Alton Barnes: Where the Maypole Stood

On the first of May, when dew gleams on the chalk grass and fiddles strike their tune, the maypole rises on the village green. Ribbons braid, larks climb the sky, and the whole valley of Alton Barnes remembers who it is.

So begins a year in the life of a Wiltshire village, told through harvest and haymaking, storm and snowfall, love quietly risked and love openly declared. At the heart of it all are four lives whose paths entwine:

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  Eliza Wride, the new schoolmistress, firm of hand yet uncertain of heart, who learns that tenderness is its own kind of strength.
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  Tom Veal, shepherd and fiddler, a man who carries music in his coat pockets and laughter in his sleeve.
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  Laurie Damerel, a younger son of the manor, walking the downs with a sketchbook and a secret.
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  Rowan Ferris, labourer, horseman, and quiet keeper of truths the land itself seems to trust him with.

Around them, the whole village gathers—gossiping, forgiving, grieving, and celebrating—as seasons turn from May revels to snowbound stillness, from harvest moon to Christmas choir, until at last another May returns and the maypole stands once more.

Lyrical, and steeped in the cadences of rural life, Alton Barnes: Where the Maypole Stood is a story of community, memory, and the many shapes of love. It will appeal to readers who find beauty in quiet courage and the turning of the year.