A Double Affair [Hardcover]

Angela Thirkell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1957

The characteristically charming 1957 installment in Angela Thirkell's beloved series of Barsetshire novels, picks up where its predecessor, NEVER TOO LATE, leaves off. The community is all abuzz with news of the impending marriage of Herbert Choyce (vicar of Hatch End) and Miss Merriman (who had been the long-time secretary of the late Lady Emily Graham). The couple, older and wiser than the usual betrothed, are in no hurry to tie the marital knot, but the enthusiasm of their friends and neighbors sweeps them up on a rush to the altar, as all of Barsetshire's familiar faces join in the festivities. But in the wake of the wedding, other concerns take center stage.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"[Angela Thirkell's] observation remains acute. Her talent for easy, light characterization does not seem to be flagging." -- Times [London] Literary Supplement --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From the Publisher

A Double Affair, the characteristically charming 1957 installment in Angela Thirkell's beloved series of Barsetshire novels, picks up where its predecessor, Never Too Late, leaves off. The community is all abuzz with news of the impending marriage of Herbert Choyce (vicar of Hatch End) and Miss Merriman (who had been the long-time secretary of the late Lady Emily Graham and was affectionately known as 'Merry'). The couple, older and wiser than the usual betrothed, are in no hurry to tie the marital knot, but the enthusiasm of their friends and neighbors sweeps them up in a rush to the altar, as all of Barsetshire's familiar faces join in the festivities. In the wake of the wedding, other concerns take center stage. The older generation comes together in friendship, while the younger sets off on exciting and romantic adventures, as life and love go on in the pleasant precincts of Angela Thirkell's Barsetshire.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Alfred a Knopf; First American edition (June 1957)
• ISBN-10: 9997532821
• ISBN-13: 978-9997532824
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,086,135 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Witty, insightful, irreverent and kind, April 7, 2005

By 

Teresa R. Asgharian "m" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Double Affair (Paperback)

I have to admit that I had never heard of Angela Thirkell, even though I enjoy English authors so very much. Someone suggested that I give her a whirl, knowing how much I enjoy Jane Austen and Miss Read, Elizabeth Cadell and DE Stevenson. I landed on this book, A Double Affair, and found myself completely absorbed in the characters from the very first. This book is almost the last in a long series, The Barsetshire series, so even though I was meeting everyone for the first time and there was gads and gads of past history I was unfamiliar with, I was not lost for context.

This woman is witty! If you are a fan of Jane Austen at all, you have just got to try this author. I found myself chuckling with her interspersed observations about her characters, as if she were sitting in a cafe watching their lives unfold before her and recording it for our enjoyment. The books are kind, there is friendship and courtesy, but there's nothing "high faluting" about them.

Now I have to go figure out which book is the first and start there. There are many many books in this series, so I should have plenty to enjoy for a good while.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Are we flagging?, October 9, 2008

By 

D. Cooke "the reading teacher" (London, England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Double Affair (Paperback)

Angela Thirkell's long-running saga is beginning to show signs of running down at the start of the story. Fortunately she peps it up by bringing in two new characters (grandaughters of the deanery)and making the newly grown-up Edith Graham the central female character. By doing this and judiciously mixing in our many old friends we get a story that moves the chronicles along very nicely.