Synopses & Reviews
Review
"Drawing upon her knowledge of the media and the Washington social scene, Judith Martin crafts an entertaining, at times searing, comedy of manners reminiscent of 19th-century novelist Jane Austen. Alice Bard, much like Austen's Emma, believes she can improve everyone-else's life but fails to rectify her own. Upon losing her newscaster job because she is becoming older and less appealing, Alice decides to bring her archaeologist friend lone, who leads a very happy life in Greece, to Washington. In Washington, the two become involved in a humorous comedy of errors as they seek to uncover art fraud and smuggling and stage an opening for an exhibit of an art fresco depicting Helen of Troy. In the process, Alice becomes entangled in two love triangles that threaten her two friends' happiness. Although Alice Bard's monologue through Style and Substance makes the work a little difficult to pierce and stilted at times, the book is nevertheless refreshing reading." Reviewed by Daniel Weiss, Virginia Quarterly Review (Copyright 2006 Virginia Quarterly Review)