The Two Mrs Abbotts

By: D. E. Stevenson

Narrated by: Patricia Gallimore

Length: 8 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

Mrs Abbott is flustered at the thought of putting up a lady from the Red Cross, but is happily surprised when she turns out to be an old friend from her previous life as Miss Buncle, infamous writer.

Of course, she’s now far too busy with her children to write, not to mention helping out in the lives of the villagers. And with a possible spy in their midst, evacuated families, potential love matches and a visit from a famous writer, she’s got her work cut out for her. Luckily for her, the other Mrs Abbott is around to help.

©1943 D. E. Stevenson (P)2010 Soundings

Even better than the last one!

This story had more interesting characters and historical references that made it much more involved than the first two books. Many happy endings! I enjoyed it tremendously!

Another D.E.Delight

Loved the continuing saga, with it's various characters. Fantastic performance. Gave this one a 4 instead of a 5 because I found following so many different story arcs, while amusing, didn't make for quite as much the page turner as Miss Buncle's Book. But still delightful.

More D. E. Stevenson can be nothing but good

What a delight to have yet another book by D. E. Stevenson to listen to. I loved Miss Buncle's Book and Miss Buncle Married, so it is wonderful to get to find out what happens next to Barbara Buncle Abbott and her friends and family. With any luck we can hear the rest of this story in The Four Graces, then get more Stevenson.

Just another fun DE Stevenson story.

These novels are easy reads with depth of character and no violence or over the top drama.

Very good and just as engaging as the other two

Well read and entertaining! My only comment is the somewhat unbelievable, adenoidal voice the narrator uses for Mrs Abbott’s son. It was a bit much. The others are all believable and a few characters I liked very much! I would like to sit and talk with Barbara myself!

Less plot than the first two

I thoroughly enjoyed this series. This book is my least favorite of the three just because it was almost a collection of short stories without much of a common thread between them. I would almost go so far as to say that the two Mrs. Abbotts are only secondary characters in this book, which focuses more on the people around them. It was certainly entertaining and I’m glad I listened to it, but the first two are higher up on my list.

Excellent story and characters

What did you love best about The Two Mrs Abbotts?

It's full of interesting characters, both men and women, living in England during WWII and coping with problems caused by the war, as well as trying to lead their own lives. This story includes a family who leave London during bombing raids to live in the country, but hate country life. Their personalities clash almost comically with the customs of the

Who was your favorite character and why?

The main character is a gentle woman who works tirelessly for others and eventually has her reward when she finds love (this is the main theme of most of DE Stevenson's books).

Did Patricia Gallimore do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

Ms Gallimore did distinguish the various characters, but her voice seemed a bit grating and harsh at times. And the main character had a very unpleasant voice, which was unfortunate since she narrates much of the book.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

How I spent World War II in the English countryside.

Always satisfying

I found D E Stevenson when I was in my late teens and fell immediately in love. Of course, some of the attitudes make us cringe in these days but one keeps in mind that Ms. Stevenson meant no harm but was a product of the times. The characters are beautifully drawn with all their petty foibles, both good and bad. I always wanted to be a good person and admired the high moral standards of the characters. This impacted on my teenage self and I never, ever got into any trouble. Now, 46 years later, these books never fail to make me happy. D E Stevenson is timeless. I will love her books until the day I die!

Gentle, elegantly written comedy

Go back to the England of small villages and polite manners and enjoy the highly individual humor of the Miss Abbot series. I laughed out loud a number of times, chuckled frequently, and smiled all the way through this well narrated and delightfully imagined story of English village life during World War 2.

Revisiting an old Favourite

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The narrator. She read with a trilling voice which may have been modish at that time but is somewhat irritating to a more modern reader.

What did you like best about this story?

The picture it sketches of life in Britain during WWII. It manages to remain interesting although it only deals with the daily life in a small village and how ordinary people coped with wartime shortages and stresses.

Did Patricia Gallimore do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

No. She would have done better not to try to use different voices but just to read the story with clear indication when one person stops speaking and the next one starts. Jerry has a very irritating voice and none of the others really comes out well.

Did The Two Mrs Abbotts inspire you to do anything?

They did not really inspire but their doings were soothing and reminiscent of a slower age.