[Miss Buncle’s Book]: A Review

Happy Fall Y’all!

Hope you are enjoying cooler weather and changing leaves. I love this time of year!

I am excited to share my review of Miss Buncle’s Book by D. E. Stevenson. This book was recommended by one of my favorite bookish people — Sara at The Read Aloud Revival. She included this book as part of her recent list for moms to jump start our individual reading lives.She always has fantastic recommendations and this was no different!

This book is so delightful! I just loved the language, the setting, the characters, everything!

9781402270826

Book Summary: “Barbara Buncle is in a bind. Times are harsh, and Barbara’s bank account has seen better days. Stumped for ideas, Barbara draws inspiration from fello residents of her quaint English village, writing a revealing novel that features the townsfolk as characters. The smashing bestseller is published under the pseudonym John Smith, which is a good thing because villagers recognize the truth. But what really turns her world around is when events in real life start mimicking events in the book. Funny, charming, and insightful, this novel reveals what happens when people see themselves through someone else’s eyes.”

Barbara Buncle herself is delightful and her descriptions of her English village are equally so. The English village setting is nostalgic and so much fun. It feels so authentic and I wished I was there in the fields and cottages. Loved the description of the homes and people and weather. It was so British! You just can’t help but cheer for Barbara Buncle. She’s a bit quirky, very clever, and easy to love. The clever ways she tries to make her life better were so fun. I love that she just wrote a book about what she knows and is surprised by how much people care about it. I love her transformation into Elizabeth Wade’s character. It was fun to see her writing process and how she describes people and the world. I enjoyed reading her writing and seeing how she defends herself and others. The connections she makes with other townspeople–both positive and negative– are clever and fun.

The characters are so much fun and so distinct. We have Mrs Featherstone Hogg who wants a certain public persona and wants to dictate everyone’s opinions on everything. We have Sally, naive yet worldly, who says what she thinks and surprises us in fun ways. We have John Walker the doctor and his wife who is one of my favorite characters. She sees so much of others characters and is both clever and wise. He is a classic country doctor who cares about his patients and even more about his wife. I enjoyed the vicar and his naive poverty experiment. And the different women that seek to get close to him–for money or for pleasure. And I loved Barbara’s maid who was more like family. She is such a fun personality and a support to Barbara. And I enjoyed the budding relationship between Barbara and her publisher. Seeing him see Silverstream and Barbara in different ways as the story continued was a joy!

The story is not complicated but it is so clever. The premise is simple — Barbara writes a book about her town that becomes widely successful. Then things start to happen in real life just like in the book. I enjoyed seeing how things happen in Silverstream much like in Copperfield. And seeing the characters change and interact because of their experiences reading the book. The connections are sometimes subtle. I think reading this again would allow me to see even more of the clever connections between reality and the story. It’s a delight to see the crazy things that begin to happen like spontaneous marriages, town meetings, kidnapping and even a sequel. I often laughed out loud at the banter and was surprised by several of the twists and turns. The ending is such a delightful way to bring it all together!

This is a great novel to curl up with at the end of a busy day. It’s so enjoyable. I loved the characters, the charming English village, and the clever plot. The word that keeps coming to mind is delightful!