THE CLOUDED FOUNTAIN

A new novel (The Saving Grace, The Prodigal Brother, etc.) moves through the same social sphere- Philadelphia and the Main Line, and the same ground rules of background and breeding obtain. So that while Loring Shand must resolve the two pivotal crises of his life at 38, whether to go on with his job in advertising and whether to stray in his marriage to Eleanor, it is all handled with extreme composure and self-containment. Equally discreet is Eleanor, aware of Loring's increasing involvement with his proprietary and dedicated secretary, Julia, and she permits no trace of her concern (or Julia's father's) to permeate to Loring. Other people in their orbit, Eleanor's parents, Julia's trying mother, the local rector, some neighbors who represent the encroachment of new money on old Philadelphia, glide in and out before Loring makes his peace with himself, with the novel he hasn't written, and with his life as it is and should continue to be.... Mr. Huston, along with his characters, never raises his voice, so that he manages no more than a modulated entertainment. As such, it is pleasant and particularly suitable for women.