Rounds out the Mrs. Tim stories in a fairly satisfying way, although to me it wasn't as good as Mrs. Tim Gets A Job. This one is set in the early 1950's, and Hester's husband Tim has a military post in Kenya. As the book opens, Hester is just flying home from a visit to see him. When she gets back to England, she rents a house and proceeds to rather enjoy a bit of solitude, though she knows she wouldn't like it for too long a period of time. Soon enough she gets involved in the stories and concerns of her neighbors and her rapidly growing children come home during school vacation. Before too long they will be full-grown adults, and it is as hard for the reader as for Hester to realize that so much time has passed.
I've enjoyed Hester's personality and wit, though to me these books just represent average D.E. Stevenson and I wouldn't necessarily recommend someone to start with them.
One thing I do really like, just as a side point, is that the characters in this series have more than a passing acquaintance with the novels of Jane Austen. In modern novels, references to Jane Austen are limited to things like the desirableness of Mr. Darcy or to Colin Firth swimming in a pond. In the Mrs. Tim books, characters refer to things about Miss Bingley, Catherine Morland from Northanger Abbey, and I forget what else, but anyway the point is that D.E. Stevenson was well-read enough to include references that are more than just surface. ( )

I read this fourth and final installment of the Mrs. Tim series in a rush, as it was overdue at the library. Each book is very similar in structure (diary entries of Mrs. Tim) and plot (Mrs. Tim fending for herself while her husband is away at a military post). As with the others, this book featured young people who face romantic entanglements and an older woman on her own. For the first time, Tony Morley's feelings for Hester were acknowledged by others, although Hester remains unaware of his love, or at least refuses to countenance the idea, as it would necessarily end their friendship. As a reader, I continued to hope Tim would get killed in a stray military skirmish, as he is an undeveloped character, whereas Tony is heroically loyal and passionate. Alas, it is not to be. ( )

How sad I am to come to the end of this short series of novels. It is 1951 & Mrs. Tim is returning to England after living with her regimental husband in Kenya and has leased a house in the village of Old Quinnings. But first she has a stopover in Rome where the ever-faithful Tony Morley, now a Brigadier General, has flown out to meet her & take her to dinner. (Note this, it turns up later)

As in the rest of the books in this series, nothing much happens, but it happens in such a charming way that you just want the book to go on & on. Mrs. Tim's children are now half-grown and ready for romances of their own and the friend she makes at the local library turns out to have a wonderful surprise waiting for her.

Much like Angela Thirkell, D.E. Stevenson gives us a picture of British life that is sadly long gone. Thank heavens her books survive so we can take a trip back in time with her & enjoy. ( )

Wonderful, quietly funny glimpse into the post-war adventures of Hester Christie and her brood. ( )