Crucial Conversations

“May Sarton’s provocative novel is about a wife who has outgrown her husband, and after twenty-seven years of marriage decides that she has had enough. . . . [Poppy] is altogether believable.” —The Atlantic

To their close friend Philip, Poppy and Reed Whitelaw’s marriage appears stable and happy. Their ritual Sunday tennis matches and dinners are a highlight of his week, and the Whitelaws’ reparte...