Easy reading, pleasant for the most part, though perhaps not so stimulating as The Feast The central character, Lucy Carmichael, is a convincing person, from the bubbling effervescence of her youth, as she plans for the wedding that never came off, to the months in which there seemed complete snuffing out of color and vitality. Then came the period when she found herself again in identification with the village and the cultural project of which she seemed the key; and finally her sudden awareness that once again she was a whole person, keen for a new life, and through with the pains of readjustment, rebirth. The denouement will be thoroughly satisfactory for the romantic. Full-flavored, delightfully English -- and with the Literary Guild selection, it will be off to a good start.