* An engaging novel about public appearance and private behaviour not always matching up...

'One of the wisest and most versatile of our novelists' CHRISTOPHER WORDSWORTH, GUARDIAN

'So intelligent and clear-eyed that every page seems to peel another layer of pretence' ISABEL QUIGLEY, FINANCIAL TIMES

'Nina Bawden's novels are self-perpetuating pleasures' KIRKUS REVIEWS

'Today, Tuesday, the day that Penelope has chosen to leave her husband, is the first really warm day of spring . . . '

Penelope has always done her best to be a good wife, a good mistress, a good mother - and a good magistrate. Today she is more conscious that usual of the thinness of the thread that distinguishes good from bad, the law-abiding from the criminal. Sitting in court, hearing a short, sad case of indecent exposure and a long, confused theft, she finds herself examining her own sex life - what would that sound like in court? - and her own actions and intentions. How would the court judge what she's about to do this afternoon . . . ?

"One of the wisest and most versatile of our novelists . . . an intriguing achievement" - Guardian

"So intelligent and clear-eyed that every page seems to peel another layer of pretence, social custom or humbug from the surface of the life it describes" - Financial Times

"Whether a little more so or a little less, Nina Bawden's novels are self-perpetuating pleasures and among the few which deal gently with people, real people, and the fallibility of personal relationships" - Kirkus Reviews

"One of the wisest and most versatile of our novelists ... an intriguing achievement" - CHRISTOPHER WORDSWORTH, THE GUARDIAN

"So intelligent and clear-eyed that every page seems to peel another layer of pretence, social custom or humbug from the surface of the life it describes" - ISABEL QUIGLEY, FINANCIAL TIMES