Review: Miss Buncle Married by D.E. Stevenson

Paperback, 352 pages

Expected publication: November 1st 2012 by Sourcebooks Landmark (first published 1936)

more details...

ISBN: 1402272529 (ISBN13: 9781402272523)

edition language; English

series: Miss Buncle #2

From the publisher:

In this charming follow-up to Miss Buncle's Book, readers will follow Barbara Buncle's journey into married life in a new town filled with fascinating neighbors...who may become the subjects of Barbara's next novel! Miss Buncle may have settled down, but she's already discovered that married life has done nothing to prevent her from getting into humorous mix-ups and hilarious hijinx. Readers will continue to fall in love with Barbara as she hilariously navigates an exciting new beginning.

My Thoughts:  I just adored the first book in this series, Miss Buncle's Book. It was one of the most charming books I've read all year. Miss Buncle Married, the sequel, takes us on a rollicking journey to Wandlebury, the  town that Barbara and her recently acquired husband, Arthur Abbot, have moved to after much searching for just the perfect place.

Just as Barbara and Arthur are settling into their new home and married life, Arthur's nephew, Sam, comes to visit and finds more attractions in Wandlebury than just being the dutiful nephew. This is when the fun truly begins!

D.E. Stevenson is a master at creating small villages with a group of eclectic characters that the readers can't help but fall in love with. The author truly has an eye for quirkiness and humor that delighted me throughout the book. Her character development  is excellent. This second in the series introduced some new characters that I hope to see more of in the next book, The Two Mrs. Abbotts.

Miss Buncle Married hit the spot with me and I really enjoyed my time with Barbara, her family and neighbors in the little English village of Wandlebury. 4.5****

I am so thankful to Sourcebooks for re-publishing these books that were originally published during the 1930's. D.E. Stevenson is an author I had never heard of before and would most likely not have crossed my "readar" if it weren't for Sourcebooks.

Disclosure: A review copy of the book was provided by Sourcebooks/Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Review: Miss Buncle's Book by D.E. Stevenson

Kindle Edition, Kindle Edition, 304 pages

Expected publication: September 1st 2012 by Sourcebooks Landmark (first published January 1934)

Miss Buncle's Book #1

Published in 1934, Miss Buncle's Book is a captivating and thoroughly delightful story about a spinster who finds herself in dire financial need. Barbara Buncle has previously lived quietly and nicely on her dividends but now they have dwindled down to almost nothing. What should she do? Keep hens? No, that won't suit. Take in paying guests? No, too inconvenient. Oh, wait a minute, she could write a book. Yes, that's what she'll do. But, what to write? She admits she has no imagination so she writes what she knows; a titillating story of the residents in her little British village of Silverstream.



 The publisher, Mr. Abbott, cannot decide if Miss Buncle is a simple writer or a clever satirist but he is convinced that Miss Buncle is on to something and that the story will be successful. When the book is published and becomes an overnight sensation, the villagers who are in the book are up in arms at her portrayal of them. Miss Buncle, writing under the pseudonym of John Smith, may say she has no imagination but she is a keen observer of human nature and has hit the nail on the head with her characterizations, ruffling many a feather along the way.



To the villagers, some of the events in the book seem silly and totally unrealistic at first but a funny thing happens; real life starts to imitate fiction. Still, no one can figure out who John Smith is but when Miss Buncle's second book is released, there is no question about the author. Between Mr. Abbott and Miss Buncle, the perfect ending to the story is concocted. Such fun!



Miss Buncle's Book is delightful and so charming that I read it in two sittings. At the beginning, the reader is bombarded with characters but they soon sort themselves out in no time and become easy to picture in the mind. The well drawn characters, their reactions and the simple village life appealed to me in a big way. It's refreshing to read of a simpler time and place. The story and writing style remind me of E.F. Benson's Miss Mapp and Lucia books and P.G. Wodehouse's stories.



 I smiled, I giggled, I laughed out loud, I tsk'd tsk'd at some of the characters' antics but most of all I loved the book! I can't wait to read another. 5*****



Disclosure: A review copy of the book was provided by Source Books /Net Galley  in exchange for my honest opinion.