"The Two Mrs. Abbotts" by D.E. Stevenson (re-read)

After recently (re)reading two early D.E. Stevenson novels with my DES fan group -- "Miss Buncle's Book" and "Miss Buncle Married" (most recent reviews here and here, respectively) -- it was only natural that we should segue into the third novel of the Miss Buncle trilogy for our next read: The Two Mrs. Abbotts (TTMA -- first published in 1943). As usual, I read through the book (most of it, anyway!) in advance of our group's chapter-by-chapter reading & discussion, which began Aug. 4th. 

There was a LOT I'd forgotten about this book in the 10 years since I originally read it, not long after I joined the group in 2014 (a story told in this post from 2015). (My original 2015 review of TTMA here). 

"The Two Mrs. Abbotts" takes place about seven years after the events of "Miss Buncle Married," which ended with King George V's Silver Jubilee celebrations in 1935 -- during which (**MILD SPOILER/ALI /CNBC TRIGGER ALERT!**) Barbara announces she's going to have a baby. 

It's seven years later, Britain is at war, and Barbara is now the mother of two small children -- Simon (whom I remembered) and Fay (whom I did not!) -- and her own childhood nanny turned housekeeper, Dorcas, now looks after them. A visit from her old friend from Silverstream, Sarah Walker, the doctor's wife, whom we first met in "Miss Buncle's Book," is a particular delight. 

Much of this book, however, focuses on the "other" Mrs. Abbott -- Barbara's niece-by-marriage Jeronina "Jerry" Cobbe Abbott, whose husband (Arthur Abbott's nephew) Sam is fighting in Egypt -- and her brother, Archie, who inherited the Chevis Place estate from his elderly aunt at the conclusion of the last book. In Sam's absence, with the help of her loyal former governess Miss Marks (Markie), Jerry has turned her home, Ganthorne Lodge, into a place where locally stationed soldiers can hang out. She's also rented a cottage on her property to the commander, Colonel Melton, and his daughter, Melanie (yes -- Melanie Melton!  lol) and trying to matchmake Melanie with Archie.  She also takes in a mysterious paid guest, Miss Jane Watt; as well as Elmie, a runaway girl from the city who previously spent time at Ganthorne as an evacuee. 

I remembered Jerry returned in this book (it IS called "The Two Mrs. Abbotts," after all..!), but not how prominently her brother Archie figures in the plot. And while the character of romance novelist Janetta Walters is somewhat infamous among DESsies (DES fans), and makes recurring appearances/mentions in several of her other books, I'd forgotten that she plays such a prominent role in the plot here.  

Overall, the book provides a fascinating contemporary glimpse into home life in wartime Britain, with descriptions of Red Cross speakers and charity bazaars, evacuees, billets, blackout curtains, shortages and rationing (which leads to some interesting culinary experiments) -- and even rumours of German spies lurking in the nearby woods. I will admit I found Markie's obsession with cephalism (the study of people's heads or skulls), a little bizarre -- but apparently it was a "thing" back in the day...! -- and Markie is a gem (and possibly the true star of the book!).    

I was not on Goodreads when I first read this book in 2015, but I logged it retroactively and assigned it a 4-star rating. This time around, I'm giving it 3.5 stars on StoryGraph, rounded up to 4 stars (after some thought) on Goodreads. 

I'll count this as a(nother) re-read when our group finishes its discussion in mid-October. 

Previous DES-related posts and reviews  here. 

This was Book #22 read to date in 2025 (and Book #1 finished in August), bringing me to 49% of  my 2025 Goodreads Reading Challenge goal of 45 books. I am (for the moment, anyway...!) 4 books behind  schedule to meet my goal.  :)  You can find reviews of all my books read to date in 2025 tagged as "2025 books."