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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 show more 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." Glasgow Herald "This is not merely a war book to which cheerfulness keeps breaking in, it is a book of cheerfulness from which the war cannot be kept out . . . Major Tim's amazing escape from Dunkirk is high drama superbly handled, and her word pictures are both lifelike and lively." Manchester Evening News. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
This takes place during 1940 and is clearly set a year or two after Mrs Tim of the Regiment, even though the first half of that was first published in 1932.
In this instalment, Hester’s husband is sent to fight in France; one of her friends gives birth to twins; seventeen year old Pinkie comes to stay with Hester (I missed exactly what the connection between them is) and attracts a number of potential suitors, all of whom Pinkie insists are just friends; Hester goes to visit her brother in London.
I liked this for all the reasons I usually like Stevenson’s fiction. I really enjoyed spending time in Hester’s company and seeing her perspective of the people around her and of life during wartime.
In this instalment, Hester’s husband is sent to fight in France; one of her friends gives birth to twins; seventeen year old Pinkie comes to stay with Hester (I missed exactly what the connection between them is) and attracts a number of potential suitors, all of whom Pinkie insists are just friends; Hester goes to visit her brother in London.
I liked this for all the reasons I usually like Stevenson’s fiction. I really enjoyed spending time in Hester’s company and seeing her perspective of the people around her and of life during wartime.
Her eyes are full of tears and I realiseshow more
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.
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; and I add that my family would suffer if I became a raving lunatic.
I cannot help reflecting that Jack is a very unsettling sort of person, and very annoying at times. Jack and Grace are obviously fond of each other, and Jack is always buying Grace costly presents which he can il afford, but they are not partners – as Tim and I are – and they pull in opposite directions.That passage caught my attention because it highlighted for me I think one of the reasons I enjoy Stevenson’s stories, and one of the reasons they have stood the test of time, is the way she highly values partnership in marriage. And I think it’s interesting, this awareness that this sort of marriage is something Hester’s friend does not have and perhaps doesn’t value like Hester does…
I am aware that my child is backward for her age, for this unpleasant fact has been presented to my notice by all her teachers. It is true that we have moved about from place to place in our endeavour to follow the drum, and Betty’s education as suffered accordingly, but this is not the only reason for her backwardness; most of her reports point out that “Betty could do better if she tried,” and that “Betty should pay more attention”; and one report lamented somewhat fretfully, “Betty does not seem able to sit still!”This made me grin and reflect that there is nothing new under the sun. show less
The adventures of "Mrs. Tim" -- nickname of Hester Christie, wife of newly promoted Major Christie -- continue in this third volume, Mrs. Tim Carries On. Reading this novel was akin to being reunited with an old, dear friend after a long separation: Until you've seen each other again, you didn't realize just how much you've missed one another.
World War II has begun, although it is in very early days, and D.E. Stevenson's delightful protagonist relates her new life of war news and rumors, adjusting to a wartime economy, and separation from her beloved husband, Major Tim. Hester's life is as busy and humorous as ever, and her heart is as big as ever, amply demonstrated by her taking in a 17-year-old orphan, the sparkling, forthright and show more beautiful Pinkie, and helping out a Polish Army officer befriended by her 12-year-old son Bryan. Some of Hester's adventures deal with conditions specific to the war effort and that time: collecting gloves and things to ship to needy soldiers overseas, making substitutions due to wartime rationing, adjusting to an influx of Polish refugees, dealing with a truculent temporary servant or a supercilious Air Raid Warden, dread when Major Tim goes missing for weeks in war-torn France, and a harrowing encounter with a downed German aircraft while shooting grouse in the Scottish countryside. Some of Hester's diary entries are universal to any time and place: Who cannot sympathize with Hester's lack of patience with the whining Mamie Carter, the snobbish and cynical Stella Hardford, and the selfish and mercurial Captain Jack MacDougall? With Hester's horror when she discovers the extent of the colonel's wife's scheming manipulations? What parent hasn't been mortified when their own child, like loquacious Betty, blurts out something embarrassing before guests? Who hasn't empathizes with someone who's nursing an unrequited passion? And who hasn't been amazed at how love knows no boundary of language or culture?
A caveat: Most modern editions of Mrs Tim of the Regiment: A Novel contain not just Mrs. Tim but also the sequel, Golden Days: Further Leaves from Mrs. Tim's Journal, in the same volume. Don't make the same mistake I did and buy Golden Days when you've already read it. show less
World War II has begun, although it is in very early days, and D.E. Stevenson's delightful protagonist relates her new life of war news and rumors, adjusting to a wartime economy, and separation from her beloved husband, Major Tim. Hester's life is as busy and humorous as ever, and her heart is as big as ever, amply demonstrated by her taking in a 17-year-old orphan, the sparkling, forthright and show more beautiful Pinkie, and helping out a Polish Army officer befriended by her 12-year-old son Bryan. Some of Hester's adventures deal with conditions specific to the war effort and that time: collecting gloves and things to ship to needy soldiers overseas, making substitutions due to wartime rationing, adjusting to an influx of Polish refugees, dealing with a truculent temporary servant or a supercilious Air Raid Warden, dread when Major Tim goes missing for weeks in war-torn France, and a harrowing encounter with a downed German aircraft while shooting grouse in the Scottish countryside. Some of Hester's diary entries are universal to any time and place: Who cannot sympathize with Hester's lack of patience with the whining Mamie Carter, the snobbish and cynical Stella Hardford, and the selfish and mercurial Captain Jack MacDougall? With Hester's horror when she discovers the extent of the colonel's wife's scheming manipulations? What parent hasn't been mortified when their own child, like loquacious Betty, blurts out something embarrassing before guests? Who hasn't empathizes with someone who's nursing an unrequited passion? And who hasn't been amazed at how love knows no boundary of language or culture?
A caveat: Most modern editions of Mrs Tim of the Regiment: A Novel contain not just Mrs. Tim but also the sequel, Golden Days: Further Leaves from Mrs. Tim's Journal, in the same volume. Don't make the same mistake I did and buy Golden Days when you've already read it. show less
Mrs. Tim Carries On is the highly delightful sequel to Mrs. Tim of the Regiment, which follows the adventures of Hester Christie, wife of an Army Major. It is 1940, the war is fully underway, and Tim has been sent over to the front, leaving Hester with their two children Betty and Bryan. As Hester explains in her own way:
"I proceed to explain my own peculiar 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 service of life like a waterbeetle. In this was one can carry on and do one’s bit and remain moderately cheerful."
In her show more diary, Hester promises not to talk about the war except for the times when she worries—which, as it turns out, isn’t often. She deals primarily with the everyday life of being an officer's wife--some of it good, some of it tiring. Although the war is raging outside her little corner of England and her husband is away at war and her son is away at school, Hester always manages to remain cheerful about her situation—she even manages to retain her sense of humor through it all. I enjoyed the part of the novel where she travels to London and witnesses firsthand the air raids (there's even a brief mention of children in the subways, which ties in nicely to the book I read before this, Barbara Noble's Doreen).
However, she’s not nearly as funny in this book—maybe it’s the war-related stresses that she has to deal with. But Hester is realistic, and that’s why I like her so much, both in this book and Mrs. Tim of the Regiment. I love that she never becomes too dull about her children and their accomplishments (or lack thereof, as witnessed by Bryan and Betty’s letters home). It’s too bad that the Mrs. Tim books are out of print and therefore hard to find; they’re fantastic comfort reads. show less
"I proceed to explain my own peculiar 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 service of life like a waterbeetle. In this was one can carry on and do one’s bit and remain moderately cheerful."
In her show more diary, Hester promises not to talk about the war except for the times when she worries—which, as it turns out, isn’t often. She deals primarily with the everyday life of being an officer's wife--some of it good, some of it tiring. Although the war is raging outside her little corner of England and her husband is away at war and her son is away at school, Hester always manages to remain cheerful about her situation—she even manages to retain her sense of humor through it all. I enjoyed the part of the novel where she travels to London and witnesses firsthand the air raids (there's even a brief mention of children in the subways, which ties in nicely to the book I read before this, Barbara Noble's Doreen).
However, she’s not nearly as funny in this book—maybe it’s the war-related stresses that she has to deal with. But Hester is realistic, and that’s why I like her so much, both in this book and Mrs. Tim of the Regiment. I love that she never becomes too dull about her children and their accomplishments (or lack thereof, as witnessed by Bryan and Betty’s letters home). It’s too bad that the Mrs. Tim books are out of print and therefore hard to find; they’re fantastic comfort reads. show less
D.E. Stevenson writes so engagingly about normal everyday business, her books are comfortable and cozy without being cloyingly sweet. I;ve liked some better than others but I haven't read a bad one yet.
Knowing that the Mrs Tim books were partially based on Stevenson's own diaries - and that this one was published in 1941 - gives it an especially urgent kind of feeling. Because spoiler alert, WWII did not end until 1945. And yet as I read about Mrs Tim's day-to-day life, I felt almost as hopeful as some of the characters did that the war would be over very soon.
Knowing that the Mrs Tim books were partially based on Stevenson's own diaries - and that this one was published in 1941 - gives it an especially urgent kind of feeling. Because spoiler alert, WWII did not end until 1945. And yet as I read about Mrs Tim's day-to-day life, I felt almost as hopeful as some of the characters did that the war would be over very soon.
I came across this book browsing a display of what the library calls "forgotten book" (those that have not been checked out in a long time). As it seemed to be about one on my favorite topics - the English home front during WW II, and also in one of my favorite formats - a novel told through the protagonist's diary, I checked it out. And how very glad I am that I did. This book is absolutely delightful.
Our protagonist is Mrs. Tim (Hester) Christie, a regimental wife of an English officer who is down-to-earth, yet possessed of a kindly heart & a good sense of humor. She manages her house amid wartime shortages, volunteers at the "comforts depot," and also tries to manage the irrepressible Pinkie who arrives for an extremely extended show more visit.
Any reader of early to mid-20th Century British popular fiction will be familiar with most of the books' characters, so the read is both cozy & familiar. Plus there is Mrs. Miniverish message about WWII & Britain's courageous fight against overwhelming odds in the dark days of 1940 & 1941.
This book is not great literature, but it's the literary equivalent of an overstuffed chair in front of a roaring fire on a cold rainy day. show less
Our protagonist is Mrs. Tim (Hester) Christie, a regimental wife of an English officer who is down-to-earth, yet possessed of a kindly heart & a good sense of humor. She manages her house amid wartime shortages, volunteers at the "comforts depot," and also tries to manage the irrepressible Pinkie who arrives for an extremely extended show more visit.
Any reader of early to mid-20th Century British popular fiction will be familiar with most of the books' characters, so the read is both cozy & familiar. Plus there is Mrs. Miniverish message about WWII & Britain's courageous fight against overwhelming odds in the dark days of 1940 & 1941.
This book is not great literature, but it's the literary equivalent of an overstuffed chair in front of a roaring fire on a cold rainy day. show less
D. E. Stevenson's second volume in the series, following Mrs. Tim of the Regiment, moves the reader out of the 1930s and into the war years. Major Christie is off in France with the Expeditionary Force and Hester copes with life back on the home front, including brokering peace among the women, running soldiers' aid organizations, and German planes being forced down in their picnic field. Like its predecessor, it is based upon the author's own diaries of those years. Unlike its predecessor, it did not need to be, as she put it, "pepped up" for publication: "…but this time, there was no need to expand the story…for there was enough pep already in my diary for half a dozen books. It is all true."
I enjoyed it very much, a bit more than show more the first book, in fact. I recognize that the characters are all presented with a bit of soft-focus glamour lighting, but that wasn't uncommon in novels of that era. If you are partial to quiet stories of British life, I recommend this. show less
I enjoyed it very much, a bit more than show more the first book, in fact. I recognize that the characters are all presented with a bit of soft-focus glamour lighting, but that wasn't uncommon in novels of that era. If you are partial to quiet stories of British life, I recommend this. show less
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 show more 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. show less
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 show more 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. show less
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Author Information
62 Works 8,712 Members
D. E. (Dorothy Emily) Stevenson was born in Edinburgh, Scotland on November 18, 1892. She married Captain James Reid Peploe in 1916. She wrote over 40 books in her lifetime. Her first novel Peter West was published in 1923. Her other books include Mrs. Tim of the Regiment, Miss Buncle's Book, Miss Buncle Married, and Listening Valley. Her Mrs. Tim show more books were inspired by the diaries she kept while an army wife. She died on December 30, 1973. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Some Editions
Series
Belongs to Publisher Series
Furrowed Middlebrow (23)
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Mrs. Tim Carries On
- Original title
- Mrs. Tim Carries On: Leaves from the Diary of an Officer's Wife in the Year 1940
- Original publication date
- 1941
- People/Characters
- Hester Christie
- Important events
- World War II
- First words
- Tuesday, 27th February. Having said good-bye to Tim at the station and watched the train disappear from view I drive home in an extremely dejected condition.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)"It would be perfect!" I cry. "It would be absolutely perfect!"
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- Reviews
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- Rating
- (4.15)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 12
- ASINs
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