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In the form of two linked novellas, Byatt explores the background to Tennyson's poetic series 'In Memoriam', and also tells the story of how a passion for entomological travel and scientific discovery combines with the daily rituals of wealthy family life. As with all of Byatt's writing, there is strong physical sense of setting. In the first piece, Morpho Eugenia, Eugenia negotiates various romantic advances below a canopy of palm leaves in the Alabaster's conservatory. The sense of burgeoning and not entirely healthy desire contained within the cast-iron skeleton of the glass house is exploited perfectly. Forces beyond the artifice of polite conversation continue to pulse through The Conjugial Angel as Byatt explores the hold mesmerism and table rapping had on lonely, dispossessed ladies of the time. Byatt's narrative skill and artistry are underpinned by her awe-inspiring academic knowledge and she challenges our understanding of the Victorian period as well as delivering a first-class piece of fiction. (Kirkus UK)
