Is there anything more delightful than an unexpectedly good book? Excellent Women by Barbara Pym is a treasure tucked away in an unassuming cover in the fiction stacks at MPL. The main character, Mildred Lathbury, is an unmarried British woman in her 30′s, helping out her church and neighbors and asking for little in return. When a new couple moves into the flat downstairs from her, we come to see that Mildred is much more than what she seems.

Barbara Pym has an ability to tell a story of a few typical community members with a dry wit and style that will make you smirk with pleasure.