I cannot say how much I loved this quirky book. Arnold Bennett captures a London neighborhood in the midst of incredible change post-WWI, by focusing on one little unlikely family, Henry and Violet Earlforward and their servant Elsie. The Earlforwards probably never should have married late in life, as they did, because the marriage ends up the death of them, quite literally. Henry cannot yield his household control, and despite the fact she’d already been married once and an independent businesswoman in widowhood, Violet feels she must defer to her husband’s tyrannical ways. Elsie becomes the mediator between them, making peace when she can, but still nurturing her own dreams for her future. Bennett’s book expresses the opening of opportunities for women and a new middle class in England, as well as the dislocations that result. He’s an astute observer of people, and even the minor characters are rich and idiosyncratic. Fascinating study of people under pressure of their own making.