Miss Buncle's Book

"...the only thing I could do was to write a book, and the only kind of book I could write was about people I knew..."

Strapped for money, Barbara Buncle decides to write a book about Silverstream, the little English village where she lives, and the people who live there. She changes all their names. And hers, too. But when her book is published, people in her village soon recognize themselves in its pages. The town busybody. The vicar. The doctor's wife. The retired Colonel. And others. Some are decidedly unhappy about how they've been portrayed. Good thing they don't know that Barbara is the author. But what will happen when they find out the truth?

D.E. Stevenson has written a delightfully humorous novel of English manners reminiscent of Barbara Pym's A Few Green Leaves and Elizabeth Gaskell's Cranford. There's not a lot of action, but there is a lot of drama. And a little romance, too. I like character-driven novels, and the characters in this novel are a lot of fun. Especially plain, unremarkable (and slightly frumpy) Barbara Buncle. But my favorite part is how Barbara's little novel changes not only her, but everyone in the entire village of Silverstream. It's a great read! I liked it a lot.

Happy Reading!