Agnes Scofield, the heroine of Dew"s lovely,low-key period piece, can join Mrs. Ramsay and Mrs. Bridge at the teatable of exquisitely etched literary matrons. A respectable Ohiowidow with three grown children, Agnes is beginning to carve out anindependent middle-aged life for herself (which includes a secretlover) when, in 1947, her children all suddenly return to town. Theyhave full lives of their own, but take for granted that Mother willalways put supper on the table and never step outside her role as self-sacrificing, sexless matriarch. Dew"s achievement is to captureboth Agnes" ambivalence about these demands and the dignity inher struggle to meet them."-Entertainment Weekly (Editor"s Choice)