Yes, her job was the loneliest in the world. No king, no dictator set high upon a pinnacle, was as friendless as the headmistress of a girls’ school.

Charlotte Fairlie loves her position at the illustrious St. Elizabeth’s, but it’s not without its challenges-first among them her trouble-making maths mistress Miss Pinkerton, who yearns for Charlotte’s job and spares no effort to complicate her life. Then there’s the charming Lawrence Swayne, headmaster of a nearby boys’ school, who has plans of his own for Charlotte’s future. But it’s the arrival of Tessa MacRynne, desperately homesick for the Scottish isle of Targ and distraught about her parents’ impending divorce, who really stirs things up-giving Miss Pinkerton fresh ammunition, helping the unfortunate Eastwoods, who cower beneath their father’s snide, critical personality, and inspiring Charlotte to spend an unforgettable holiday on Targ. Adventures, pleasures, misunderstandings, and tragedies follow, told with D.E. Stevenson’s inimitable sensitivity and humour, and Charlotte’s loneliness is soon forgotten …

First published in 1954 and long out of print, Charlotte Fairlie is the irresistible, sometimes poignant tale of a talented professional woman gaining a new lease on life. This new edition includes an autobiographical sketch by the author.

Miss Stevenson has her own individual and charming way of seeing things. Western Mail