"The Four Graces" by D.E. Stevenson (re-read)

My D.E. Stevenson fan group just finished our chapter-by-chapter group reading & discussion of "The Four Graces" (first published in 1946) -- a book I've read twice before:  once in 2015, shortly after I joined the group (reviewed here), and a re-read on my own before we began our group readalong (reviewed here). It's tangentially related to Stevenson's three Miss Buncle books, with the same setting and some of the same characters in supporting roles.  (It's not necessary to have read these books first, but you will probably enjoy and appreciate "The Four Graces" more if you have.)  

The book is set in the British home front during the Second World War, and focuses on the four Grace sisters, daughters of the widowed vicar of Chevis Green: Elizabeth (Liz), Sarah (Sal), Matilda (Tilly), and Adeline (Addie).  Their cozy life together is disrupted by the arrivals of archeologist William Single, who is boarding with them while exploring the ruins of a Roman fort;  Roderick Herd, a soldier based at a nearby encampment, and the girls' Aunt Rona, whose late husband was the girls' mother's brother, and who has been bombed out of her home in London.  

The book is dated in some respects, and there are a few ALI/CNBC triggers (see my previous reviews for details -- links above).  But, as I said in my review from earlier this year, "I love the easy camaraderie among the four sisters, their loving relationship with their gentle father, the quiet strength of William, and the insights into everyday life on the homefront during the war."  The more I read/re-read this book, the more I appreciate it. It now ranks among my DES favourites.  Like most of her books, it's a wonderful "comfort" read, best enjoyed with a cup of tea in your other hand.  :)  

My previous readings of this book rated it a 4-star read (on both Goodreads and StoryGraph);  that rating still stands.   2

This was Book #8 read to date in 2026 (and Book # finished in April), bringing me to 20% of  my 2026 Goodreads Reading Challenge goal of 40 books. I am (for the moment, anyway...!) 4 books behind pace to meet my goal.  :(  You can find reviews of all my books read to date in 2026 tagged as "2026 books."