The Dipper

Fans of Marcia Willett will want to continue the story of the extended English family begun in FIRST FRIENDS. This fourth installment introduces a whole new cast of characters while bringing forth remembered characters from her previous novels. Three couples, each at a different point in their marriage, are the focus of this compelling story set on the moors of Dartmoor. Phyllida and Alistair Makepeace are a naval couple dealing with the separation such a life includes as well as infidelity and a deep personal tragedy. Claudia and Jeff Maynard seem like the perfect couple outwardly, but in their private lives there is misery and incompatibility. How little they know of each other reaches a shattering climax and the truth leads them to re-examine and re-direct their lives. Clemmie and Quentin Halliwell are an elderly couple approaching end-of-life decisions and dealing with their own past which held its share of recriminations. Quentin happens to be godfather to Oliver Wivenhoe, a favorite of readers of Willett's past novels, and it is Oliver, now graduated from college, who enters the story and interacts with all three of these couples. Also hovering over the story is the dipper, a small diving bird, the sight of which has almost magical powers over the characters. If you enjoy relationship dramas, the charm of English country life, and characters so fully developed you can take them to your heart, then you will truly enjoy this amazing tale.