Expertly described and told, as one knows to expect from Bennett. Lots of the smaller characters are well drawn, as in Dickens. The plot however is a bit disparate. The legal proceedings and jeopardy, although interesting, may not be quite dramatic enough to hang the whole story on. And too many loose ends risks leaving the reader unfulfilled. Lastly, in terms of this rather downbeat impression, most of the characters suffer, lose out, or, at the least, have their deep-set expectations confounded. ( )