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Available
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Series
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Collection
Publication
Holt Rinehart Winston (1973), Edition: 1st Edition, 1st Printing
Description
Tenth May, 1934. At this moment I look up and see the Man Who Lives Next Door standing on his doorstep watching my antics, and disapproving (I feel sure) of my flowered silk dressing gown. Probably his own wife wears one of red flannel, and most certainly has never been seen leaning out of the window in it--The Awful Carrying On of Those Army People--he is thinking.Vivacious young Hester Christie tries to run her home like clockwork, as would befit the wife of British Army officer, Tim Christie. However hard Mrs. Tim strives for seamless living amidst the other army wives, she is always moving flat-out to remember groceries, rule lively children, side-step village gossip and placate her husband with bacon, eggs, toast, and marmalade. Left alone for months at a time whilst her husband is with his regiment, Mrs. Tim resolves to keep a diary of events large and small in her family life. Once pen is set to paper no affairs of the head or heart are overlooked.When a move to a new regiment in Scotland uproots the Christie family, Mrs. Tim is hurled into a whole new drama of dilemmas; from settling in with a new set whilst her husband is away, to disentangling a dear friend from an unsuitable match. Against the wild landscape of surging rivers, sheer rocks and rolling mists, who should stride into Mrs. Tim's life one day but the dashing Major Morley, hell-bent on pursuit of our charming heroine. And Hester will soon find that life holds unexpected crossroads....… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member TadAD
At the end of this story, I couldn't help thinking about a fishing fly lying on the surface of the water...the trout eyeing it, only mildly interested...getting closer...suddenly he's hooked. I was the trout; the book was the fly.
D. E. Stevenson's story of six months in the life of an Army wife
If your tastes include simple, amusing stories about the lives of agreeable people, I recommend this. There are three sequels and I'll definitely hunt the next out.
D. E. Stevenson's story of six months in the life of an Army wife
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started off pleasantly, but I thought I might prefer the previous book I had read of hers, Miss Buncle's Book. Pretty soon, however, I was picking this one up in preference to any other books I had going. Stevenson has said that the book was somewhat autobiographical but was "pepped up for story purposes." If so, she had a keen eye for her acquaintances during that period, for Mrs. Tim's diary is full of the little insights and understandings that bring all of the characters to life.If your tastes include simple, amusing stories about the lives of agreeable people, I recommend this. There are three sequels and I'll definitely hunt the next out.
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LibraryThing member Kasthu
Mrs. Tim of the Regiment is a novel about the adventures of Hester Christie, army wife and mother. The book covers a period of six months, starting with the family’s move to Scotland (and all the headaches that that entails) and culminating with a fortnight in the Highlands, during which time
Mrs. Tim was based on the diary that DE Stevenson kept; she was herself an army wife, and when she showed her diary to a friend, the friend suggested that she spruce things up and publish it. Therefore, Hester’s “voice” is very much like what DE Stevenson was like—her wit sparkles, and her characters jump off the page (even the family car has a name and personality!). As Hester says, her sense of humor is “obstreperous,”—but obstreperous in a good way! Although written 70 years ago, the novel reads as though written just yesterday—it’s that fresh and relevant even today. In some ways, Hester’s diary reminds me of Bridget Jones’s Diary, if Bridget had been a 1920s military wife…
The novel focuses on the daily, trivial things, but the climax of the book (if you can call in that} happens in June, when Hester takes Betty to the Highlands. There’s almost a magical feel to the book as Hester both intentionally and unintentionally tries to fix things. Add in the legend of two long-dead lovers and a family feud (a la Romeo and Juliet), and you’ve got the makings of a memorable holiday. Mrs. Tim of the Regiment is the first in a quartet, though the other three books are sadly out of print and ridiculously expensive to buy online. I hope Bloomsbury will get around to reprinting them soon, because Mrs. Tim of the Regiment is a wholly enjoyable book.
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Hester plays fairy godmother to a number of couples.Mrs. Tim was based on the diary that DE Stevenson kept; she was herself an army wife, and when she showed her diary to a friend, the friend suggested that she spruce things up and publish it. Therefore, Hester’s “voice” is very much like what DE Stevenson was like—her wit sparkles, and her characters jump off the page (even the family car has a name and personality!). As Hester says, her sense of humor is “obstreperous,”—but obstreperous in a good way! Although written 70 years ago, the novel reads as though written just yesterday—it’s that fresh and relevant even today. In some ways, Hester’s diary reminds me of Bridget Jones’s Diary, if Bridget had been a 1920s military wife…
The novel focuses on the daily, trivial things, but the climax of the book (if you can call in that} happens in June, when Hester takes Betty to the Highlands. There’s almost a magical feel to the book as Hester both intentionally and unintentionally tries to fix things. Add in the legend of two long-dead lovers and a family feud (a la Romeo and Juliet), and you’ve got the makings of a memorable holiday. Mrs. Tim of the Regiment is the first in a quartet, though the other three books are sadly out of print and ridiculously expensive to buy online. I hope Bloomsbury will get around to reprinting them soon, because Mrs. Tim of the Regiment is a wholly enjoyable book.
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LibraryThing member Sarahursula
This is a perfect book. Mrs Tim is just the kind of person you'd want as a friend and lovely endearing Captain Morley as a besotted and rich and glamorous admirer. And that's not to forget Captain Tim himself (very British and rather sweet), two endearing children and a nostalgic life where
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everyone seemed to have more time and Cassandra their very unreliable motor car. Bliss! Show Less
LibraryThing member Eat_Read_Knit
Mrs Tim's diary is a lovely account of life as an officer's wife in the 1930s. A fictionalised and expanded-upon version of Stevenson's own diaries, it's charming and humorous, and full of wonderful characters. Hester Christie is simultaneously very practical and switched-on, and completely
I particularly liked this style of humour:
"'I suppose you'll have no further use for us after Friday,' Guthrie says, looking up from a plate piled with bacon, and running with tomato juice. 'Once that husband of yours is here, we lesser mortals will have to take a back seat.'
I reply primly that Tim and I are old married folk, and completely inured to each other's charms.
'Look at her, mother - she's blushing,' says the dreadful man with a grin.
'I'm not blushing,' I retort indignantly. 'My skin is so fair that when I eat tomatoes they show through.'" (p. 297)
Those who enjoyed Diary of a Provincial Lady, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, Stevenson's own Miss Buncle's Book or anything by Barbara Pym should definitely track down a copy of Mrs Tim at the earliest possible moment. I really hope that the remaining Mrs Tim books are reprinted.
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oblivious to some of the undercurrents swirling around her. Her family and friends are (mostly) lovely, and her descriptions of all their (mostly) quiet, domestic adventures are most pleasing to read. I particularly liked this style of humour:
"'I suppose you'll have no further use for us after Friday,' Guthrie says, looking up from a plate piled with bacon, and running with tomato juice. 'Once that husband of yours is here, we lesser mortals will have to take a back seat.'
I reply primly that Tim and I are old married folk, and completely inured to each other's charms.
'Look at her, mother - she's blushing,' says the dreadful man with a grin.
'I'm not blushing,' I retort indignantly. 'My skin is so fair that when I eat tomatoes they show through.'" (p. 297)
Those who enjoyed Diary of a Provincial Lady, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, Stevenson's own Miss Buncle's Book or anything by Barbara Pym should definitely track down a copy of Mrs Tim at the earliest possible moment. I really hope that the remaining Mrs Tim books are reprinted.
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LibraryThing member drmarymccormack
This is such a good book- a real comfort-read. I read it because I loved Miss Buncle's Book and I wanted that same witty and easy story. I agree wholeheartedly with the previously posted reviews and there's not much I could add. The book is a good escape from the complications of modern life.
LibraryThing member etxgardener
This is the first volume in the absolutely charming series about the wife of a British Army Major as she follows her husband from posting to posting. In this first volume we meet all the characters who will play important roles in the subsequent books: Major Morley, an aristocratic officer who is
Nothing much happens in the grand scheme of things, but the story is so English (as Americans like to think of the English) and so charming that I just wanted the book to go on & on.In the end, all upsets have been amicably settled and Mr.s Tim is looking forward to being reunited with her husband and going on to her next adventure.
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clearly taken by our heroine, Hester, Mrs. Loudon, the rather gruff, but loveable Scottish widow who befriends Hester, Hester's children, Bryan & the irrespressible Betty, her ditzy friend, Grace and her faithful servant Annie.Nothing much happens in the grand scheme of things, but the story is so English (as Americans like to think of the English) and so charming that I just wanted the book to go on & on.In the end, all upsets have been amicably settled and Mr.s Tim is looking forward to being reunited with her husband and going on to her next adventure.
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LibraryThing member libbromus
I never think I'd like to go back in time to have lived in another era. That was until I read about Mrs. Tim. What I wouldn't give to be besties with this woman! Mrs. Tim is so modern and lively and droll and fun. This book, in diary form, was hilarious! Lots of clipped sentences, wry observations,
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and humorous exploits. It's a fast-paced, lively, and well-scrutinized look at one woman's life between the wars. Show Less
LibraryThing member brenzi
Absolutely delightful! I laughed out loud several times at the antics that took place in this light-hearted novel of life as a military man’s wife between the wars in Great Britain. When Hester Christie receives a journal for her birthday from her husband Tim she keeps the daily missive up to
The characters are extremely well drawn but Hester is the star here and her wise and witty pronouncements are what is important. Here, where she describes the terribly annoying Mrs. McTurk, I laughed out loud:
”Her voice is admirably suited for conversation in a railway train, its strident note can be heard with ease. Bridges leap at us with a roar, mountains peer in at the window and vanish, but above all these earsplitting noises come the strident voice in futile discourse.” (Page 170)
But Hester is not above listening to the wise Mrs. Louden:
”It’s a queer thing to me that women are always craiking for sons---it’s the daughters who stay with you and remain your own, even if they marry. It’s the daughters who lighten the darkness when you’re left alone to sit by the fire, and the days draw in, and the night gets longer and sneller, and the light has gone out of your life.” (Page 127)
Couldn’t agree with you more Mrs. Louden.
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date with detailed entries which serve as the novel’s basis and open her life to the reader’s scrutiny.The characters are extremely well drawn but Hester is the star here and her wise and witty pronouncements are what is important. Here, where she describes the terribly annoying Mrs. McTurk, I laughed out loud:
”Her voice is admirably suited for conversation in a railway train, its strident note can be heard with ease. Bridges leap at us with a roar, mountains peer in at the window and vanish, but above all these earsplitting noises come the strident voice in futile discourse.” (Page 170)
But Hester is not above listening to the wise Mrs. Louden:
”It’s a queer thing to me that women are always craiking for sons---it’s the daughters who stay with you and remain your own, even if they marry. It’s the daughters who lighten the darkness when you’re left alone to sit by the fire, and the days draw in, and the night gets longer and sneller, and the light has gone out of your life.” (Page 127)
Couldn’t agree with you more Mrs. Louden.
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Original publication date
1940
Physical description
378 p.; 7.8 inches
ISBN
0030014360 / 9780030014369