15 Charming Books Set in the English Countryside
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Books set in the English countryside are calming yet they hold adventure as the countryside is filled with character.
The English countryside is a sharp contrast to the hustle and bustle of London. Driving through the varied bucolic landscapes of England can make you feel like as if you’ve gone back in time as you take in the postcard views.
If you’re ready to get swept away to the English countryside, look no further than these books. These are some of the best books set in the beautiful English countryside that you will want to add to your reading list.
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15 Charming Books Set in the English Countryside
1. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
Wuthering Heights is one of the most famous classic novels set in the English countryside, taking place on the gloomy and lonesome moors of Yorkshire.
This darkly romantic story examines the effects of jealousy and vengefulness, and follows the tumultuous relationship between brooding Heathcliff and Catherine.
2. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
I Capture the Castle is a beloved novel written in 1948 set in the British countryside.
It’s told from the perspective of a teenage girl who dreams of becoming a writer, honing her writing skill through journal entries about her family, who she lives with in a ramshackle old castle in the English countryside. This is a nostalgic, comforting book to read.
3. Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
Hamnet is a historical fiction novel set in the English countryside in the late 1500s during the late Elizabethan period.
While William Shakespeare himself is one of the focal figures from this time period, this book explores other characters like his wife Anne Hathaway, and his young children Hamnet and Judith.
4. Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
Cold Comfort Farm is a classic novel set in the English countryside that is both humorous and heartfelt.
It’s about a well-educated young socialite in 1930s London. When she is left orphaned and unable to support herself at age twenty-two, she moves in with eccentric relatives on their farm in the English countryside.
5. Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
Brideshead Revisited is another classic English novel that takes place in the countryside.
Primarily set in an English castle called Brideshead, this novel follows a regular man and his entanglements with the wealthy aristocratic family who lives there. It offers a look into the English aristocracy in the waning days of the empire.
6. The Old Ways by Robert Macfarlane
The Old Ways is a book that blends natural history, cartography, geography, and literature.
The author documents his journey on foot through famous walking paths in both England and beyond. While not all of this book is set in the English countryside, the parts that are paint a vivid portrait of the country.
7. The Last Garden in England by Julia Kelly
The Last Garden in England is another book set in the English countryside. This historical fiction novel follows three different women in three different ages.
The common thread that connects all of them is Highbury House, an elegant estate in the English countryside, which has had an impact on all of them.
Read More: 20 Books Set in England (From Various Genres!)
8. The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware
The Death of Mrs. Westaway is a mystery and thriller set in the English countryside.
It follows a young woman who receives a mysterious letter that she has been bequeathed a large inheritance. Knowing the letter to be a mistake, she still ventures to the isolated country estate to try to con her way into the inheritance.
9. A Month in the Country by J. L. Carr
A Month in the Country is a touching book about a World War I veteran suffering from wartime trauma and a broken marriage.
He arrives in a remote Yorkshire village, where he has a job to restore a medieval mural in the local church.
Over the course of his summer in the English countryside, he is able to not only restore the mural, but to also restore his own hope and outlook on life after war.
10. Wilding by Isabella Tree
Wilding is a nonfiction book about the Knepp Experiment, a pioneering rewilding project in West Sussex that uses free-roaming grazing animals to create new habitats for wildlife.
Part gripping memoir, part fascinating account of the ecology of the English countryside, this book is a must-read for those who love nature.
11. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Pride and Prejudice is a classic novel set in the British countryside. Set in rural England at the turn of the nineteenth century, this beloved book follows the emotional love story between Elizabeth and Darcy.
12. How to Find Love in a Bookshop by Veronica Henry
How to Find Love in a Bookshop is a heartwarming story about Nightingale Books, a local bookshop nestled on the main street in an idyllic little village in the English countryside.
The owner Emilia is struggling to keep the shop open, and faces increasing pressure to sell it to developers.
Supported by the customers whose lives have been touched by Emilia and the bookshop, they fight to keep it open.
13. The Garden House by Marcia Willett
The Garden House is a story about family and long-buried secrets.
After her father dies, a young woman named El inherits a home from him in the Devon countryside.
However, when she arrives at the garden house, she starts to uncover and unravel secrets about her father’s life that she did not expect.
14. The Shepherd’s Life by James Rebanks
The Shepherd’s Life is a fascinating memoir is written by a shepherd in the picturesque Lake District, whose family has been shepherding for generations.
In evocative and lucid prose, the author takes readers through a shepherd’s year, offering a unique account of rural life and a connection with the land.
15. A Fine Romance: Falling in Love with the English Countryside by Susan Branch
A Fine Romance: Falling in Love with the English Countryside is a love letter to this region.
The author creates a charming and delightful travelogue, accompanied by hundreds of photographs and watercolor illustrations from the two months she spent ambling around the English countryside.
Wrap Up: Best Books Set in the English Countryside
These are some of the best books set in the English countryside to add to your reading list. These books will make you feel as if you are there!
Have you read or do you plan to read any of these books set in the English countryside? Do you have any favorite books set in the English countryside that you think should be added to this list?
Let me know in the comments below!
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