The Pleasure of Her Company (Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Jane Smiley
- First Published: 1981
- Type of Plot: Social realism
- Time of Work: Probably the 1970's
- Setting: An American university town
- Principal Characters: Florence, Frannie Howard, Philip Howard, Bryan
- Genres: Social realism, Short fiction
- Subjects: 1970’s, United States or Americans, Homosexuality or homosexuals, Marriage, Friendship, Lesbianism or lesbians, Divorce, Colleges or universities, Miscarriage
- Locales: United States
The Story
When Philip and Frannie Howard move into the old Victorian house next door, Florence is immediately taken with her neighbors, especially Frannie. The two women become friends, and Florence spends more and more of her time at the Howards’ house. Florence's time with the Howards is a series of seemingly tranquil domestic moments: drinking coffee at the maple kitchen table, easy conversations while preparing dinner. The women talk of everything, it seems, except marriage, which is a mystery to Florence. Frannie never shares confidences about Philip or their life...
[The entire page is 1473 words long]
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