Really it's between 3 and 4 stars. It would have been better if it was longer, I think, with more time developed to make the sisters stand out from each other a bit more.
This book can stand on its own, though it has extremely incidental references to a couple of characters from The Two Mrs. Abbotts. It's really not important to get the connection, though, as this book is about an entirely different family.
It's World War II, and the Graces are a family of four daughters and their father. They lead a very routine life, and they are pretty content with it. They are a clever but comfortable family. Elements of change begin to creep in, which make up the bulk of the novel. For one thing, a lodger comes to stay--an archaeologist of indeterminate age who is checking on some nearby Roman ruins. For another thing, a young officer gets acquainted with the girls, who all become immediately confused as to which one of them he is interested in. And a manipulating aunt-by-marriage moves in and makes herself at home. It's domestic drama and humor in the midst of a bigger world drama, which just has to take a back seat.
My favorite character is William Single, the archaeologist and lodger. He's physically rather clumsy and awkward, but surprisingly insightful and also very kind and humble.
It was a nice, gentle book, but it felt like little glimpses when I wanted a long look. Worth a read, though! ( )

Relaxing reread. Loved it. ( )

Stevenson ' s characters, as delightful as they are, are usually just portraits. Barbara Buncle, for instance, lives a charmed life and one can't really imagine anything seriously going wrong in her life. The only REAL person in that whole series seemed to be the Dr's wife. Which is why I was surprised when, a couple of chapters into this book, William Single calmly walked off the page in 3-dimensional form.

The novel was delightful and, as many others have said, had much in common with Little Women. I wish it had been longer but so it is. The strength was in the characters who were much more mature than some of her others but not quite as pity-full as in The Young Clementina. ( )

A happy read. I do enjoy D.E. Stevenson books. It's called the Four Graces, but it's really about 3 sisters as the 4th is out of town during much of the book. The story takes place in an idyllic English village during WWII - but the focus is on the Grace family, not the war. The story picks up where the last of the Buncle books left off. As with the 3rd book - you don't need to have read the others to read this one. You may want to hop back to the 3rd after reading this, however, as the story is alluded to briefly. ( )

In this fourth and last of the Miss Buncle series we are focused mainly on the local minister Mr. Grace and his four unwed daughters. I found this book a little slow to grab my attention, but it finally did and I enjoyed the rest of my read. I was just a little disappointed that Miss Buncle does not appear in the narrative, although she is mentioned in passing. Worth reading, especially if you enjoy other books by this author. ( )