I read this book two or three years ago and what I remember most vividly about it is that Vinnie is followed around by an imaginary dog that represents her self-image (or something like that).

I'm reading Lorrie Moore's [b:Birds of America|19631|Birds of America Stories|Lorrie Moore|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1223320940s/19631.jpg|1769] right now and so I decided to look up her bio and found out she was taught by Alison Lurie at Cornell. I was like, Where do I know that name? And then I remembered that I read this back when I had this crazy idea that I would read every Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. ( )

Enjoyed this tremendously but perhaps it is because I could so identify with Vinnie and her depressive imaginary dog who slopes around whenever she’s feeling blue.
Poor Vinnie finds happiness but doesn’t appreciate it, and her fellow academic falls terribly in love with an inappropriate target and both of them are so wonderfully good at procrastination very little work gets done at all.
Lovely, well-rounded characters with serious issues but who feel so very familiar I wanted to sit down with them for a brew. Well, Vinnie anyway.
An excellent read for fans of Britain, academe, and the minute but persistent snobberies we all carry about for no known reason. ( )

I KNEW that Mrs. Harris was really Rosemary the second they mentioned her. That never happens, I never see these things coming, and I want to claim victory where I can. ( )

This book has been in my home library for at least 15 years and when preparing for a recent trip, it seemed to jump out at me - I had to take it with me. What a wonderful read it has been. Two visiting literature professors from the same university are on research grants in London. At first, that seems to be the connection - that, and their extremes of physical attractiveness/unattractiveness. These professors have "affairs" with people who are not typical Londoners and these affairs are disparate in all aspects: one affair is not as it seems, while the other is almost painfully genuine; one is based on false impressions, while the other is authentic and honest; the represented classes are different; and one is based on feelings of entitlement and manipulation, whereas the other is candid and truthful.
The writing and the stories are beautifully done and accurately depict areas well-known to the author: London and academia. The prose is perfectly executed and the dialogue is very well paced.
I wish I had not left it on my bookshelf for so long. ( )

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