The title says it all, preparing the reader for a dash of satire and occasional domestic angst, but mostly farce.

Set in 1919 in a small town with vile weather somewhere on the Monaro – a coach ride from Cooma – this odd story concerns four women: a penniless but beautiful war widow with an equine problem; the wife of a damaged World War I returned soldier who is unwilling to admit that the manager of the family business is a crook; the housekeeper for the returned soldier and his wife, who has her own particular quest; and a young woman whose father has left her and her young twin brothers to fend for themselves.

Mix into the concoction the manager of the family store, who is lining his pockets; the mayor, who has hidden important papers on a land deal involving two of the women; and his suddenly vocal wife, who sees it as her duty to instruct the women of the district in the Restoration of Family Life at the war’s end, with lots of capital letters in her speeches.

The four women, only two of whom have any spare funds, decide to hire a man who can sort out their various problems. The only setback is that the Sydney-based foster mother of one, who must interview respondents to a newspaper advertisement, chooses the least suitable chap, won over by his Irish accent and winning ways.

The action all takes place in the little town, where the women’s stories play out in parallel while faithfully abiding by the principles of farce: lies, convoluted plots, reputations to lose, and situations that are highly exaggerated and extravagant – and therefore improbable.

It’s an odd story, but there are happy endings all round.

Reviewed by Jennifer Somerville