Miss Buncle Married by DE Stevenson

I'm a big fan of publishing companies that bring previously forgotten books back to life. Two of my favorites are Persephone Books and Greyladies.

In 2008, Persephone republished Miss Buncle's Book by DE Stevenson and I ordered it as soon as it was available. I was living in Washington DC at the time, and shortly after I received the book I learned that my grandfather, who lived in southern Missouri, had passed away. I didn't have a car so I had to take the metro to the airport at midnight to ensure that I would make my flight early the next morning. As I was preparing to leave, I decided to grab Miss Buncle's Book to keep me company during the long hours I'd have to wait. As it turned out, it was the perfect book for the situation--light enough that I could follow the storyline even with my depleted mental energy, but engaging enough that it too my mind off

So late last year when I found out that Persephone was going to publish the sequel to Miss Buncle's Book, I pre-ordered it as soon as I could. Then life got in the way and it sat on my shelf for several months. Finally this month, I decided it was the perfect candidate to get me back on track with the Books I Should Have Read by Now challenge!

Of course, as with any book I really love, I was worried that the sequel would be a disappointment. That was definitely not the case with Miss Buncle Married. At the beginning of the book, Mr. and Mrs. Abbott--the former Miss Buncle--are growing weary of the social obligations that take up much of their leisure time, so they decide that the solution is to move to another town. While Mrs. Abbott searches for a house, a lawyer's mistake causes her to learn a secret regarding three of the town's residents. Mrs. Abbott has to figure out how to help a young girl who's become a good friend without betraying the person whose mistake was responsible for her finding out the secret in the first place.

This was a really fun (and funny) book and I highly recommend it, although it should be read after Miss Buncle's Book. Apparently there's a third book called The Two Mrs. Abbotts, which I'm looking forward to reading if I can find a copy!

Also try:

If these books appeal to you, DE Stevenson has also written another series about an English military wife before World War II. These should also be read in order:

• Mrs. Tim Christie/Mrs. Tim Carries On (republished by Bloomsbury Publishing PLC as Mrs. Tim of the Regiment)
• Mrs. Tim Gets a Job
• Mrs. Tim Flies Home

The last two can be tough to find--I hope they'll be republished by someone soon--but I was able to find them at my local library. They're definitely worth it.