The Courtyard
A chance tea shop meeting between an elderly pensioner and a beautiful young mother blossoms into friendship in this treat from British novelist Willett (Echoes of the Dance), first published 10 years ago in the U.K. It's 1988 in Bristol, England, and Nell Woodward, with young son Jack in boarding school, is uneasily married to John, a former navy officer who is trying to remake himself as a realtor. Meanwhile, Henry Morley is converting the stables of his estate, Nethercombe Court, into the Courtyard, a housing development. Henry's wedding preparations are underway as the book opens, and soon after, his discontented younger bride, Gillian, has problems adjusting to country life. At the same time, Nell's friendship with Gussie Merton, an elderly second cousin of Henry's, brings them both to Nethercombe. As relationships unravel, crises rise and fall, and tragedy strikes. Willett creates a compact multirelationship saga with a nice edge, sharpened by Willett's keen depiction of Nell and John's marriage in particular.(Oct.)Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.