I was immediately enthralled. Candida Wilton, who never formally introduces herself, is divorced from university provost Andrew and has moved on a desperate whim from Suffolk to London. She has passed the half-century mark, is isolated from her three adult daughters, writes in a journal daily, goes to her health club, and looks back in an alarmingly "pitch-perfect" voice. From the Chicago Tribune: "With humor, compassion and ironic detachment, Drabble has created a memorable portrait." From Publishers Weekly: "Accurately charts the psychological territory of one who is suddenly cast adrift."