Miss Buncle’s Book

Title: Miss Buncle’s Book
Author: D. E. Stevenson
Series: Miss Buncle, book 1
Major Themes: Writing, Friendships, Comedy
Synopsis: When Miss Buncle writes a book to support her dwindling income, she doesn’t realize the unrest she’ll bring to her quiet English village as a consequence.

One Sunday not long ago, a friend of ours was telling Mom and me about Miss Buncle’s Book, which she and her daughter were greatly enjoying at the time. Mom went home that day, and found and borrowed a digital copy of the story. She and I both ended up reading it in close succession, and we both loved it. It’s a simple story, not one to really write home about, except that it’s got the most delightful sense of humor, and most delightful characters in it! It’s the kind of book that would be great for discussion groups, because you end up wanting to talk about all the funny (and odd) happenings in the story.

Barbara Buncle has a problem: Her dividends are returning less and less income, and in a society where women rarely go out to work, she has to do something to keep her small household running. After considering and discarding different ideas for ways to raise money, she finally decides her best bet is to write a book and try to get it published. But what can she write about? She knows she doesn’t have an imagination—so she decides she’ll have to write about what she knows, the little village of Silverstream that she’s always lived in. She changes the name, of course, and changes the people’s names, but the characters and events in her story are fairly similar to her neighbors around her. And, miracle of miracles, she finds a publisher—and her book, published under the pen name “John Smith”, becomes a bestseller! It’s the best news she’s had all year…until, that is, her neighbors start reading her book and find themselves in its pages. With some people praising the book and claiming it as one of the best satires ever, and others infuriated and trying to find some way of finding the author and making him pay, Miss Buncle realizes she’s in quite a pickle. Is there any way she can make peace with her neighbors? Was writing the book really worth the trouble, even though it’s helping her get out of a financial hole?

It’s hard to know how to describe Miss Buncle’s Book, because it isn’t the kind of story that has a super strong plot (although, it does have a plot), it isn’t a grand adventure, or a mystery, or even, really, a romance (although it does have romantic elements). It’s simply the story of a woman’s problem, her solution to the problem, and then how that affected those around her afterward. This is one of those quintessentially English stories that is just plain fun to read. The setting was delightful. I’d love to visit an English village like this one or maybe even live in one like this, although I think the gossip would be a bit disconcerting at times! The characters were deep and well-rounded; I found it slightly confusing at first, since you’re introduced to people rather quickly, but once you get to know them a little (their faults and foibles as well as their strengths), many quickly begin to feel like old friends. And the humor…it was always spot-on, perfect, and nothing was ever written to be funny, it just was funny! I rarely mark quotes in the books I read, but some of the scenes struck me as so hilarious that I took more than normal. For example, this passage from chapter 12:

“[Mrs. Featherstone Hogg] explained, somewhat incoherently, that the character of Mrs. Horsley Downs was a horrible character and not in the least like her, but that it was obviously intended for her, because it was exactly like her, and that therefore it was a libel and as such ought to be punished to the utmost rigor of the law.”

It was not the least like her…but yet it was exactly like her. Um, yeah! Right! (By the way, I love the characters’ names in this book…they really suit their personalities!) From characters who are outraged at how they are portrayed in Miss Buncle’s book, to others who are delighted by the story, to some who end up inadvertently making changes in their lives as a result of the story (you can’t miss the family that bought a granite monstrosity as a result of reading the story…trust me, it’s hilarious!), this is a multi-layered comedy that well deserves the name.

If you’re looking for a fun, lighthearted read, I’d highly recommend Miss Buncle’s Book. It isn’t a Christian book, but it’s pretty clean—it’s just a cozy story about a simple English town that got rather a good shake-up one day. Mom and I both loved reading and discussing this book, and several of my brothers have since started listening to the audio version because our conversations made them curious. They’re enjoying it, too. Recommended. (Oh, and by the way, this book was first published in 1936—I was rather surprised when I found that out, because the writing style doesn’t feel that old!)

WARNING: Drat and lawks are used in ch. 1; goodness or a variant is used in ch. 1, 9, 17, 19 (twice), 22 (five times), and 25; “by Jove” is used in ch. 2 and 11 (twice); “for mercy’s sake” is used in ch. 3 and 5; “good heavens” is used in ch. 9 (twice), 13 (twice), and 16; swore is used in ch. 11; damn is used in ch. 11 (three times), 13, and 19; blast or a variant is used in ch. 11 and 24; dashed is used in ch. 11 (three times), 13, and 26; God’s name is used wrongly in ch. 13 and 15; blessed is used in ch. 17; Lor’ is used as an exclamation in ch. 17 (twice) and 22 (three times); curse is used in ch. 20; someone says “I’m such an ass” in ch. 21; “good gracious” is used in ch. 22; and “I’m jiggered” is used in ch. 25. There is lying in ch. 10, 15, and 22. There is a mention of reading the tea leaves for fortune telling in ch. 17. A woman shows off her legs in ch. 4 (there are mentions of her doing this once or twice later on). Several times, there are references to a story of a married woman eloping. In ch. 26, there is a mention of a discontented married man going out to eat with a pretty young lady. Unmarried characters touch and/or kiss in ch. 11, 13, 15, and 25.

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