Elizabeth Jane Howard is good at showing the understatedness of (English) characters. But this novel didn’t grip me, I got halfway through, read two other books, and then finished it to tidy my book pile.

Howard is good on the minutiae of domestic life, though I personally find writing about what is dished up for dinner makes for dull reading. There was something very beige about the characters of the married couple, so that I hoped for more details on Ariadne-the-cat and her kittens (and perhaps Howard nails how indulgent those of us who share our lives with pets are).

A good character study of Arabella, the poor-little-rich-girl who looks for belonging wherever she goes and leaves unwanted devastation in her wake.

Finely observed, but not a page-turner for me. ( )

Ah, enfin un Jane Howard traduit en français . Le problème: je ne sais absolument pas auquel de ses livres anglais il correspond, donc, je n'en pense rien! (Chez Rivages)