A long, intricate novel that reveals the emotions of a family and their varying reactions to life, which spans three generations of women. Joyce is 13 when her widowed mother takes her to live with Aunt Vera, a teacher, and Uncle Dick, a remote, unsatisfactory figure. Later, at school, she falls for a teacher, Ray, and marries him. Life is not altogether satisfactory and Ray is unfaithful. Zoe, her daughter, wants her own life without restrictions, and her daughter, Pearl, is also a rebel. This is a novel full of wit and clever observations, and one needs to follow it closely and not lose the thread. Hadley writes very well, and this is a serious look at contemporary life.
