Carmel is the unwanted one at Commonwood House. A gypsy foundling, she is treated as an outsider by her unhappy adopted family. And, when an horrific tragedy occurs and the household is quickly disbanded, she is determined to leave these unhappy days behind her.
Cicero remarked that old age is a strange business. No one wants to miss it, he said, and everyone complains about it when they get there. Not I, though. Old age comes to us all, and Enfield wittily advises on how to survive its trickier obstacles, not least the people who suggest you must ‘do something’. One of the great delights of the golden years is doing less – from giving up DIY and ambition to not inviting people...