She’s prohibited by custom from seeking gainful employment, her dividends have diminished to nearly nothing, and she isn’t sure how she is going to make it through the winter, prices for things like heat and food are so dear in 1934. Like many women of her time, she has slipped into genteel poverty. We start with our protagonist and heroine, Barbara Buncle, a spinster a bit past her prime, worried about making ends meet. No wonder it stands as one of Stevenson’s most beloved books out of a whole pile of beloved books. Stevenson books, but this book takes the prize so far. Funny, charming, and insightful, this novel reveals what happens when people see themselves through someone else’s eyes. But what really turns her world around is when events in real life start mimicking events in the book. The smashing bestseller is published under the pseudonym John Smith, which is a good thing because villagers recognize the truth. Stumped for ideas, Barbara draws inspiration from fellow residents of her quaint English village, writing a revealing novel that features the townsfolk as characters.

Times are harsh, and Barbara’s bank account has seen better days. The 1938 Club: The Baker's Daughter by D.The 1938 Club: National Provincial by Lettice Cooper.Naturally, one thing leads to another, and Sue finds herself falling in love with the reclusive artist. Darnay, and stays on to keep house for him and keep him from starving, as he's so absorbed in his work. Darnay suddenly does a runner back to London, Sue takes pity on Mr. Sue, bored with her dull life, is intrigued by the idea of an artist, jumps at the chance and agrees to take on the job. Darnay, wife of an artist who's just left glamorous London rented a cottage so he can paint in the wilds of Scotland. One day, while visiting her grandmother at the shop, a customer has an unusual request - not just groceries, but an actual cook. Her late mother's parents own a successful grocery shop and would love for Sue to come and live with them, as she doesn't much get along with her stepmother. The setup: set in the 1930s, Sue Pringle is in her early 20s, living with her stepmother, younger brother, and curmudgeonly father, the baker, in a small town in Scotland.

Miss Buncle's Book by D.E. Stevenson