The Middle Ground

To learn what London was like in the late 1970s, a reader could do a lot worse than consult this Margaret Drabble novel. It is kaleidoscopic and drills deeply into the personal and societal challenges of the era. Kate Armstrong, approaching 40, is the central character, and rarely has a person's muddling to get along been invested with such thoughtful perception. As often with Drabble, the plot is not the point; the point is life.