Mrs. Tim of the Regiment

One of my favorite recent reads was Miss Bunkle's Book by D. E. Stevenson.  She published Miss Bunkle in 1936, but this was not her first book.  Mrs. Tim of the Regiment was introduced in 1934, but what makes Mrs. Tim so interesting is that she is based on Dorothy Emily Stevenson herself.

Dorothy Stevenson married a British Army officer in 1916.  Throughout her married life she kept a diary of their adventures as a family in the military, so when a good friend's daughter was set to marry an officer in the Highland Regiment and wanted to know what it would be like, she lent her the diary to read.  Well, her friend howled over her exploits and begged her to publish it as a book.  Thus Mrs. Tim was born.

The first part of this book is an absolute riot!  Mrs. Tim (Stevenson) has a wicked wit and a terrific sense of humor, which she must put to use when dealing with her husband, children and army life in general.  It is published just as a diary would be, with daily installments that were taken straight from Stevenson's jottings.  I LOVED it!  The second part of the book is a little different.  In order to expand the story of Mrs. Tim, Stevenson gave her a vacation in Scotland, an unwanted suitor and a friend's family dilemma to solve.  All very sweet, but obviously NOT original diary material.  I liked the first part better.

Mrs. Tim of the Regiment was a great success and was soon followed by Mrs. Tim Carries On,  Mrs. Tim Gets a Job and Mrs. Tim Flies Home.  They are filled with Stevenson's own experiences as a British Army wife during WWII.  I'm putting them on my "to read" list.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  TBC