentiment. Does rural heritage play an exceptional role in the perpetuation of these attitudes? Have such outlooks been continuous? J. Blake Perkins searches for the roots of rural defiance in the Ozarks--and discovers how it changed over time. Eschewing generalities, Perkins focuses on the experiences and attitudes of rural people themselves as they interacted with government from the late nineteenth century through the twentieth century.He uncovers the reasons local disputes and uneven access to government power fostered markedly different reactions by hill people as time went by. Resistance in the earlier period sprang from upland small farmers' conflicts with capitalist elites who held the local levers of federal power. But as industry and agribusiness displaced family farms after World War II, a conservative cohort of town business elites, local political officials, and midwestern immigrants arose from the region's new low-wage, union-averse economy. As Perkins argues, this modern antigovernment conservatism bore little resemblance to the backcountry populism of an earlier age but had much in common with the movement elsewhere.

'Absorbing, funny and oh-so-romantic. I loved every page!'When Lily's husband dies, she moves to the edge of a tiny village, settling into a solitary life, her only real company her brother and his family. A quiet life becomes her safe space, with no risk of getting hurt. When her brother offers her spare room to his oldest friend, Jack, Lily's reluctant - but knowing how much she owes her family, can't say no. A lodger takes some getting used to but to her surprise, Lily begins to enjoy Jack's company. Slowly but surely, Jack encourages Lily to step outside her comfort zone. But taking risks means facing the consequences, and telling people how she really feels, means Lily might have to face losing them. But as the saying goes - you only live once - and being brave could mean Lily gets a second chance at love... 'Read yourself happy' with Maxine Morrey's latest feel-good, unforgettable and utterly uplifting love story, guaranteed to make you smile. Perfect for fans of Mhairi McFarlane and Sophie Kinsella. Praise for Maxine Morrey: 'An uplifting read that stops you in your tracks and makes you wonder "....but what if?" Absorbing, funny and oh-so-romantic, I loved every page!' Rachel Burton 'A super sweet read, guaranteed to warm any winter evening' Samantha Tonge 'A lovely story that kept me turning the pages' Jules Wake 'A stunning, perfect novel - it literally took my breath away.' The Writing Garnet, 5 stars 'A warm hug of a book.' Rachel's Random Reads, 5 stars

There has been considerable interest in recent years in the ability of non-governmental organisations to work with the rural poor in developing countries in order to improve their quality of life and economic status through the provision of credit, skills training, and other inputs for income-generation programmes. This book brings together the results of 16 evaluations in 4 countries (Bangladesh, India, Uganda, and Zimbabwe) to provide a detailed assessment of the contribution that NGOs make to rural poverty alleviation. The results indicate that NGO projects are successful when they build in a high degree of participation, when the staff are committed to the goals of the project, and when they are managed by strong and competent leaders. Many of the projects studied contributed to increases in income and welfare. However, not all projects were successful, contrary to received wisdom about the efficacy of NGO interventions. many failed to reach the very poorest, most were costly to implement, and few of the projects demostrated an ability to continue once external funding was withdrawn. These findingd provide string support for viewing NGOs as a mechanism for helping to reduce rural poverty, but also demonstrate that many of the interventions are isolated or one-off. The impact of NGOs could be heightened by increasing the size of the intervention, encouraging greater cooperation among NGOs, and by fostering closer cooperation with governments. This study will make an impact in the development community, and its conclusions will help shape NGO and poverty agendas in the coming years. The book will appeal to all those concerned with rural development, NGOs, and development programmes.

To some, the news that rural America still exists may be a surprise. While rural areas have undergone dramatic changes over the last half-century, traditional social problems persist. Moreover, many of the social issues and problems associated with urban populations-from AIDS to drug addiction-are also found in contemporary rural America. This comprehensive and much-needed volume explores the particular challenges associated with rural social work. With contributions from practitioners, researchers, and academics, this work synthesizes and analyzes current trends in rural social work practice and considers the most effective ways to serve rural communities.

Following an introduction defining what is meant by "rural," the contributors consider the history and development of rural social work from its beginnings to the present-day influence of the Internet and other new information technologies in helping clients. Other recent trends examined include the work of nonprofit organizations and the effects of welfare reform on poor rural areas. In addressing various aspects of intervention in rural social work, the authors explore the multiple roles of rural social agency administrators and efforts at building stronger communities through community practice.

Coverage of specific client populations and fields of practice includes services for rural mental healthcare; the chronically mentally ill; healthcare for minorities; and the challenges facing the elderly in rural areas. The contributors also consider issues affecting gays and lesbians living in rural communities and the role of religiosity and social support in the well-being of HIV/AIDS clients. The book concludes with aconsideration of the unique issues associated with educating social workers for rural practice.

For many Americans, the Midwest is a vast unknown. In "Remaking the Heartland," Robert Wuthnow sets out to rectify this. He shows how the region has undergone extraordinary social transformations over the past half-century and proven itself surprisingly resilient in the face of such hardships as the Great Depression and the movement of residents to other parts of the country. He examines the heartland's reinvention throughout the decades and traces the social and economic factors that have helped it to survive and prosper.

Wuthnow points to the critical strength of the region's social institutions established between 1870 and 1950--the market towns, farmsteads, one-room schoolhouses, townships, rural cooperatives, and manufacturing centers that have adapted with the changing times. He focuses on farmers' struggles to recover from the Great Depression well into the 1950s, the cultural redefinition and modernization of the region's image that occurred during the 1950s and 1960s, the growth of secondary and higher education, the decline of small towns, the redeployment of agribusiness, and the rapid expansion of edge cities. Drawing his arguments from extensive interviews and evidence from the towns and counties of the Midwest, Wuthnow provides a unique perspective as both an objective observer and someone who grew up there.

"Remaking the Heartland" offers an accessible look at the humble yet strong foundations that have allowed the region to endure undiminished.

After twenty-five years police service on urban Tyneside, the author-a social anthropologist-transferred, on promotion as Superintendent, to West Mercia Constabulary. The arrival of this 'import' coincided with monetarist demands for efficiency and effectiveness, a political thrust which came hard up against rural ideas of hierarchy, paternalism, and a cultural belief that denied validity to outsiders - such as those in the adjacent West Midlands Police. Detailing the way West Mercia operated and justified some bizarre practices, the ethnography shows how cultural identity was defined and deployed on a daily basis and explores the diverse and rich cultural baggage the rural world sustained even in the face of intense calls for the management of change. Reflecting on the lack of financial control he found, the author links all this to the racism he observed-to a xenophobic means of maintaining social boundaries, defending edgy environments and preserving a semi-closed culture from the intrusions of outsiders.

Do you love someone enough to let them go?It was love at first sight when talented art student Felicity "Flick" Johnston-Hart and Jim MacDuff's worlds collided at Oxford University. However, after years of blissful marriage, everything crashes down when their marriage comes to a painful and abrupt end, thanks to Flick's interfering mother Penelope. Finally succumbing to maternal pressure, Flick falls into the high-flying career her mother believed she was destined for. However, she soon realises life without Jim isn't all she'd hoped, and that some decisions, once made, cannot be undone. Meanwhile, Jim is settling back into life as a single man in the beautiful Highland village of Shieldaig, when an unexpected visitor brings painful news. A letter from beyond the grave leads him to do something he never imagined and takes him on a journey he didn't anticipate. Can either of them heal and truly move on? Or is it true that a broken heart can never be a blank canvas? This book was previously published as Through the Glass. Praise for Lisa Hobman: 'I love it! - escape to the beautiful Isle of Skye with this feel-good, uplifting story of lost love and second chances...' Holly Martin 'Simply gorgeous. An uplifting story of two broken individuals trying to find the courage to take a chance on love again' Jessica Redland 'A really uplifting, feel-good read about hope, love and second chances, that really did warm my heart.' Kim Nash 'A gorgeous, heart-warming romantic journey, reminds us to never give up on love...' Lucy Coleman 'You will fall in love with this story of fresh starts and mending broken hearts' Mandy Baggot 'A heart-breakingly beautiful story of love and loss set in the stunning village of Glentorrin. Be prepared to fall in love over and over again.' Nancy Barone 'What a beautiful read this was. I was rooting for Juliette from the first page. Lisa handled some tough subjects with a delicate and deft touch. I'm ready to escape to Skye!' Sarah Bennett