THE SEMI ATTACHED COUPLE

This series of stories, put together like a serial drama rather than a novel, is about the marriage dance and other social mores among the nineteenth-century British aristocracy. The big conflict in the lives of the two central characters is less believable than the well-honed dialogue, the minutely detailed manners, and the well-drawn supporting cast that serves as a backdrop to their maneuvering. Narrator Peter Joyce mixes syrupy delivery with a cutting undertone, like a wag who has his say without spoiling the pretty party. He lets us know, subtly, that we aren't to take these people seriously but are free to be entertained by them. A book in which the details amount to more than the plot calls for nuances of narration, which, fortunately, Joyce masterfully provides. T.F. © AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/MAY 00]