Having enjoyed the first two books in the series, The Two Mrs. Abbotts was already on my TBR list. And when Ami from Luvtoread reviewed it, it felt like a sign that I should move the book up the list. So the next time I popped by the Central Library (which is one of the few libraries who have the books in circulation), I was delighted to find a copy of The Two Mrs. Abbotts and immediately snatched it up.

I actually read this straight after reading Great War Fashion, while on a long car ride (one of the best times to read, in my opinion) and although the two time periods are very different, the settings felt strikingly similar. The Two Mrs. Abbotts takes place during WWII, during a time of forced economy and drafts, which reminded me of what was described in Great War Fashion (this is also where I note that while I like history, it is not my strongest suit. I know the differences between the two war but this “make do” spirit seems to be present in both World Wars).

The two Mrs. Abbotts mentioned in the title are Barbara and Jerry, although to me, Barbara is clearly the star here. Since it’s been a few years since the second book, Barbara now has two children and sadly, has not gone back to writing. But there is still going to be a writer – Janetta Walters, a writer of romance novels that Arthur doesn’t quite like but who sells very well. Janetta plays a fairly major role in the story as she escapes to Wandlebury to learn more about life.

As with the second book, Miss Buncle Married, this book has quite a bit of romance. It’s not Barbara who’s trying to set people up this time, but it’s still pretty funny. The only thing I did not understand was how two of the characters fell in love when they had so little interaction! I don’t think I can say who without giving away spoilers, but the romance was one of the least plausible things in the novel.

Apart from that, I really enjoyed all the character interactions in the story! Apart from Janetta Walters, there are several new characters introduced in the book and all of them are delightful. We, sadly, do not get to see more of the interesting Marvells, but their son does play a bigger role and I chuckled to see how he’s so similar to his parents. His story was pretty interesting too; I liked that the ending was left rather ambiguous, unlike the other love story that had a very clear happy ending.

Overall, this was a really fun read. It was the perfect thing for a long car ride and although war-time England doesn’t sound very fun, it was good to be back in the world of Barbara Buncle (now Abbott). I’m going to miss this series, so if you know of similar books, please tell me!

Featured Image: Photo by Me