Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Miss Buncle's Book by D. E. Stevenson

Miss Buncle's Book by D. E. Stevenson is one of those lovely older titles -- first published in 1936 -- that are being given a second life by publishers. My copy is from Sourcebooks, but I've been told Persephone also has published Miss Buncle's Book. Wahoo for both!

It's been a couple weeks since I finished Miss Buncle's Book, but it's unforgettable. Barbara Buncle is a single woman living in Depression-era Great Britain. Her income has trickled to nearly nothing, so with the idea of making money in mind, she has written a thinly-veiled account of life in her English village with a dash of fantasy in the form of a "golden boy" thrown in.

She meets with a cheery publisher and within a short time her book is selling well under the pseudonym "John Smith". But, there are complications. It doesn't take long for the villagers to discover the book, begin passing it around and wondering who has written about their lives. Most are angry about the way they've been portrayed, although a few think the book is simply entertaining.

While the villagers discuss the book and plot revenge, some of the book's fictional plotting begins to mysteriously come true. Is life imitating art? Or is Miss Buncle just unusually prescient? Will the villagers uncover the real name behind John Smith? And, isn't that cheery publisher charming?

Miss Buncle's Book started out as slow reading for me, although that may have something to do with the fact that I was in the thick of moving, at the time. Once the villagers became riled up and set out to find "John Smith" and teach him a lesson, I had difficulty putting the book down. What would become of Barbara Buncle, once the villagers found her out?

I don't think it's a spoiler to note that everyone in the village thought Miss Buncle couldn't possibly be the author of Disturber of the Peace. At least one person even claimed she was not clever enough to have written a book -- all of which made for some of the most interesting plot points toward the end of the book.

I loved Miss Buncle's Book. Barbara Buncle is a delightful character, her publisher is charming, there are plenty of villagers to love and at least two who are villainous enough to make you cheer when they get their just desserts. My only problem with the book was the fact that there are so many characters it's hard to keep them all straight. I finally reached the point at which I stopped trying to puzzle everyone out and just enjoyed the story. When I did that, the characters kindly stayed consistent and did a knock-out job of clarifying their individual stories so that eventually the cast was not so overwhelming.

Highly recommended to those looking for a good, breezy, old-fashioned tale. Miss Buncle's Book is a breath of fresh air. Light-hearted reading with a surprising plot, a lovable but slightly insecure heroine, a realistically large cast and a satisfying denouement. I will definitely be hunting down more books by D. E. Stevenson!

Miss Fiona says I've been posting too many photos of Isabel. Fi's turn!


©2012 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery and Babble or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

14 comments:

  1. I dearly love the books written by D.E. Stevenson. I'm lucky that my library has a whole shelf of her work, and I've read quite a few over the years. But she was most prolific, and there are still lots ahead of me. Just this week I brought home The Baker's Daughter. I so enjoyed MB'B, and was delighted when Persephone came out with it. I believe they have also now published the follow-up. I didn't love it as much as the first one, but did like it.

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    1. I have a feeling my new library is just as unlikely to carry D.E. Stevenson as my old one, but I'll have to take a peek (after I get a library card)! I really didn't know a thing about her till I got this book, although I know I have a Bloomsbury book by Stevenson in one of the many boxes I haven't gotten around to unloading. So nice to know there are so many titles to look forward to! You're lucky to have such a terrific library, Nan!

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  2. Sounds like a fantastic book, and I adore that cover!

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    1. It's wonderful, Anna. I think you'd love it. The cover is great, isn't it? Kind of a cheeky look on her face. :)

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  3. This sounds like a wonderful book, Nancy. I love the cover too!

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    1. It's a pure delight, Wendy. You and Anna have reminded me that I've once again completely forgotten that I used to write my "cover thoughts". I would have said gushy things about this cover. I do love it. :)

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  4. I have heard that this is a great book, and have read other reviews that have stated that it's unforgettable, so I should probably try to get my hands on a copy soon! Very nice review today!

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    1. It's really such a delight, Heather. I hope you get your mitts on a copy, right away! Thanks! :)

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  5. I really need to find time to read this one! It sounds like such fun!

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    1. It is definitely fun, Marg. I found myself smiling a lot. I love it when a book keeps me smiling. :)

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  6. Glad you liked it! I thought it was really cute.

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    1. It is cute! The plot was more substantial than I expected, also, which is a plus. In the beginning, I was a little worried.

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  7. THis one sounds lovely! Thanks for the recommendation!

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    1. It is a pure delight, Amy. Miss Buncle Married is also excellent. Will review it, soon!

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