by Katie Roiphe touts itself as "Seven Portraits of Married Life in London Literary Circles', and while it does deliver said portraits, it is much, much better than one might imagine.

Congjugal bliss, or unbliss as the case may be, is a drama killer; any good soap opera aficianado knows that. Nope, we want the sordid, the salacious, the scandal! And Roiphe delivers those things, but she does it in exquisitely written prose and insightful analyses. In a world dominated by tell alls about celebrities and non-entities (and they are not always mutually exclusive) it is refreshing to find a tell all so beautifully crafted. Katie Roiphe can write.

And not only can the lady write, she can bring to life, in short sketches, such luminaries as H.G. Wells (who knew???) and Rebecca West and Vanessa Bell (sister of Virginia Woolf, who makes a strong appearance.)

Want scandal? Sweetie puss, the Victorians OWNED it...listen to this little tidbit. A married woman- I won't tell you who and spoil it for those who don't already know- has an affair with a bisexual man and they have a child, a girl, who is raised by the woman and her husband. Years later, the lover of the biological father elopes with the daughter...YIKES!

So it's fun and it's social and it's biting and it's historical and it holds a mirror up to humanity and to the times and lest you think I buried the lead, it's fun. Fun AND well-written...I don't know about you guys, but I found it refreshing when I plunk down some cash for a book and find that the author can actually craft a lovely sentence, and furthermore, that very same sentence can have meaning!

All in all, this is a little treasure- you exit with more than you had going in, and that is always a good thing.