239 pages. The jacket is chipped at the edges with minor loss at the tail; the back flap, though still attached, is split, courtesy of rampaging insects. These have also nibbled at the edges of the last three pages, but satiated, nowhere near as dramatically. Discretely again at the edge and tail of the front flap, with loss at the tail. The last page has a very short closed tear at the tail. Overall a clean, unmarked and solid copy. "Diana Tutton (1915-1991)[1] was a British novelist whose books focused on women navigating difficult relationships and family situations. Her work has been compared to that of Dodie Smith, and she is considered to be part of a group of 20th century British women writers including Ivy Compton-Burnett, Angela Thirkell, and E. M. Delafield whose work often examines the situation of middle-class women." (Wikipedia) "' Widowed at 21 with a young baby, Joanna Malling finds her solitary existence upended twenty years later when her daughter Libby moves in with her new husband. At 35, Steven is closer in age to Joanna than Libby. What begins as an awkward relationship between mother and son-in-law evolves into something more intimate and Joanna must wrestle with re-awakened emotions and the conflict between desire and loyalty." (Publisher later edition)