The Transit of Venus

Shirley Hazzard. Penguin Books, $15 (352pp) ISBN 978-0-14-010747-0

National Book Critics Circle Award-winner Hazzard here tells of two sisters, Grace and Caroline Bell. Born in Australia and orphaned at an early age, the two make their way to England. There Grace opts for marriage and its securities; Caroline reaches for more and loves not always wisely but well. ``A strong, deep, poetic, vibrant novel,'' lauded PW. (Sept.)

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