Miss Buncle's Book

Miss Buncle's Book by Dorothy Emily Stevenson

Book 43 of 100 for the 100+ Reading Challenge
Book 23 of 25 for the Support Your Local Library Challenge

rating: 4 of 5 stars

If you haven't checked out Jeanette's blog at A Comfy Chair and a Good Book, I highly recommend you do. She recommended Miss Buncle's Book about two months ago and it really was a delightful find. Originally published in 1934, Miss Buncle's Book was re-released last year by Persephone Books. My library had an old copy in the stacks that was printed in the 1960s, and even though some of the pages were a little grody, I was happy to get my hands on it.

Miss Buncle is a middle-aged woman living in the village of Silverstream. As her financial situation is becoming somewhat dire, she decides to write a book to bring in some money. The problem is, according to Miss Buncle, she has very little imagination. So, she writes about what she knows--all of the people who live in her village. Silverstream becomes Copperfield and the characters assume names somehow related to their own. I think my favorite was Mr. Fortnum who becomes Mr. Mason. When the book hits the shelves under the pseudonym of John Smith and the residents start recognizing themselves with all their faults and idiosyncracies in the writing, the village is turned upside down as the residents try to discover who wrote it.

Reminiscent of Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, this is a perfectly charming book from the first page to the last and is definitely worth tracking down a copy. There is a sequel called Miss Buncle Married, which is actually combined with my copy of Miss Buncle's Book. So, hopefully I'll get to it before I have to take it back to the library!