Double Affair

A 'charming troupe' of Barsetshire inhabitants celebrate a spate of marriages-while one young woman bemoans her prospects-in this novel of 1950s English life (The New York Times).The locals are all talking about the upcoming wedding of the vicar of Hatch End to the much-loved Miss Merriman-in fact, the couple's friends and neighbors seem even more excited than the bride- and groom-to-be. But that's to be expected when a couple of a certain age tie the knot, because it reminds everyone that it's never too late for love. And though Edith Graham is increasingly gloomy about landing a husband, the romantic spirit of the event just might be contagious . . . 'Where Trollope would have been content to arouse a chuckle, [Thirkell] is constantly provoking us to hilarious laughter. . . . To read her is to get the feeling of knowing Barsetshire folk as well as if one had been born and bred in the county.' -Kirkus Reviews'[Thirkell's] talent for easy, light characterization does not seem to be flagging.' -The Times Literary Supplement