Excellent Women

Set in postwar London, this novel is narrated by Mildred Lathbury, a clergyman's daughter who expects to be useful rather than chosen. She lives near a decaying church, helps with jumble sales and the vicar's household, and is drawn into the marriage of her new neighbours, the anthropologist Helena Napier and her husband Rockingham. A clergyman, a widow, and the Napiers' professional circle all make claims on her time and judgment. The plot is domestic and comic: a study of how a single woman is used as confidante and unpaid organiser, and of what she wants for herself among people who take her help for granted.

Bound in pale pink cloth blocked on all sides with an orange, brown and gilt picture. Dark brown slipcase.