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Mrs. Tim #3
Mrs. Tim Carries On
"There is so much War News in News Bulletins, in Newspapers, and so much talk about the war that I do not intend to write about it in my diary. Indeed my diary is a sort of escape from the war . . . though it is almost impossible to escape from the anxieties which it brings."
Bestselling author D.E. Stevenson’s charming fictional alter-ego, Hester Christie—or “Mrs. Tim” as she is affectionately known to friends of her military husband—was first introduced to readers in Mrs. Tim of the Regiment , published in 1932. In 1941, Stevenson brought Mrs. Tim back in this delightful sequel, to lift spirits and boost morale in the early days of World War II.
With her husband stationed in France, Hester finds plenty to keep her busy on the Home Front. From her first air raid and a harrowing but hilarious false alarm about a German invasion, to volunteering at the regiment’s “Comforts Depot,” guiding the romantic destinies of her pretty houseguest and an injured soldier, and making a flying visit to a blacked-out, slightly bedraggled London with its fighting spirit intact, Mrs. Tim does indeed carry on—in inimitable style.
Mrs. Tim returns in two subsequent novels, Mrs. Tim Gets a Job (1947) and Mrs. Tim Flies Home (1952), all back in print for the first time in decades from Furrowed Middlebrow and Dean Street Press.
This new edition features an introduction by Alexander McCall Smith. “She admirably preserves her lightness of touch, with a tinge of melancholy added, which perfectly suits the mood of 1940.”
Bestselling author D.E. Stevenson’s charming fictional alter-ego, Hester Christie—or “Mrs. Tim” as she is affectionately known to friends of her military husband—was first introduced to readers in Mrs. Tim of the Regiment , published in 1932. In 1941, Stevenson brought Mrs. Tim back in this delightful sequel, to lift spirits and boost morale in the early days of World War II.
With her husband stationed in France, Hester finds plenty to keep her busy on the Home Front. From her first air raid and a harrowing but hilarious false alarm about a German invasion, to volunteering at the regiment’s “Comforts Depot,” guiding the romantic destinies of her pretty houseguest and an injured soldier, and making a flying visit to a blacked-out, slightly bedraggled London with its fighting spirit intact, Mrs. Tim does indeed carry on—in inimitable style.
Mrs. Tim returns in two subsequent novels, Mrs. Tim Gets a Job (1947) and Mrs. Tim Flies Home (1952), all back in print for the first time in decades from Furrowed Middlebrow and Dean Street Press.
This new edition features an introduction by Alexander McCall Smith. “She admirably preserves her lightness of touch, with a tinge of melancholy added, which perfectly suits the mood of 1940.”
255 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1941
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525 people want to read
About the author
D.E. Stevenson
67 books631 followersThere is more than one author with this name
Dorothy Emily Stevenson was a best-selling Scottish author. She published more than 40 romantic novels over a period of more than 40 years. Her father was a cousin of Robert Louis Stevenson.
D.E. Stevenson had an enormously successful writing career: between 1923 and 1970, four million copies of her books were sold in Britain and three million in the States. Like E.F. Benson, Ann Bridge, O. Douglas or Dorothy L. Sayers (to name but a few) her books are funny, intensely readable, engaging and dependable.
Dorothy Emily Stevenson was a best-selling Scottish author. She published more than 40 romantic novels over a period of more than 40 years. Her father was a cousin of Robert Louis Stevenson.
D.E. Stevenson had an enormously successful writing career: between 1923 and 1970, four million copies of her books were sold in Britain and three million in the States. Like E.F. Benson, Ann Bridge, O. Douglas or Dorothy L. Sayers (to name but a few) her books are funny, intensely readable, engaging and dependable.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews
December 12, 2020
I loved this book. I've only read one D.E. Stevenson book before, Miss Buncle's Book which I also enjoyed.
It's written in diary form and there's not a great deal of plot but it meanders comfortably on with Mrs Tim's daily life as an army wife in the the mid 1930s with an interlude in Scotland, and various antics when she spends two weeks in the Highlands with her new found friend Mrs Loudon.
I found it interesting that Mrs Tim's husband, Tim Christie, is rather a shadowy figure who doesn't feature in the story a great deal. In fact we get to know Hester's friend Tony Morley a lot better, and I was intrigued as to whether there was ever any 'talk' about her friendship with him as she often went out with him unchaperoned in informal settings. He was smitten with her, but she appeared to be oblivious to this and his behaviour was never inappropriate towards her so there is no question of impropriety.
There were also lots of little examples of the correct etiquette of the time which I found fascinating, such as leaving cards when calling and inappropriate topics for the dinner table.
I'm looking forward to more encounters with Mrs Tim.
It's written in diary form and there's not a great deal of plot but it meanders comfortably on with Mrs Tim's daily life as an army wife in the the mid 1930s with an interlude in Scotland, and various antics when she spends two weeks in the Highlands with her new found friend Mrs Loudon.
I found it interesting that Mrs Tim's husband, Tim Christie, is rather a shadowy figure who doesn't feature in the story a great deal. In fact we get to know Hester's friend Tony Morley a lot better, and I was intrigued as to whether there was ever any 'talk' about her friendship with him as she often went out with him unchaperoned in informal settings. He was smitten with her, but she appeared to be oblivious to this and his behaviour was never inappropriate towards her so there is no question of impropriety.
There were also lots of little examples of the correct etiquette of the time which I found fascinating, such as leaving cards when calling and inappropriate topics for the dinner table.
I'm looking forward to more encounters with Mrs Tim.
July 17, 2019
“I don’t like sugar in stories nor in tea.”
I’ve enjoyed other of Stevenson’s books - Miss Buncle’s Book, Katherine Wentworth and Spring Magic - but this one was something else. Perhaps it was the lovable perfection of its narrator/protagonist, perhaps it was the World War II setting (written in ‘real time’ as Stevenson published this book in 1941), but somehow it combined the charming qualities of Stevenson’s other writing with proper emotional depth. Stevenson has such a gift for characterisation and dialogue, and all of her characters (attractive, comic and dull) are vivid on the page. (And there are an awful lot of characters in this book. At times I definitely regretted not reading its prequel Mrs. Tim of the Regiment before this one, although it’s not strictly necessary.). There are some wonderful set pieces in this book and I have no doubt that Stevenson gives a wholly accurate glimpse into both Army and village life in 1940s Scotland.
What I really love about this book, though, is the way that Stevenson gracefully puts her finger on things: she has a real gift for the well-turned phrase and the perfectly apt analogy. Whether she is comparing the Regiment to a circus, or musing on the marriage of friends - ”they are not partners - as Tim and I are - and they pull in opposite directions” - she combines gentle humour and truthfulness to good effect.
In the second half of the book, as the war gets closer and closer to home - her husband Tim has a near-miraculous escape from France, and she experiences the London Blitz - Hester’s descriptions expand to include not just her family and the Scottish village of Dunford but all of the British citizenry. As the British hunker down for a long war, they begin to experiences themselves - and courage - in a different way. As Aunt Posy confides in Hester: ”We are all soldiers now . . . I have seen a great many soldiers in my time and they are cheerful people; they don’t trouble about the past or the future, but just do their jobs.” When Hester visits London she becomes aware of an enjoyment in being in ”the thick of things.” “I am enjoying the feeling of kinship which unites the whole population of London into one vast family, so that the Queen and the flower woman at the corner are both my sisters.”
London, and all of the UK, feels so divided and angry at this present moment. I suppose that is partly why reading this historical novel of a finer, better hour was such a touching and poignant experience.
I’ve enjoyed other of Stevenson’s books - Miss Buncle’s Book, Katherine Wentworth and Spring Magic - but this one was something else. Perhaps it was the lovable perfection of its narrator/protagonist, perhaps it was the World War II setting (written in ‘real time’ as Stevenson published this book in 1941), but somehow it combined the charming qualities of Stevenson’s other writing with proper emotional depth. Stevenson has such a gift for characterisation and dialogue, and all of her characters (attractive, comic and dull) are vivid on the page. (And there are an awful lot of characters in this book. At times I definitely regretted not reading its prequel Mrs. Tim of the Regiment before this one, although it’s not strictly necessary.). There are some wonderful set pieces in this book and I have no doubt that Stevenson gives a wholly accurate glimpse into both Army and village life in 1940s Scotland.
What I really love about this book, though, is the way that Stevenson gracefully puts her finger on things: she has a real gift for the well-turned phrase and the perfectly apt analogy. Whether she is comparing the Regiment to a circus, or musing on the marriage of friends - ”they are not partners - as Tim and I are - and they pull in opposite directions” - she combines gentle humour and truthfulness to good effect.
In the second half of the book, as the war gets closer and closer to home - her husband Tim has a near-miraculous escape from France, and she experiences the London Blitz - Hester’s descriptions expand to include not just her family and the Scottish village of Dunford but all of the British citizenry. As the British hunker down for a long war, they begin to experiences themselves - and courage - in a different way. As Aunt Posy confides in Hester: ”We are all soldiers now . . . I have seen a great many soldiers in my time and they are cheerful people; they don’t trouble about the past or the future, but just do their jobs.” When Hester visits London she becomes aware of an enjoyment in being in ”the thick of things.” “I am enjoying the feeling of kinship which unites the whole population of London into one vast family, so that the Queen and the flower woman at the corner are both my sisters.”
London, and all of the UK, feels so divided and angry at this present moment. I suppose that is partly why reading this historical novel of a finer, better hour was such a touching and poignant experience.
October 6, 2020
"...and if they ever suspected that I wasn't properly grown-up inside.. well then..."
I assure her that I understand, and add that I don’t think there is a need to worry. Many people, far older than she is, have the same feeling- that same feeling they are not properly grown up inside"
Oh my. This was just perfection. I pondered over which I enjoyed more: the first or this one... and I couldn't decide. Each is so unique with its own merits. In Mrs. Tim of the Regiment, I fell in love with Hester. In Mrs. Tim Carries On, I got to know her better and also love her husband Tim. I got to get reacquainted with old familiar faces and meet some new ones. Each charming in his or her own way, with a few exceptions. But that's life, isn't it? We always have a few exceptions to the charming people in our lives, don't we?
D.E. Stevenson is so beloved by me. I cried when when Tim arrives surprisedly. Partly from relief and partly when I learned the reason Hester sees he is different. My buddy reader sent me the forward from her book which reveals much of this is taken from Stevenson's own diaries. This makes this series so much more poignant and meaningful to me. Because these people were real. They existed. And it's such a lovely thing to learn someone you enjoyed in the book, truly existed in this world.
I assure her that I understand, and add that I don’t think there is a need to worry. Many people, far older than she is, have the same feeling- that same feeling they are not properly grown up inside"
Oh my. This was just perfection. I pondered over which I enjoyed more: the first or this one... and I couldn't decide. Each is so unique with its own merits. In Mrs. Tim of the Regiment, I fell in love with Hester. In Mrs. Tim Carries On, I got to know her better and also love her husband Tim. I got to get reacquainted with old familiar faces and meet some new ones. Each charming in his or her own way, with a few exceptions. But that's life, isn't it? We always have a few exceptions to the charming people in our lives, don't we?
D.E. Stevenson is so beloved by me. I cried when when Tim arrives surprisedly. Partly from relief and partly when I learned the reason Hester sees he is different. My buddy reader sent me the forward from her book which reveals much of this is taken from Stevenson's own diaries. This makes this series so much more poignant and meaningful to me. Because these people were real. They existed. And it's such a lovely thing to learn someone you enjoyed in the book, truly existed in this world.
December 20, 2025
Dec 2025: Third read, enjoyed it more than ever. There’s no one quite like D.E. Stevenson for a dear, cozy, relatable, thoughtful, and amusing read.
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Second read:
I decided to do a reread of this. It's been 6-1/2 years since I read it. I enjoyed it a lot more than I evidently did the first time through. It's so funny in parts. There are lots of moments that easily earn a chuckle. I loved getting to revisit D.E. Stevenson's style and feel that the character of Mrs. Tim was a stand-in for how she herself experienced the challenge of being on the home front during the 1940s.
Original review follows:
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Leisurely reading that's quite enjoyable. I have to admit that not a whole lot happens in this book, although of course since it's in the middle of World War II, there is a bit of excitement over Hester's husband coming and going from the front. Still, it's mostly domestic stuff happening. The character of Pinkie (I think she's about 19) is a pleasant addition.
I feel like so far the Mrs. Tim books are the type that you could just open up right in the middle of the book and read without losing any material plot points. Since they're written in diary form, each day is kind of a plot unto itself. From what I can tell, the diary entries continue to be somewhat autobiographical, as D.E. Stevenson mentions in her introduction that she used her own diary as source material.
I really can't say that this book was gripping or enthralling, but it was gentle and relaxing, which is awfully nice sometimes.
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Second read:
I decided to do a reread of this. It's been 6-1/2 years since I read it. I enjoyed it a lot more than I evidently did the first time through. It's so funny in parts. There are lots of moments that easily earn a chuckle. I loved getting to revisit D.E. Stevenson's style and feel that the character of Mrs. Tim was a stand-in for how she herself experienced the challenge of being on the home front during the 1940s.
Original review follows:
-----------------------------------------------
Leisurely reading that's quite enjoyable. I have to admit that not a whole lot happens in this book, although of course since it's in the middle of World War II, there is a bit of excitement over Hester's husband coming and going from the front. Still, it's mostly domestic stuff happening. The character of Pinkie (I think she's about 19) is a pleasant addition.
I feel like so far the Mrs. Tim books are the type that you could just open up right in the middle of the book and read without losing any material plot points. Since they're written in diary form, each day is kind of a plot unto itself. From what I can tell, the diary entries continue to be somewhat autobiographical, as D.E. Stevenson mentions in her introduction that she used her own diary as source material.
I really can't say that this book was gripping or enthralling, but it was gentle and relaxing, which is awfully nice sometimes.
November 17, 2021
I was astonished to realize that this was first published in 1941, long before the end of WW2. The book is based on Stevenson's personal diary.
As with all D.E. Stevenson books, I love the atmosphere. Scottish, bright without being cloying, straightforward, sensible. And funny! Betty and Bryan (Hester's kids) aren't main characters, but are delightful whenever they appear.
Our heroine, Hester Christie, disdains cheap emotion (It is an American film of the worst type, with frequent close-ups and glycerine tears) but revels in the magnificence of men standing up and singing "Oh God Our Help in Ages Past" at a special service before deployment.
As with all D.E. Stevenson books, I love the atmosphere. Scottish, bright without being cloying, straightforward, sensible. And funny! Betty and Bryan (Hester's kids) aren't main characters, but are delightful whenever they appear.
Our heroine, Hester Christie, disdains cheap emotion (It is an American film of the worst type, with frequent close-ups and glycerine tears) but revels in the magnificence of men standing up and singing "Oh God Our Help in Ages Past" at a special service before deployment.
February 1, 2016
I do like the Mrs Tim books (and D. E. Stevenson's books in general) - they manage to be heart-warming and cheering without being schmaltzy.
June 16, 2018
When I pick up a DE Stevenson novel, I know I am in for a treat. I have enjoyed almost every one of her books (and she has written close to forty!) Although her novels are called 'light romances', I have found her characterization to be genuinely solid, with some historical interest often thrown in amongst wry humor.
"Mrs. Tim Carries On" is the second book in the Mrs. Tim series. Book one ("Mrs. Tim of the Regiment") introduces the character and life of Hester Christie, based on the author's own experiences as a British military wife. In the foreword, the author explains why she continued the story:
"...it was not until the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939 that I felt the urge to write another book about Hester Christie.
"Mrs. Tim Carries On" was easily written, for it it just a day-to-day account of what happened and what we did- and said and felt. The book was a comfort to me in those dark days; it helped me to carry on, and a sort of pattern emerged from the chaos."
Hester has two children, the buoyant, enthusiastic Betty and her son Bryan who is occasionally away at boarding school. This novel begins with Hester having just dropped off Tim at the train station on his embarkation for France.
"Have had several letters from Tim, and from what he says there seems to be very little fighting - except in the air - and, thank heaven, very few casualties. Have decided not to mention the war in my diary - or at least only to mention it as it affects me. Diary is to be an escape from war (if possible)."
But this resolution does not last long. When Tim doesn't return from Dunkirk and there is no confirmation of his death, Hester is left to 'carry on' with her family life as best as she can. There are other military wives in need of Hester's aid, there are tea parties with Polish refugees soldiers, and small intrigues with military families. Hester keeps busy with visits to the sick, shopping for the Barrack's Christmas party, and encouraging her friends, finding that sometimes, first impressions are not always correct:
What a curious thing it is to look at these men! They are exactly like regular soldiers who have been in the army for years. They have the same habits, they have the same faults. A year ago - or less in some cases - these men were clerks, bakers, chauffeurs and a hundred other things, but they are soldiers now. They are cheery, irresponsible, vocal and sentimental; they grumble and swear; they laugh, they swagger a little - and why shouldn't they swagger? Tony says they're tough, and I can believe it."
I don't want to give away any spoilers as you will enjoy reading this world-war-two-era novel for yourself! Many of the author's books are hard to find and out of print, but some titles have been reprinted and you can often track the others down. For myself, I find them to be light comfort reads, enjoyable and satisfying.
"News today most cheering. Roosevelt in, the Greeks doing well, and London free from air raids. I put on my coat and trip down to the Barracks, feeling on top of the world."
"Mrs. Tim Carries On" is the second book in the Mrs. Tim series. Book one ("Mrs. Tim of the Regiment") introduces the character and life of Hester Christie, based on the author's own experiences as a British military wife. In the foreword, the author explains why she continued the story:
"...it was not until the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939 that I felt the urge to write another book about Hester Christie.
"Mrs. Tim Carries On" was easily written, for it it just a day-to-day account of what happened and what we did- and said and felt. The book was a comfort to me in those dark days; it helped me to carry on, and a sort of pattern emerged from the chaos."
Hester has two children, the buoyant, enthusiastic Betty and her son Bryan who is occasionally away at boarding school. This novel begins with Hester having just dropped off Tim at the train station on his embarkation for France.
"Have had several letters from Tim, and from what he says there seems to be very little fighting - except in the air - and, thank heaven, very few casualties. Have decided not to mention the war in my diary - or at least only to mention it as it affects me. Diary is to be an escape from war (if possible)."
But this resolution does not last long. When Tim doesn't return from Dunkirk and there is no confirmation of his death, Hester is left to 'carry on' with her family life as best as she can. There are other military wives in need of Hester's aid, there are tea parties with Polish refugees soldiers, and small intrigues with military families. Hester keeps busy with visits to the sick, shopping for the Barrack's Christmas party, and encouraging her friends, finding that sometimes, first impressions are not always correct:
What a curious thing it is to look at these men! They are exactly like regular soldiers who have been in the army for years. They have the same habits, they have the same faults. A year ago - or less in some cases - these men were clerks, bakers, chauffeurs and a hundred other things, but they are soldiers now. They are cheery, irresponsible, vocal and sentimental; they grumble and swear; they laugh, they swagger a little - and why shouldn't they swagger? Tony says they're tough, and I can believe it."
I don't want to give away any spoilers as you will enjoy reading this world-war-two-era novel for yourself! Many of the author's books are hard to find and out of print, but some titles have been reprinted and you can often track the others down. For myself, I find them to be light comfort reads, enjoyable and satisfying.
"News today most cheering. Roosevelt in, the Greeks doing well, and London free from air raids. I put on my coat and trip down to the Barracks, feeling on top of the world."
July 15, 2010
This series by Stevenson is one of those series in which ALL the sequels are better than the original novel. Mrs. Tim (Hester Christie, wife of a British army officer) keeps her family going during Total War; Stevenson actually lived this, so the book is not just witty and amusing, it is often poignant and eye-opening. (I love novels about the stoic British during the War, anyway. The Brits make me happy with their dry humor and stiff upper lip. Americans look so lame next to them, when we go all crazy every time there's a whisper of terrorist danger.) There are some delicious bits in this one: I love it when Hester encounters Ermyntrude Browne-Winters, who loves to recount often embarrassing details of her previous lives:
"Yes," says Miss Browne-Winters, assuming a positively Delphian manner and drawing her long thin fingers across her eyes. "Yes, I remember it all...it is coming back clearly. I was interested in you for a time, but only in a temporal and superficial way. There has never been any Real Spiritual Bond between us."
Mrs. Benson looks a trifle alarmed (perhaps she afraid that her remarkable guest is about to define the nature of the temporal bond which existed between Alphonso X and his mother's handmaid) and she plunges into the conversation somewhat clumsily...
*loves it*
"Yes," says Miss Browne-Winters, assuming a positively Delphian manner and drawing her long thin fingers across her eyes. "Yes, I remember it all...it is coming back clearly. I was interested in you for a time, but only in a temporal and superficial way. There has never been any Real Spiritual Bond between us."
Mrs. Benson looks a trifle alarmed (perhaps she afraid that her remarkable guest is about to define the nature of the temporal bond which existed between Alphonso X and his mother's handmaid) and she plunges into the conversation somewhat clumsily...
*loves it*
January 29, 2016
I love these books - perhaps because they bring to life those sepia photos - I looked at a group of people on a grouse moor in Scotland with an old car behind them and wondered what it was like to be them. This book answers that question.
It's also full of the flavour of the author's mind. She makes me laugh. When a character is moaning about the progress of the war and saying about the British government 'We aren't told..We aren't told half...'
Mrs Tim says:
'You've been listening to Lord Haw Haw,' I tell him.
'Why shouldn't I?' Jack enquires.
'Because he's poisonous, I reply. 'He exudes venom like a rattlesnake. You wouldn't drink something that Hitler sent you in a bottle, so why do you allow him to poison you with words?'
Lord Haw Haw broadcast from Germany during World War 2, and his job was to undermine the morale of the British.
The conversation is light, and yet it contains a serious point. I do not know exactly what I think about censorship, probably that adults should trust 'the market place of ideas' and it's not up to the government to decide what's bad for me. But that doesn't mean that it's OK for anyone to watch anything, and I'm glad I don't have children or I should go mad trying to decide what they could be exposed to without harm.
29/01/16 reread with equal pleasure.
It's also full of the flavour of the author's mind. She makes me laugh. When a character is moaning about the progress of the war and saying about the British government 'We aren't told..We aren't told half...'
Mrs Tim says:
'You've been listening to Lord Haw Haw,' I tell him.
'Why shouldn't I?' Jack enquires.
'Because he's poisonous, I reply. 'He exudes venom like a rattlesnake. You wouldn't drink something that Hitler sent you in a bottle, so why do you allow him to poison you with words?'
Lord Haw Haw broadcast from Germany during World War 2, and his job was to undermine the morale of the British.
The conversation is light, and yet it contains a serious point. I do not know exactly what I think about censorship, probably that adults should trust 'the market place of ideas' and it's not up to the government to decide what's bad for me. But that doesn't mean that it's OK for anyone to watch anything, and I'm glad I don't have children or I should go mad trying to decide what they could be exposed to without harm.
29/01/16 reread with equal pleasure.
February 20, 2017
When I began reading this series by D. E. Stevenson, I had my doubts as to whether it would engage my interest. The idea of reading a book that was taken from the author's diary and that seemed to move along one day at a time wasn't particularly appealing. And the first pages of Mrs. Tim of the Regiment was difficult to get through and stick with but then the author pulled me into the story. The characters are so well drawn and the events are so well described and her ability to let you in on the humor and her private thoughts as she talks with her children, her husband, her friends and acquaintances is something you don't won't to miss. I ended up loving the first book and then found a copy of the sequel, Mrs. Tim Carries On.
Again, I was afraid it couldn't match the first one. No one could. It was too much to expect. I was wrong again and happy to say so. She doesn't repeat herself but as an officer's wife in the British Army just leading up to World War II, after the failure of Neville Chamberlain to achieve a treaty that will ensure "Peace in Our Time", gives readers real insight in to what was like for at least a segment of the British population facing war in Europe that threatens to cross the Channel and their way of life, their very existence.
One of the segments that meant most to me is when Hester's friend (Hester is Mrs. Tim, wife of Major Timothy Christie) asks her how she manages to continue being cheerful and being a calm and caring mother and friend as she always has been when her husband has just gone to France to join his regiment. That's a question for the ages, isn't it? Hester's response was that she just couldn't dwell on the seriousness of the situation but just sort of "skitter about over the surface of life like a waterbeetle". When Grace presses her and says that seems cowardly, Hester says it might be, but her family needs her to not to become a "raving lunatic" and that was the other choice. I can relate to that. It seems very real.
Throughout the story, you have the reality and the humourous moments and the people who inhabit the pages become very real. You know the history of the World War II but this brings it home to me. It confirms that while situations change as time moves on, human beings are the same. We love, laugh, fear, grieve, hope and feel anxious, worry about the future and how to fix it so that our children never have to experience anything so awful as what we have been through.
If you want to read a thoroughly enjoyable story about people who are worth your while to know, this is it. If, you are looking for a light romance novel with descriptions of what people do behind closed doors pass this one by. I loved this book and if it becomes published again in any form, paper or e-book, I will buy it. Now I'm looking for the next installment of in the life of Mrs. Tim and her family.
Again, I was afraid it couldn't match the first one. No one could. It was too much to expect. I was wrong again and happy to say so. She doesn't repeat herself but as an officer's wife in the British Army just leading up to World War II, after the failure of Neville Chamberlain to achieve a treaty that will ensure "Peace in Our Time", gives readers real insight in to what was like for at least a segment of the British population facing war in Europe that threatens to cross the Channel and their way of life, their very existence.
One of the segments that meant most to me is when Hester's friend (Hester is Mrs. Tim, wife of Major Timothy Christie) asks her how she manages to continue being cheerful and being a calm and caring mother and friend as she always has been when her husband has just gone to France to join his regiment. That's a question for the ages, isn't it? Hester's response was that she just couldn't dwell on the seriousness of the situation but just sort of "skitter about over the surface of life like a waterbeetle". When Grace presses her and says that seems cowardly, Hester says it might be, but her family needs her to not to become a "raving lunatic" and that was the other choice. I can relate to that. It seems very real.
Throughout the story, you have the reality and the humourous moments and the people who inhabit the pages become very real. You know the history of the World War II but this brings it home to me. It confirms that while situations change as time moves on, human beings are the same. We love, laugh, fear, grieve, hope and feel anxious, worry about the future and how to fix it so that our children never have to experience anything so awful as what we have been through.
If you want to read a thoroughly enjoyable story about people who are worth your while to know, this is it. If, you are looking for a light romance novel with descriptions of what people do behind closed doors pass this one by. I loved this book and if it becomes published again in any form, paper or e-book, I will buy it. Now I'm looking for the next installment of in the life of Mrs. Tim and her family.
June 25, 2019
D. E. Stevenson books are comfort reads. There is no better way to put it. They tell the story of normal, everyday people going about living their lives. Mrs. Tim Carries On is the second book in the Mrs. Tim series, which tells the story through Hester Christie's diary. We first meet the characters in Mrs. Tim of the Regiment (which I loved) and now we catch up with them again in 1940 at the beginnings of WWII. Hester's husband, Tim, is stationed in France and she is with the regiment in Scotland carrying on with life on the homefront. One of the things I love about this series is the authentic voice. D. E. Stevenson was a regimental wife herself and drew inspiration from her own diaries for these books. Hester Christie is one of my favorite fictional characters. Her voice as a mother and wife are ones I can relate to on almost every level. I love her interaction with her kids, who are so fun and very precocious, and her husband as well as her friends and others in the regiment. I'm looking forward to reading the next in the series.
March 5, 2025
It's been decades since I read these, and oh, I've enjoyed rediscovering them all over again. This one is told in diary form, and as usual the characters are well-drawn and really fun. It's set in the UK during WWII, and Tim is away in France for most of it, but the small details of the MCs life are delightful and engrossing.
It's also been helpful for me to remember that people have lived through difficult times before, when they worried for their country's survival and their children's futures, and they kept finding ways to enjoy life and keep hope alive. Very comforting right now! I'm so glad these have been rereleased for a new generation to enjoy.
It's also been helpful for me to remember that people have lived through difficult times before, when they worried for their country's survival and their children's futures, and they kept finding ways to enjoy life and keep hope alive. Very comforting right now! I'm so glad these have been rereleased for a new generation to enjoy.
December 27, 2011
I did like this one more than the first, both because I have a huge soft spot for British People Carrying On In WW2, and because there is a *little* character development here.
September 13, 2024
I'm rating it 5 stars because I enjoyed it a lot, though I'm not sure it has a coherent plot. It's in the form of a diary and that's how it reads.
I've read many books set during World War II, but I think this is one of the best for showing how ordinary Britons felt about it, that they were all pulling together, and that eventual victory was certain. This book was copyrighted in 1941, so the author could not know that the Allies would win. But her alter ego Hester is confident.
I really like Hester, Tim, their children Bryan and Betty, and their young friend Pinky. I'm so glad I have two more Mrs Tim books to enjoy rereading.
I've read many books set during World War II, but I think this is one of the best for showing how ordinary Britons felt about it, that they were all pulling together, and that eventual victory was certain. This book was copyrighted in 1941, so the author could not know that the Allies would win. But her alter ego Hester is confident.
I really like Hester, Tim, their children Bryan and Betty, and their young friend Pinky. I'm so glad I have two more Mrs Tim books to enjoy rereading.
December 6, 2019
My copy of this is one that was typed up by someone and reprinted by one of those 'print your own book!' companies and so, obviously, is almost unreadable due to the horrible font, typesetting, and missing pages. Other than that, I love this book.
June 30, 2018
Mrs. Tim does indeed carry on, though this time she is less silly and more thoughtful. There is no more of the foolish subplot with Colonel Morley where Hester appears to be too blind / naive / downright stupid to see his infatuation with her, thought he does still turn up at moments of crisis like a knight in shining armour leitmotif. Perhaps even a chaste affaire de coeur with a married woman would not sit well with the contemporary readership. In the same vein, another admirer of Hester meets his match and the Christies remain a devoted couple.
There is just the right mix of interesting people and tiresome bores amongst the characters as would be found in real life, with their quibbles and generosity, their worries and joys all combining to make them lifelike. The leads are sympathetic and we see them tested and not found wanting in the harsh circumstances of wartime England.
The war does intrude into the novel despite professed attempts to keep it at bay, and the latter part of the narrative shows the blitz in London. The details are informative and no doubt certain events really happened, and this verisimilitude lends the novel a power which lifts it above the mere domestic trivia novel Stevenson implies it will be.
There is just the right mix of interesting people and tiresome bores amongst the characters as would be found in real life, with their quibbles and generosity, their worries and joys all combining to make them lifelike. The leads are sympathetic and we see them tested and not found wanting in the harsh circumstances of wartime England.
The war does intrude into the novel despite professed attempts to keep it at bay, and the latter part of the narrative shows the blitz in London. The details are informative and no doubt certain events really happened, and this verisimilitude lends the novel a power which lifts it above the mere domestic trivia novel Stevenson implies it will be.
May 12, 2008
I have read this several times, and it's one of my D.E. Stevenson favorites. Mrs. Tim 'follows the drum'..that is her husband is in a military regiment. This book is a diary she kept during 1940 when he was serving during the war and is an amusing, accurate [albeit fictional] account of those years in England and Scotland. Her observations of people are another reason I treasure this book.
March 25, 2019
Told in a diary format, this is the third book in the voice of Mrs. Tim, the wife of an English career army officer and mother of two. The beginning of WWII finds her husband deployed to France, her son away at school, and Mrs Tim with her daughter in a rented house encountering domestic friends and foes on the home front, often with a humorous slant. I found the book disappointing compared to real life diaries like Few Eggs, No Oranges and more serious novels set at the same time such as Human Voices, Housebound, HHhH, The War that Saved Me, and Doreen, but on the plus side, Mrs Tim Carries On does provide the perspective of a career Army wife and her officer husband and gives insight into her unique way of coping:
"… I proceed to explain my own particular method of "carrying on". None of us could bear the war if we allowed ourselves to brood upon the wickedness of it and the misery it has entailed, so the only thing to do is not to allow oneself to think about it seriously, but just to skitter about on the surface of life like a water beetle. In this way one can carry on and do one's bit and remain moderately cheerful.
Grace says, "That seems rather a cowardly way of bearing things".
I agree that it may be cowardly, but it is the only way for me. it would do no good if I were to think seriously about the war, and it would do me a lot of harm..."
"… I proceed to explain my own particular method of "carrying on". None of us could bear the war if we allowed ourselves to brood upon the wickedness of it and the misery it has entailed, so the only thing to do is not to allow oneself to think about it seriously, but just to skitter about on the surface of life like a water beetle. In this way one can carry on and do one's bit and remain moderately cheerful.
Grace says, "That seems rather a cowardly way of bearing things".
I agree that it may be cowardly, but it is the only way for me. it would do no good if I were to think seriously about the war, and it would do me a lot of harm..."
November 7, 2023
Snapshots of WWII Life in Britain
This is a busy little book, filled with the everyday things that keep us going, nothing of great importance on their own, and yet of real significance because this is how we live. From day to day, doing needful things, and interacting with people as we do. What makes the book interesting is the time and place. Britain is at war, Hitler is the world’s menace, and yet, despite the decades of distance and the enormous changes in society, how normal people lived qnd coped then is oddly familiar today. We can relate, for Stevenson captures human nature in her characters, turning them through circumstances to show their colors, and we recognize the spectrum. I found details of the blitz in London to be of particular interest, and the higher degree of visiting and neighborliness throughout the story, a sadly vanished social norm. (The pre-electronic age was different, but no less full. In some ways, it seems richer than our glued-to-the-phone lives now. ) Mrs. Tim is an understandable and trustworthy narrator (the book is told as diary entries) but she never becomes really dear to the heart. Frankly, none of the characters do, and this is why I can’t give a higher rating.
This is a busy little book, filled with the everyday things that keep us going, nothing of great importance on their own, and yet of real significance because this is how we live. From day to day, doing needful things, and interacting with people as we do. What makes the book interesting is the time and place. Britain is at war, Hitler is the world’s menace, and yet, despite the decades of distance and the enormous changes in society, how normal people lived qnd coped then is oddly familiar today. We can relate, for Stevenson captures human nature in her characters, turning them through circumstances to show their colors, and we recognize the spectrum. I found details of the blitz in London to be of particular interest, and the higher degree of visiting and neighborliness throughout the story, a sadly vanished social norm. (The pre-electronic age was different, but no less full. In some ways, it seems richer than our glued-to-the-phone lives now. ) Mrs. Tim is an understandable and trustworthy narrator (the book is told as diary entries) but she never becomes really dear to the heart. Frankly, none of the characters do, and this is why I can’t give a higher rating.
September 26, 2020
2020 bk 321. I've been trying out some of the different mid-century novelists and had D. E. Stevenson suggested to me at my local library. I picked up Mrs. Tim Carries On, no realizing it was the second of a series. I will say that while reading the first might have been helpful (I've ordered it), I found this novel was easily understandable. The wife of a British Army officer, Mrs. Tim handles her household, her children, and her friends with ease, only giving in to anxiety when her husband goes missing during the retreat in France. It is then that her friends rally round to help her. A book filled with joy and quiet love.
September 25, 2021
Such a great continuation of the series. I’m glad I read the first book (it was a good introduction to the characters), but I liked this one so much better. Hester’s family is far more rounded out, especially her husband. You can understand why she loves him so much. They really do make a good team.
Since this is written as a journal, the events are very episodic in nature. There isn’t much of a plot, just life being lived (which I find refreshing in a book). I both laughed and teared up while reading this, which makes it a very Good Read indeed.
Since this is written as a journal, the events are very episodic in nature. There isn’t much of a plot, just life being lived (which I find refreshing in a book). I both laughed and teared up while reading this, which makes it a very Good Read indeed.
October 26, 2024
A delightful read. With scenes and notes taken from her own diary, D E Stevenson gives readers a realistic picture of life in Britain during WWII, and especially for those in military bases. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of this series.
April 4, 2021
I starting reading "Mrs. Tim Carries On"(book 2) having read "Mrs. Tim's Regiment"(book 1) in 2017, and as soon as I started I wanted to stop and re-read, the first book, so to refresh my memory because the characters in book 2, sounded so familiar, and I was happy I did. Morley, The Loudons, Grace and Jack McDougall and many others are in both books. Book 2, World War 2 is the setting both in the book and D. E. Stevenson's reality, as well, which truly makes this novel more fascinating. How can she truly keep the war out, when it is all around her. Again Hester keeps a diary, especially since Tim is fighting in France. Major Morley comes back as a colonel training a battalion. So many old and new characters to bring more drama to Hester's life. Pinkie, a young lady enters the picture, and brings with her a flood of admirers.
Story in short - Hester must keep her spirits up, so she can take care of herself and her family.
"There is so much War News in News Bulletins, in Newspapers, and so much talk about the war that I do not intend to write about it in my diary. Indeed my diary is a sort of escape from the war . . . though it is almost impossible to escape from the anxieties which it brings. "
"Mrs Tim of the Regiment, published in 1932. In 1941, Stevenson brought Mrs Tim back in this delightful sequel, to lift spirits and boost morale in the early days of World War II. "
The introduction by D. E. Stevenson book 1 -which happened in book 2.
"It is all true. It is true that a German plane came down on the moor in the middle of a shooting party and the two airmen were captured. It is true that German planes came down to low level in Norfolk, and elsewhere, and used machine guns to kill pedestrians on the roads. "
Hester. It’s such a sweet story.” “I don’t like sugar in stories nor in tea.”
Miss Buncle series, book 3, Janetta Walters is mentioned to Esther.
“But you’d like this,” Mamie assures me. “It’s by Janetta Walters, so you can be certain that there’s nothing nasty in it. You don’t want one of those horrid modern books lying about when you’ve got a young girl in the house, do you?”
❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌spoiler alert❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌
Last time Hester saw Tony was in the Highlands years ago. Hester is in Donford with her family and Tony is a colonel. Hester Christie has a son named Bryan who is 12 & at boarding school; her daughter Betty is younger and husband Tim is fighting in France. Tony Morley, a family friend and a commanding soldier at the base, who had retired in book 1 but the war brings him back. Hester helps out and has many friends, including Grace who just given birth to twin boys. Mrs. Benson, the colonel's wife, in book 1 does not like Grace and looks to have her husband shipped overseas before the babies are born, but is acting kindly to Grace after the twins are born, Ian and Alec. Mrs.Benson is being nice to Grace now and Hester warns Grace to beware but does not tell her about Mrs. Benson trying to send Jack to France. Guthrie is wounded in the hospital and Hester visits him; they remember the Highland visit with his mother. Mrs. Loudon is coming to stay at Donforth to see her injured son, Guthrie. Pinkie was invited to stay with Hester; she has come home from school in Paris and needs a place to stay. The strange Miss Browne Winters thinks she has lived past lives and talks a lot; Grace looks to match her with Tom Ledgard. Pinkie is pretty and draws a lot of attention but Hester is in charge of her and wants to keep her from being matched up. Pinkie is asked on a date by George Craddock but it seems Pinkie liked the over talking Bill, at the party, who she has known for years. Mrs. Loudon is waiting for Guthrie to get better before she returns home with him. Jack is upset that Betty is holding the twins and that she might drop them. Jack is not liking clerk work and is ready for active duty. Mrs. Loudon wants Hester and her kids to go back to the Highlands so Guthrie will forget about the red head nurse, she has a fear that her son will marry an undesirable. Hester and Pinkie are invited to Grace's for after dinner but Pinkie has a date, so she can not come but Bill Taylor shows up and sees she is not there; he is disappointed. Pinkie has known him for a long time and just wants to be friends. Bryan is to visit Richard in London, Richard is Hester's brother. Bryan is enjoying his visit with his uncle and thinks they must be rich, they live in the same house where Hester grew up. Lady Morley pays a visit to Hester, where Betty is outspoken but Pinkie saves the day. Annie is to be married and will have a honeymoon before returning back, the couple is to live upstairs, Bollings, her fiance is on leave. Mrs. Loudon has taken Guthrie back home. Betty is locked in the bathroom and crying, Hester looks to climb into the window but Tony Morley comes in time so Hester wont break her neck. Dunkirk has happened but Tim has not returned but Tubby tells Hester there must be a mission he is doing for why he has not come back yet. Aunt Elinor wants Pinkie to come home but she knows she is just saying that because she thinks Pinkie is a nuisance but Hester tells her she is truly wanted. Hester is dreaming and awaken by the door knocking, she hears Tim's voice and he looks so different, wearing clothes given to him by an old French woman who harbored him for weeks. Tim hears about what Tubby told Hester about Tim being left behind for a job but Tim says he was just talking. When he was helping with the retreat, his bad knee gave out, alone he sees the German come in and surrenders but his one sole guard leaves for something to eat and thinking Tim can not move, as soon as the guard is gone the old lady hides him in her house. Tim tells Bryan his adventures. Hester finally finds out the difference in Tim, Tim used to have a child like spirit and Hester had an older one but no longer he has an older one after what had occurred. Tom Legard and Ermyntrude Browne Winters are to marry. Tom is not well liked and Ermyntrude is quite mad at times. Bryan is teaching a Polish soldier English. The circus comes to Donford. Tim, George Craddock and Morley are going to Craddock's family estate and Hester and Pinkie are coming. Hester asks Pinkie about all her male friends and she tells Hester not to worry they know they are just friends; when she marries it will be someone older around 30. Symes tells Hester that he hopes after the war is over Tony will give him a job, but then his girlfriend Greta is a factor. Symes tells the girls that Tony will be off to Eygpt with his battalion. While hunting, a German plane crashes and the men capture the prisoners. Donford welcomes Polish soldiers and families. Bryan is 12 & his Polish friend is teaching him to wrestle. Bryan has learned wrestling from his Polish friend and Jack teasing Bryan, soon finds himself on his back done by a 14 year old. Bryan goes back to school but wants his mother to look after his friend for one hour every week, which Hester finally says she will every week. I was hoping Guthrie and Pinkie would be together but after the first meeting, it seemed off and the older man she would marry might be Tony. Pinkie had visited Guthrie at the hospital and they are engaged. Hester is writing to tell Mrs. Loudon to tell her her plan worked about Pinkie and Guthrie. Mrs. Guthrie sends a telegram requesting oth Pinkie and Guthrie come to Avielochan immediately. Guthrie is worried his mother will try to talk him out of marriage but he refuses to give Pinkie up. Pinkie suggests they take the next train but Guthrie will marry Pinkie no matter what. Before Tony's battalion embark a short powerful service brings clarity for the men, to defeat evil and free people. Buying Christmas toys for the children is hard becauses of the lack of funds and Betty helping has been a diaster, for it seems she wants things for herself, not thinking about the other children. Richard is going on active duty and wants his sister to see him in London before he leaves. Mrs. Loudon wants Hester to look up Mrs. Falconer and have her come stay with her at Avielochan but though it seems the old lady is quite out there, she is all there when she tells Hester her need to stay. Hester and Mary, Richard's wife were in the tobacco shop when a bomb destroyed the street outside. Uncle Joe and Aunt Posey have a plan if Tim and Hester want to live there after the war, they can manage the farm because Uncle Joe needs help and they can live in Aunt Posey's home nearby. Tim likes the idea but is unsure of Hester, but Hester likes the idea immensely.
Story in short - Hester must keep her spirits up, so she can take care of herself and her family.
"There is so much War News in News Bulletins, in Newspapers, and so much talk about the war that I do not intend to write about it in my diary. Indeed my diary is a sort of escape from the war . . . though it is almost impossible to escape from the anxieties which it brings. "
"Mrs Tim of the Regiment, published in 1932. In 1941, Stevenson brought Mrs Tim back in this delightful sequel, to lift spirits and boost morale in the early days of World War II. "
The introduction by D. E. Stevenson book 1 -which happened in book 2.
"It is all true. It is true that a German plane came down on the moor in the middle of a shooting party and the two airmen were captured. It is true that German planes came down to low level in Norfolk, and elsewhere, and used machine guns to kill pedestrians on the roads. "
Hester. It’s such a sweet story.” “I don’t like sugar in stories nor in tea.”
Miss Buncle series, book 3, Janetta Walters is mentioned to Esther.
“But you’d like this,” Mamie assures me. “It’s by Janetta Walters, so you can be certain that there’s nothing nasty in it. You don’t want one of those horrid modern books lying about when you’ve got a young girl in the house, do you?”
❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌spoiler alert❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌
Last time Hester saw Tony was in the Highlands years ago. Hester is in Donford with her family and Tony is a colonel. Hester Christie has a son named Bryan who is 12 & at boarding school; her daughter Betty is younger and husband Tim is fighting in France. Tony Morley, a family friend and a commanding soldier at the base, who had retired in book 1 but the war brings him back. Hester helps out and has many friends, including Grace who just given birth to twin boys. Mrs. Benson, the colonel's wife, in book 1 does not like Grace and looks to have her husband shipped overseas before the babies are born, but is acting kindly to Grace after the twins are born, Ian and Alec. Mrs.Benson is being nice to Grace now and Hester warns Grace to beware but does not tell her about Mrs. Benson trying to send Jack to France. Guthrie is wounded in the hospital and Hester visits him; they remember the Highland visit with his mother. Mrs. Loudon is coming to stay at Donforth to see her injured son, Guthrie. Pinkie was invited to stay with Hester; she has come home from school in Paris and needs a place to stay. The strange Miss Browne Winters thinks she has lived past lives and talks a lot; Grace looks to match her with Tom Ledgard. Pinkie is pretty and draws a lot of attention but Hester is in charge of her and wants to keep her from being matched up. Pinkie is asked on a date by George Craddock but it seems Pinkie liked the over talking Bill, at the party, who she has known for years. Mrs. Loudon is waiting for Guthrie to get better before she returns home with him. Jack is upset that Betty is holding the twins and that she might drop them. Jack is not liking clerk work and is ready for active duty. Mrs. Loudon wants Hester and her kids to go back to the Highlands so Guthrie will forget about the red head nurse, she has a fear that her son will marry an undesirable. Hester and Pinkie are invited to Grace's for after dinner but Pinkie has a date, so she can not come but Bill Taylor shows up and sees she is not there; he is disappointed. Pinkie has known him for a long time and just wants to be friends. Bryan is to visit Richard in London, Richard is Hester's brother. Bryan is enjoying his visit with his uncle and thinks they must be rich, they live in the same house where Hester grew up. Lady Morley pays a visit to Hester, where Betty is outspoken but Pinkie saves the day. Annie is to be married and will have a honeymoon before returning back, the couple is to live upstairs, Bollings, her fiance is on leave. Mrs. Loudon has taken Guthrie back home. Betty is locked in the bathroom and crying, Hester looks to climb into the window but Tony Morley comes in time so Hester wont break her neck. Dunkirk has happened but Tim has not returned but Tubby tells Hester there must be a mission he is doing for why he has not come back yet. Aunt Elinor wants Pinkie to come home but she knows she is just saying that because she thinks Pinkie is a nuisance but Hester tells her she is truly wanted. Hester is dreaming and awaken by the door knocking, she hears Tim's voice and he looks so different, wearing clothes given to him by an old French woman who harbored him for weeks. Tim hears about what Tubby told Hester about Tim being left behind for a job but Tim says he was just talking. When he was helping with the retreat, his bad knee gave out, alone he sees the German come in and surrenders but his one sole guard leaves for something to eat and thinking Tim can not move, as soon as the guard is gone the old lady hides him in her house. Tim tells Bryan his adventures. Hester finally finds out the difference in Tim, Tim used to have a child like spirit and Hester had an older one but no longer he has an older one after what had occurred. Tom Legard and Ermyntrude Browne Winters are to marry. Tom is not well liked and Ermyntrude is quite mad at times. Bryan is teaching a Polish soldier English. The circus comes to Donford. Tim, George Craddock and Morley are going to Craddock's family estate and Hester and Pinkie are coming. Hester asks Pinkie about all her male friends and she tells Hester not to worry they know they are just friends; when she marries it will be someone older around 30. Symes tells Hester that he hopes after the war is over Tony will give him a job, but then his girlfriend Greta is a factor. Symes tells the girls that Tony will be off to Eygpt with his battalion. While hunting, a German plane crashes and the men capture the prisoners. Donford welcomes Polish soldiers and families. Bryan is 12 & his Polish friend is teaching him to wrestle. Bryan has learned wrestling from his Polish friend and Jack teasing Bryan, soon finds himself on his back done by a 14 year old. Bryan goes back to school but wants his mother to look after his friend for one hour every week, which Hester finally says she will every week. I was hoping Guthrie and Pinkie would be together but after the first meeting, it seemed off and the older man she would marry might be Tony. Pinkie had visited Guthrie at the hospital and they are engaged. Hester is writing to tell Mrs. Loudon to tell her her plan worked about Pinkie and Guthrie. Mrs. Guthrie sends a telegram requesting oth Pinkie and Guthrie come to Avielochan immediately. Guthrie is worried his mother will try to talk him out of marriage but he refuses to give Pinkie up. Pinkie suggests they take the next train but Guthrie will marry Pinkie no matter what. Before Tony's battalion embark a short powerful service brings clarity for the men, to defeat evil and free people. Buying Christmas toys for the children is hard becauses of the lack of funds and Betty helping has been a diaster, for it seems she wants things for herself, not thinking about the other children. Richard is going on active duty and wants his sister to see him in London before he leaves. Mrs. Loudon wants Hester to look up Mrs. Falconer and have her come stay with her at Avielochan but though it seems the old lady is quite out there, she is all there when she tells Hester her need to stay. Hester and Mary, Richard's wife were in the tobacco shop when a bomb destroyed the street outside. Uncle Joe and Aunt Posey have a plan if Tim and Hester want to live there after the war, they can manage the farm because Uncle Joe needs help and they can live in Aunt Posey's home nearby. Tim likes the idea but is unsure of Hester, but Hester likes the idea immensely.
July 24, 2019
#DEStevensonReadalong on IG - June 2019
December 4, 2012
This is the second part of the 4-part Mrs. Tim saga. This novel written in diary format follows Hester (Mrs.Tim Christie) during the year 1940. She tries to keep the home fires burning while dealing with her anxiety about her husband, who seems to have vanished in France during the retreat to Dunkirk. She grapples with small domestic crises (rationing) and tries to find enjoyment in the small pleasures of life, such as teatime with friends. Her household is livened up by the arrival of 17-year old Pinkie, who soon sets more than one military heart aflame. Mrs. Tim's old friend Mrs. Loudon shows up again, to visit her convalescing son Guthrie. And just like in the first book of the series (Mrs. Tim of the regiment), Guthrie seems again to be on the point of falling in love with an unsuitable girl. Hester has no time to get involved in Guthrie's complicated love life, busy as she is with the wives of the other officers. A peaceful day of shooting on the moors is interrupted when a German plane comes down. Hester also spends a couple of days in London with her brother, and later on in the book she and Tim, back from France, visit an uncle.
The book is clearly written with a patriotic message of the "Keep Calm and Carry On" type. It could easily have veered into jingoism or sentiment, but I didn't feel that it did. Women carried on during WWII. Some saw their worlds shrink (less money, fewer opportunities to leave the village due to petrol shortages) whereas others saw their world expand, like the young women who left shop jobs to join the WRENS. Through it all, there were meals to be cooked, houses to be cleaned, and children to be taken care of. Small acts of daily endurance abound in this book. I found it a funny, uplifting read.
The book is clearly written with a patriotic message of the "Keep Calm and Carry On" type. It could easily have veered into jingoism or sentiment, but I didn't feel that it did. Women carried on during WWII. Some saw their worlds shrink (less money, fewer opportunities to leave the village due to petrol shortages) whereas others saw their world expand, like the young women who left shop jobs to join the WRENS. Through it all, there were meals to be cooked, houses to be cleaned, and children to be taken care of. Small acts of daily endurance abound in this book. I found it a funny, uplifting read.
November 13, 2018
A gem of a book.
Hester Christie (the Mrs Tim of the title) keeps hearth and home together with her young daughter during early World War II, coping with her officer husband away ‘somewhere in France’ and her son at boarding school.
Witty, humorous and at times poignant it is a convincing record of life in a small Scottish town for a middle class army wife. We follow Hester through most of 1940 helping with the organisation of comforts for the troops and through her first experience of an air raid, both at home and in London.
This is the second in the Mrs Tim series but can easily be read on its own.
Published in 1941 and based on DE Stevenson’s own war diaries it has the same feel as The Diary of a Provincial Lady, which is one of my favourite books, and I can see this series joining the list of my go to feel good re-reads.
I particularly enjoyed Hester’s relationship with her attractive young house guest Pinkie and all the domestic dramas with Pinkie’s romantic followers.
This is not just another war book but one I was thoroughly sorry to get to the end of.
The Furrowed Middlebrow imprint at Dean Street Press have found some excellent out of print novels, of which this is one, and I have enjoyed every one I have read so far.
Hester Christie (the Mrs Tim of the title) keeps hearth and home together with her young daughter during early World War II, coping with her officer husband away ‘somewhere in France’ and her son at boarding school.
Witty, humorous and at times poignant it is a convincing record of life in a small Scottish town for a middle class army wife. We follow Hester through most of 1940 helping with the organisation of comforts for the troops and through her first experience of an air raid, both at home and in London.
This is the second in the Mrs Tim series but can easily be read on its own.
Published in 1941 and based on DE Stevenson’s own war diaries it has the same feel as The Diary of a Provincial Lady, which is one of my favourite books, and I can see this series joining the list of my go to feel good re-reads.
I particularly enjoyed Hester’s relationship with her attractive young house guest Pinkie and all the domestic dramas with Pinkie’s romantic followers.
This is not just another war book but one I was thoroughly sorry to get to the end of.
The Furrowed Middlebrow imprint at Dean Street Press have found some excellent out of print novels, of which this is one, and I have enjoyed every one I have read so far.
July 2, 2010
Although Mrs. Tim Carries On is a little darker than its predecessor it is appropriately so; one should expect nothing less of a novel set in the midst of World War II -- and yet, Stevenson struck a balance in this story between the real life struggles, hardships, and loss with the day-to-day normality and occasional adventure that a military wife and mother to two young children might encounter. Of course there is also plenty of witty dialogue, curious characters, and even a romance between two supporting characters to add to the enjoyment of this read. Mrs. Tim does indeed "carry on" in this novel and I found it to be a delightfully witty, interesting and all around charming read.... Read more here: http://libraryhospital.blogspot.com/2...
February 11, 2011
Weak sequel to Mrs. Tim of the Regiment (or, Mrs. Tim Christie). The war is on but Mrs. Christie's life doesn't seem to change much. Mrs. Christie doesn't seem to suffer much in the way of deprivations, her faithful maid Annie stays with her (you'd think she'd want to do war work), and Mrs. Christie has all the time in the world to involve herself in other people's love affairs. This sequel just doesn't have the ring of truth about it.
November 7, 2024
Mrs. Tim Carries On is a sequel to Mrs. Tim of the Regiment. Like the first book, this is written in a diary format and based on author D. E. Stevenson’s own experiences.
Major Tim left for France during early 1940, leaving Mrs. Tim—Hester—home in a small English village with their daughter, Betty. Their son, Bryan, is away at preparatory school but comes home on holidays.
Hester writes that she decided to use her diary as an escape from war news and not mention it unless it affects her directly. So, at first she writes of old friends mentioned in the first book, amusing anecdotes of Betty, squabbles among servants, and such. She heads up the “Comfort Depot,” which involves collecting things for the soldiers and setting them out for the men to choose from.
The only mention of the war in the first part of the book has to do with shortages and an increasing number of Polish soldiers who have escaped from Hitler’s advances there. The community seems to receive them generously. Some of them can speak English or French, so they can usually find someone to communicate with.
The daughter of a friend, Pinkie, comes to stay with Hester indefinitely. Pinkie was a little girl the last time she was seen, but now is a beautiful seventeen-year-old, and several of the men fall in love with her. But she sees them only as friends.
Things turn a little somber in Part 3 when several more countries have fallen to Hitler and Hester has not heard from Tim for several months. Then in Part 4, she visits her brother in London and experiences bombs dropping in the streets and constant airplanes buzzing overhead.
There’s one odd new character, a Miss Brown Winters, who thinks she has lived several other lifetimes, mainly in ancient Egypt. Hester doesn’t believe her but finds her “interesting.”
Once again, there’s not much of an overall plot arc–the story is more just reflecting everyday life during that time.
Some of my favorite quotes:
There’s a lovely poem called “Dunkirk 1940” which Stevenson shows as coming from one of the men. It’s too long to include (but I found a copy online). It tells of the Israelites’ miracle of the Red Sea parting, and the men at Dunkirk wishing for a similar miracle, to escape on dry land. But God provided a different miracle for them: “A double miracle to set us free –
Lion-hearted men, calm sea,” and hundreds of boats of all sizes.
I enjoyed this book much more than the first one. I can’t put my finger on why. Maybe because the characters were familiar to me, or maybe because the story had more touching moments mixed in with the lighter fare..
Major Tim left for France during early 1940, leaving Mrs. Tim—Hester—home in a small English village with their daughter, Betty. Their son, Bryan, is away at preparatory school but comes home on holidays.
Hester writes that she decided to use her diary as an escape from war news and not mention it unless it affects her directly. So, at first she writes of old friends mentioned in the first book, amusing anecdotes of Betty, squabbles among servants, and such. She heads up the “Comfort Depot,” which involves collecting things for the soldiers and setting them out for the men to choose from.
The only mention of the war in the first part of the book has to do with shortages and an increasing number of Polish soldiers who have escaped from Hitler’s advances there. The community seems to receive them generously. Some of them can speak English or French, so they can usually find someone to communicate with.
The daughter of a friend, Pinkie, comes to stay with Hester indefinitely. Pinkie was a little girl the last time she was seen, but now is a beautiful seventeen-year-old, and several of the men fall in love with her. But she sees them only as friends.
Things turn a little somber in Part 3 when several more countries have fallen to Hitler and Hester has not heard from Tim for several months. Then in Part 4, she visits her brother in London and experiences bombs dropping in the streets and constant airplanes buzzing overhead.
There’s one odd new character, a Miss Brown Winters, who thinks she has lived several other lifetimes, mainly in ancient Egypt. Hester doesn’t believe her but finds her “interesting.”
Once again, there’s not much of an overall plot arc–the story is more just reflecting everyday life during that time.
Some of my favorite quotes:
[I] repair to the kitchen in a cheerful frame of mind. Cheerful feelings are soon dissipated. The kitchen is extremely warm, but the moral atmosphere is at zero. Mrs. Fraser, my large and terrifying cook, is waiting for me with a grim smile. I enquire in trembling tones whether anything has gone wrong. Mrs. Fraser replies that that depends. Having long and bitter experience of domestic catastrophes I am prepared for the worst (p. 5, Kindle version).
Her eyes are full of tears and I realise that she must be comforted, so I proceed to explain my own particular method of “carrying on”. None of us could bear the war if we allowed ourselves to brood upon the wickedness of it and the misery it has entailed, so the only thing to do is not to allow oneself to think about it seriously, but just to skitter about on the surface of life like a water beetle. In this way one can carry on and do one’s bit and remain moderately cheerful (p. 12).
“All war is awful,” says Guthrie. “It’s a wrong and horrible thing, war is, but we don’t need to worry about the rights and wrongs of war. We tried our best for peace. We tried for peace to the absolute limit of honour . . . but you can’t have peace when a pack of ravening wolves gets loose” (p. 37).
A day like this is a gift from God—or so it seems to me—and it seems all the more precious when it comes at the end of a long dark dreary winter (p. 52).
The daffodils have come in and are blowing like the bugles of Spring in the flower-shop window (p. 58).
I have the feeling that everyone in the world is asleep—but I know that it is not so. All over Europe there are people—men and women—keeping watch. There are aeroplanes, laden with death, speeding across the sky; there are sailors on the lookout; there are thousands of women like me who cannot sleep because their hearts are torn with anxiety . . . all over Europe the shadow of suffering lies. I sit and think about it, and in some strange way it is a relief to give way to misery. It does nobody any harm, for there is nobody to see. Just for a few moments I can take off the mask of cheerfulness. Just for a few moments I can allow myself to think (pp. 113-114).
I sit down on the window seat and prepare to listen, for if there is one thing I enjoy more than another it is a heart-to-heart talk with my son (p. 140).
[On visiting her childhood home] The dressing-table mirror is spotted with damp, and I am not sorry to see its degeneration, for it was never a kindly friend. It was like the friend who is in the habit of saying, “I feel it is my duty to tell you . . .” and it did its duty well. It was always candid about spots or blemishes or untidy hair. I glance into it as I pass to the window and find that its nature is not ameliorated by the passing years (pp. 215-216).
There’s a lovely poem called “Dunkirk 1940” which Stevenson shows as coming from one of the men. It’s too long to include (but I found a copy online). It tells of the Israelites’ miracle of the Red Sea parting, and the men at Dunkirk wishing for a similar miracle, to escape on dry land. But God provided a different miracle for them: “A double miracle to set us free –
Lion-hearted men, calm sea,” and hundreds of boats of all sizes.
I enjoyed this book much more than the first one. I can’t put my finger on why. Maybe because the characters were familiar to me, or maybe because the story had more touching moments mixed in with the lighter fare..
January 14, 2014
I'm so excited to finally have a complete set of my beloved Mrs. Tim books! This was the hardest one to come by and I always told myself if I could find it for 20 dollars I would get it. It was close enough. Now I'll be really mad if they finally re-issue these, but it is worth it :) .
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