of the life of an upper-middle class Englishwoman living mostly in a Devon village of the 1930s, and its sequels in which the Provincial Lady buys a flat in London and travels to America. Other sequels of note are her experiences looking for war-work during the Phoney War in 1939, and her experiences as a tourist in the Soviet Union."Notice, and am gratified by, large clump of crocuses near the front gate. Should like to make whimsical and charming reference to these and try to fancy myself as 'Elizabeth of the German Garden', but am interrupted by Cook, saying that the Fish is here, but he's only bought cod and haddock, and the haddock doesn't smell any too fresh, so what about cod? Have often noticed that Life is like that."ReviewsGlorious, simply glorious¿DAILY TELEGRAPHShe converts the small and familiar dullness of life into laughter¿The TIMESI reread, for the nth time, E. M. Delafield's dry, caustic Diary of a Provincial Lady, and howled with laughter¿India KnightI finished the book in one sitting, leaving the children unbathed, dogs unwalked, a husband unfed, and giving alternate cries of joy and recognition throughout¿Jully CooperFrom the PublisherThe Provincial Lady has a nice house, a nice husband (usually asleep behind The Times) and nice children. In fact, maintaining Niceness is the Provincial Lady's goal in life - her raison d'être. She never raises her voice, rarely ventures outside Devon (why would she?), only occasionally allows herself to become vexed by the ongoing servant problem, and would be truly appalled by the confessional mode that has gripped the late 20th century. The Provincial Lady, after all, is part of what made Britain great.