Last Resorts

Harriet is an affection-starved English woman who has raised her three childrennow teenagersalone. When she learned years before that her ex-husband took his new family to Greece on holiday, she pinched pennies even more determinedly in order to give her kids the same advantage. Set on the Greek island where Harriet and brood have vacationed for years, this novel spans a summer that brings plenty of changes and traumas. For the first time, Harriet has invited a lover, Joe, to visit. Roger, a friend of Harriet's oldest daughter, also arrives, and with time becomes a less-than-welcome guest. Joe manages to exert some discipline on the household, which often resembles a free-for-all. But he cuts short his stay and rushes back to his wife, leaving Harriet lonelier than ever. At novel's end, she abandons her family (her long-lost husband has appeared out of the blue) and goes off to a neighboring island, at which she has been gazing through a telescope for years. Boylan (Holy Pictures) is a writer of talent, though readers may lose patience with Harriet's eccentricities and vagaries, which seem forced. One must agree with Joe, who at his departure says: ""Please, Harriet. None of your profound confusions.'' First serial to New Woman. January 15