The relative merits of vegetables

Current book: Where Angels Fear to Tread
Pages read: 3-14

All right, so it's a pathetic number of pages. I admit it. But Friday's like Saturday for me, and I had to go to the grocery store and the library and the tea shop (Yes, I go to the tea shop. It happens regularly. They've reached the point where they just go get the Earl Grey when I come in the door.), not to mention get some important socializing done with my friend and go out to dinner with my husband, so what's a girl to do?

Anyway, I've already discovered that this book's going to center around Lilia, a young widow whose in-laws don't approve of her. They've been trying to improve her behavior since she married into the family, apparently, and have now decided that the best course of action is to send her on a pleasure trip to Italy. Does anybody else see the error in judgment here? Pleasure trip to Italy likely to improve the imprudent young widow's behavior, is it? Not at all likely that she'll become embroiled in scandalous Italian love affairs. Furthest thing from her mind, I'm sure.

Anyway, I'm not really far enough into it to say how I like it yet, but the diction is pretty amusing. It's sort of slightly wry but proper Victorian English, which appeals to me because it's impossible to take it entirely seriously. For example:

"They sowed the duller vegetables first, and a pleasant feeling of righteous fatigue stole over them as they addressed themselves to the peas." (14)

I just feel that at some point in my life I need to stand up ceremoniously and say, "Excuse me whilst I address myself to the peas."

That's right. Whilst.