Time has not dimmed the sharp edge of Molly Keane's wit, and these two studies of Big House behaviour are as acerbic and absorbing as when they were first published, in 1981 and 1983 respectively. With sure-footed delicacy she explores the slippery territory of family relationships in the decaying remnants of Anglo Ireland; the characters are superbly drawn, the milieux perfectly constructed - you can feel the cold, smell the damp, practically hear the bits dropping off the houses as you read - and the plots gallop along with as much insouciance as a gel on a hunt Saturday.
