A strange, melancholy chapter in the Marlow's story. Karen, who has begun her studies in Oxford, announces that she has decided to leave and get married to the unappealing Edwin Dodd, an archivist 22 years her senior. His three young children come to stay with the Marlows, and this story focuses mainly on Peter, Nicola, and their relationship with the three young Dodds. The Dodds' mother is dead, and they are confused by their father's sudden marriage. The story follows the children trying to learn how to settle in to life in the country, and highlights the difficulties of upheavals and changes. The ending is inconclusive: Karen does not seem happy with Edwin; the children remain uncertain; Nicola reflects on the strange, sudden marriage. The book is concerned with the decisions we make, and how these impact on everyone around us, not always in a positive way, even if they are made with the best intentions. I'm glad I read this: I found it engaging and nostalgic, and I think the child's eye view on Karen is really interesting: the motivations of adults are so often completely opaque to children. But it also fails to satisfy, and wanders into too many tangents.