So, I went through a Stella Gibbons obsession about a year ago. I read as many of her books as I could find. I enjoyed reading all of them, even when they were terrible, which was often. There is something about her though...Bassett is probably my favorite book by her. There isn't a lot of action in this book and it lacks the humor of Cold Comfort Farm but it reminded me of the drama of my teenage years (and not in a bad way). There is also a character named Muriel in this book (read my Abbess of Crewe review to find out why this is so important to me). I could be mistaken but I think I remember Stella using the term "double-strength bitch" in this book, which has become a verbal staple for me since reading it. I'll have to go back and reread it to make sure though. ( )