When Amy's husband dies on holiday in Istanbul, she is supported by the kindly but rather slovenly Martha, a young American novelist who lives in London. Upon their return to England, Amy is ungratefully reluctant to maintain their friendship, but the skeins of their existence seem inextricably linked as grief gives way to resilience and again to tragedy. Reversals of fortune and a compelling cast of characters, including Ernie, ex-sailor turned housekeeper, and Amy's wonderfully precocious granddaughters, add spice to a novel that delights even as it unveils the most uncomfortable human emotions.
From Publishers Weekly
This last novel by English novelist Taylor (1912-1975) blends gentle wit with sympathy in telling the story of a woman's adjustment to her husband's death. Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
A compassionate and devastating tale Daily Mail Jane Austen, Elizabeth Taylor, Barbara Pym, Elizabeth Bowen - soul-sisters all Anne Tyler Elizabeth Taylor had the keenest eye and ear for the pain lurking behind a genteel demeanour Paul Bailey, Guardian How deeply I envy any reader coming to her for the first time! Elizabeth Jane Howard
Description:
When Amy's husband dies on holiday in Istanbul, she is supported by the kindly but rather slovenly Martha, a young American novelist who lives in London. Upon their return to England, Amy is ungratefully reluctant to maintain their friendship, but the skeins of their existence seem inextricably linked as grief gives way to resilience and again to tragedy. Reversals of fortune and a compelling cast of characters, including Ernie, ex-sailor turned housekeeper, and Amy's wonderfully precocious granddaughters, add spice to a novel that delights even as it unveils the most uncomfortable human emotions.
From Publishers Weekly
This last novel by English novelist Taylor (1912-1975) blends gentle wit with sympathy in telling the story of a woman's adjustment to her husband's death.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
A compassionate and devastating tale Daily Mail Jane Austen, Elizabeth Taylor, Barbara Pym, Elizabeth Bowen - soul-sisters all Anne Tyler Elizabeth Taylor had the keenest eye and ear for the pain lurking behind a genteel demeanour Paul Bailey, Guardian How deeply I envy any reader coming to her for the first time! Elizabeth Jane Howard