A 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