A strange and unilluminating adventure during the winter break of Miss Porch, a somewhat sexless, mild-mannered,schoolteacher/writer.

On her way to a college/fat-farm to begin her drama class, she crashes into the back of a bus. Her van is completely disabled and escape becomes as difficult as it is desirable when her experience at the school begins to resemble a trip to Dante's Inferno. Instead of fire and brimstone however, Mrs. Castle, Miss Porch's room-mate supplies much of the torture in the form of endless chatter about her three grandchildren.

Miss Porch presents her class with a piece she is writing, "Foxybaby". It concerns a drug-wrecked young single mother on the run with her infant and her father. The father, suspiciouly guilty for undefined past sins against his daughter, attempts to create a relationship with his pitiful daughter.

Miss Porch's insistence that only punk and hard rock be used during the performance of the piece is relentlessly ignored. Instead, the work is accompanied by original music composed and played by the director of the school/fat farm, Mrs. Peycroft, and her sidekick, Miss Paisley, on double bass and tapping sticks. Adding to Miss Porch's consternation, Mrs.Peycroft demands the students mime the action as Miss. Porch reads.

Lesbians and gay men seem to be in the majority at the school. (Unusual in reality,not addressed in this novel.) Why things happen as they do is left up to the reader's imagination.In fact, this reader's imagination was greatly taxed by Jolley's novel. Nevertheless, somehow, probably because of Jolley's jolly humor,the book is enjoyable.

I find that this author has a very delicate way of exploring undelicate subjects. THe main character is a writer, and that is obvious by the imagination she showes. Often when someone is talking to her, she will picture a scene in her mind, with the person in question playing the leading role. Although i feel this book approaches problems in a brilliant way, the only problem is that the author doesnt carry them out to their full potential.

A mother/daughter (21?) insinuate themselves into the household of a 54 year old professor whose wife is away for a year for professional reasons. The plot centers on the professor's growing love for the daughter, culminating in a baby (which may not be his). Jolly deliberately makes the daughter unattractive and passive - for the book is really about a man in a hollow marriage, although he doesn't realize it, with close friends who are well meaning, but not nurturing. The positive characters are the slightly sinister mother, with a genius for creating a warm household, and a spinster friend who is honorable, capable, and a paragon of true friendship. Some of Jolley's prose reads as if it were translated from German, and the plot and the professor are in some ways silly, but at the same time the professor is a very well realized character, and the book is an OK read.

The Georges Wife: Reviewed by Arthur

They that sow in tears shall reap in joy

Elizabeth Jolley has produced an interesting tale of the human relation ship, from the imperfect love to the imperfect friends, most of which were made through chance meetings.

Based in a slightly pre-modern setting, The Georges' wife centres around a young woman named Vera, who has gone through many trials in her life including the ailment of TB, the pressures of family and that of relationships; Vera is at her trial's end and the story slowly begins at the ending.

The book is an interesting text to read which demands of the reader, this is no text to sit back on and relax, though it has helped me fall asleep many a time. The order of the book is anything but linear, the text jumps from one thing to the other and only serves to confuse the reader even more with its littering of quotes and references to famous works or composers or poets. Though this may serve to enhance the beauty of Jolleys style in this particular text, it felt more like a reference guide after a while with its incessant references to 4.12 of this or that and its littering of quotes in the German language, the occasional "eine bemerkung," placed in the text does not do any injustice but like the quotes, it felt overused and inappropriate. Besides having a complex layout and a confusing story with the constant scene jumping, there has to be some credit given to the use of description in the book. Jolley has the ability to accurately paint an image in the readers mind with her colourful, intelligent and sharp use of description, although that too weighted the story after a while. The reason behind this was that the book ended up having way too many descriptions in it, even in some of the most irelevant things, this did help to slow its pace down but with no story going on as it happened, nothing worth really reading about, the text had the effect of a sleeping drug, perfect to those with trouble getting a good nights rest.

Criticism aside, Jolley has managed to create some interesting and believable characters. Vera, the insecure and naive young adult, involved in many a relationship before Mr George, serving as a maid in the Georges household whilst studying Medicine, Mr George, a well travelled Middle aged man, Vera's mother who is a reserved and elegant person, concerned about the well being of her daughter to the point of questioning her about marriage, children and her friends, is unsure of her social position so takes on as acting refined, and Vera's friends, Felicity and Noel, who seem infected with life and the passion for it. The characters each contrast the other so well as to highlight each of their own personal attributes, their strengths and their flaws.

Being a keen reader of fantasy, The Georges Wife was a different type of book I must admit, it went to slow for my liking and seemed to deal to much in matters or situations which would be regarded as female, if anything else. Situations like sharing a baby round for nursing or issues of unwed mothers. Those things were written in the book discussed by women as a private issue and I found little relevance and I must admit, interest, to myself as a reader. The underlying themes throughout the book were that of relationships which is common to many of Jolley's works, the struggles and joys of friends, family and lovers.

I would recommend this book to any reader who likes an interesting relationship story if anything else and particularly to women. This does in no way mean men can not read it aswell. I would also recommend it to whoever likes a nice paced story, but if the readers interest lies in stories with exciting twists, or stories with a fast pace or choco block full of action, then they should avoid this book at all cost, this book would not be suitable unless insomnia is a problem to the reader.