The Court of Common Pleas

I'm amazed that earlier reviewers gave this wonderful book such mediocre ratings. I wonder how old they are? As a 67 year old, I found this a glorious book, extremely well written, evoking layers of meaning in life experiences with which I truly resonated. The writing, I thought, was graceful and illuminating, a joy to read and even ponder. The story was riveting, and the characters fully formed, each in a non-caricatrured way, appropriate to their age and stage in life. It was a family story with a firm though somewhat shaken foundation. I loved the humor and the insights and the hard choices facing the characters. I found it a grown up and delightful love story and now I want to read the rest of Alexandra Marshall's books. The reason I bought the book, by the way, is that I read in someone's blog that they had considered this the best novel they had ever read of the intimacy and intricacy of married love. Martha Huntley

Marshall's writing is as intricate as her revelation of the layers in her character's motivations. I learned a lot from this book about how people evolve in their understanding of both themselves and their mates if they take time and muster the courage to reflect on their impulsive actions and words. Many of the sentences contain kernals wrapped in layers of related ideas, much like the characters themselves. In this era when everybody seems too busy, relationships, especially marriages, are continually in danger of rupturing from inattention and misunderstanding. This book celebrates the rewards of taking time to reconsider, imagine how the situation looks from your spouse's perspective, and learn how to change. It's a beauty.