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Friday, May 1, 2009

What Ya Readin': Miss Buncle's Book

I can not heap sufficient praise upon Miss Buncle's Book. I rarely sit down and read a book through these days, but that is precisely what I did with Miss Buncle's Book. Miss Buncle's Book was belatedly added to the list of Persephone books I wanted for my birthday. My birthday treat was going to Persephone's shop to purchase some of the books I have been coveting for a while.

Miss Buncle is dealing with declining returns from her investments and must find a new source of income. She decides to write a book. She bases it on her experience of village life with very clear characterisations of a number of her villages dominant personas.

Upon publication there are ructions in the village as people take offence at how they are portrayed. They are determined to unclover the writer - but Miss Buncle is too innocuous to be suspected. The extremes the villagers go to to get a confession are hillarious.

Please, please get a copy if you can. Yvonne was in raptures too! And, she brought to my attention that Bloomsbury are republishing Mrs Tim of the Regiment later in the year. I can't wait.