Thursday, August 9, 2012

Miss Buncle's Book by D.E.Stevenson

Miss Barbara Buncle lives in the small English village of Silverstream. It is the early 1930's and although she has always been able to depend on her dividends to provide an income, suddenly she finds her funds no longer coming in.
Rejecting the idea of keeping hens to raise money there seems no other course but to go along with the suggestion of her servant/friend, Dorcas, and write a book.

The problem is Miss Buncle lacks imagination and discovers the only thing she can write about is what she knows - her village and its inhabitants. So her book is a thinly disguised description of her neighbours characters and the daily round of life in Silverstream with a touch of make-believe in the second half when she creates changes for everyone.
Much to her surprise, not only is her book published, it becomes an instant bestseller and it's not long before the inhabitants of Silverstream are up in arms over the way they have been portrayed and determined to hunt out John Smith, the author.

I wasn't sure I would like this when I started it and thought the writing was a bit ordinary but I changed my mind as I got to know the delightfully eccentric characters and became involved in the hilarious situation that develops. Some of the dialogue is priceless.
Miss Buncle's Book is a light-hearted, very English cosy type of story with a lovely old-fashioned feel to it ..... just right for those times you need to take a break from serious reading or want only to put your feet up with a cup of tea and relax.
Fun reading - I enjoyed it!

Thanks to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.

Whats In A Name Challenge  - something you'd carry in pocket, purse or backpack.

6 comments:

  1. Hi there, I'm a first-time commenter :)
    This book sounds truly delightful - I can never resist the words 'light-hearted' and 'old-fashioned' when it comes to books. And the cover is fantastic!

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    1. Hi Anbolyn - it's a fun, fluffy read which is nice for a change.

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  2. I love the cover of this one! It's interesting as I feel this story line is actually quite common for authors of the period. Georgette Heyer wrote a book called Sylvester that is along similar lines and quite fun, and I think that E. F. Benson's books are probably all satires along the lines of Miss Buncle's Book, too.

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    1. There are some wonderful authors from this period writing similar books but they're very hard to find here so I'm always pleased to be able to read one.

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  3. This sounds wonderful and I love that cover!! I'm going to have to look it up. :)

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