Miss Buncle's Book

Product Information

D.E. Stevenson is one of my favourite authors, and is placed on a very personal bookshelf with authors like Barbara Pym. Mr. Abbott could have cheated Miss Buncle quite easily if he had wanted to. Fortunately for her, he didn’t want to. It was not his way. You make friends with the goose and treat it decently, and it continues to lay golden eggs. Having read much about writing and publishing the last few years, some of the comments on those subjects had me smiling. To her surprise, the novel is a smash. It's a good thing she wrote under a pseudonym, because the folks of Silverstream are in an uproar. But what really turns Miss Buncle's world around is this: what happens to the characters in her book starts happening to their real-life counterparts. Does life really imitate art, and can she harness that power for good? You must do as you like about it," he replied. "That's all I want--always--for you to do as you like. But, quite honestly, the book is better than the others--deeper and truer. It's a clever book."

Miss Buncle, excuse me, now Mrs. Abbott, was forced to leave her former village after her books came out because they caused such a stir. So I understand her not wanting to release another book for fear of being driven out of her new village. But no, that is not her main motivation. This book must conclude with this little piece of dialogue that annoyed me to no end: What Miss Buncle never imagined was that her wishes might be followed and she is ever so pleased that some of their lives improve (and that she can subsequently pay her bills). However she also didn't foresee that some of those with an exaggerated sense of their own dignity would want her punished! The book is original, charming and lovely - it is heart-warming and totally hilarious at the same time with superb characterisation that comes close to that of Jane Austen and I cannot give a higher praise than that. I enjoyed this book just as much as I did the first--maybe a little more, as there's a more unified plot. Miss Buncle, now Mrs. Abbott, takes it into her head to buy a run-down house in a little village so as to get away from the constant social demands of her and her husband's friends in town. She's also sworn off writing, particularly since she likes her new home and is afraid of having to move away if she publishes another book about her neighbors. But she hasn't sworn off observing, and once again we get a novel full of delightful, quirky characters and interesting interactions between them.

Publication Order of Drumberley Books

Stevenson retrata muy bien la cotidianidad de la vida rural, la tranquilidad que proyecta es sumamente deliciosa y enriquecedora. Su estilo narrativo es fluido, nada pretencioso y alberga en su lenguaje algo maravilloso que resulta adictivo. Todo un acierto para pasar un buen rato lector, amable y cargado de emociones. Miss Barbara Buncle's dividends have been cut and she is living in her village of Silverstream in a state of genteel poverty. Poor dear. She's the sort of woman, a bit frumpy and past her prime, whom no one really notices. She goes to church and to tea with the local worthies. No one pays attention to her, but Barbara is paying attention to everyone. She is quietly observant in the way many introverts are and when, in desperation, she puts pen to paper to try her hand at writing fiction, the characters who people the village of Silverstream fairly leap into her book. Barbara then has the inspired notion of adding a Pied Piper figure who, midway through her book, turns the village and its inhabitants upside down.

I've got some GR friends who are Stevenson fans, and finally, after reading this book, I feel like I really understand their love for her novels. Written in 1936 and set in about that same time, Miss Buncle's Book captures the charm of life in a small English town and the various characters who live there, with all their foibles. Esta obra se puede resumir en una sola palabra: agradable; algunos de sus personajes resultan encantadores, otros odiosos pero en general se forma una armonía única y mágica alrededor de ellos. La trama es bastante lineal y quizá previsible pero sin duda no pierde potencial y se disfruta de la misma manera.

The Miss Buncle Series in Order (3 Books)

Stevenson died in Edinburgh in 1973. [4] [7] She is buried with her husband in Moffat New Cemetery. The Amberwell books link closely to Still Glides the Stream which in turn ties in with the Sarah books, in that Will and Sarah both visit Nivennes and meet with the Delormes family, although their visits are many years apart.

Writing a book? She doesn’t think her books can be exciting - life in Silverstream is rather dull and I can only write about what I know. At least I can only write about people that I know. I can make them do things, of course. Miss Buncle spills into The Four Graces as well as Spring Magic, and her book is described in Anna and her Daughters. Celia's House inspired Listening Valley, where Celia makes a re-appearance. Readers hear of her again during Anna and Her Daughters. Anna pops up briefly in the Katherine books which link with Charlotte Fairlie (Mr. Heath the vicar makes a re-appearance this time). Later Sarah Morris ends up in Ryddelton in Sarah's Cottage to be befriended by Debbie (who made her debut in Celia's House) and to hear about Tonia ( Listening Valley) and Charlotte Fairlie. If I had a list for books that was labeled simply "charming," Miss Buncle's Book would certainly top the list. A thoroughly charming book from start to finish. When the book (Disturber of the Peace) is published, the cat is among the pigeons. And the pigeons are (some of them) pretty ruffled. Because people ignore dowdy old Barbara Buncle she has had a front row seat to all the village dramas and people fill her in on all the gossip. She doesn’t need to invent a thing, although she does produce a pied piper who gets some of her neighbours moving! Proposing marriage, threatening divorce, recognizing bad behaviour. Whatever she thinks would be in their best interest.

This started out as a 5-star book for me ( 😊 ) but then it progressively faded down to 3. 😐 Oh well, I’m glad I read it. 🙃 Kindle sale, June 1, 2021. My favorite D.E. Stevenson book! Humor-filled read in a 1930s-era English village.