Miss Buncle's Book is a sweet humorous tale of a shy, awkward spinster who has spent her whole life in the little village of Silverstream. She and her housekeeper, Dorcas, have survived on Miss Buncle's 'dividends.' But the dividends have been drying up due to the economy (perhaps the Great Depression?). So Miss Buncle tries to think of some way to make more money. She's torn between keeping hens or writing a book. She decides on the book and to her delight her first effort is published under the pseudonym, John Smith. But the problem is that Miss Buncle has no imagination. She has pretty much just changed the names of her fellow villagers and written about them truthfully in all their pettiness and absurdity. The book becomes a best seller and the loathsome and fearsome Mrs. Featherstone Hogg recognizes herself in it. She is determined to find out who this John Smith really is. All sorts of things happen as a result of Barbara Buncle's book. We meet many charming and eccentric villagers and wait with bated breath to see what happens when at last Miss Buncle's secret becomes known!
A really enjoyable, gentle read.
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