We talk often about books which make us laugh, less so about the ones which put a big smile on the reader's face, but they are no less valuable, especially in periods of uncertainty and stress, so here's to D.E. Stevenson for Miss Buncle's Book - a re-read that has given me great pleasure and switched on that smile.
With that novel polished off (though I may return to Miss B in the shape of Miss Buncle Married before long), I've picked up Our Uninvited Guests: The Secret Lives of Britain's Country Houses 1939-1945 by Julie Summers and found this excerpt from the introduction which could almost have been written with the current strange times in mind:
"A new kind of normality had to be established at a time of uncertainty and upheaval when no one really knew the rules, not even the government. And in planning for this uncertain future, the government realised that the civilian population would need to be taken into consideration in a way it had not in previous wars."
The book is about the requisitioning of houses during the War, whether as military training establishments, to house the secret services and government offices, or to take in the sick, elderly and vulnerable. "The juxtaposition of splendour and opulence with the everyday activities of people whose needs were at odds with their new surroundings is at the heart of this book. This thought-provoking and evocative narrative captures a crucial period in the social history of Britain."
