Half a Crown, Walton. Yes. In most respects this last volume is the best of Walton’s “Small Change” series (Farthing and Ha’penny being the first two). I don’t know how long it’s been since I last burned through the final third or so of a book in one sitting, but Walton succeeded completely in making me need to know what happened next. My complaints are quite minor, arguably ironic, and outside the scope of my review

A Mixture of Frailties, Davies. Yes. I can think of only so many ways to praise the writing of Robertson Davies. The present work is up to the high standard, engaging if not quite compelling. This gem most caught my attention:

Wit and high spirits and a sense of fun—yes, they’re wonderful things. But a sense of humour—a real one—is a rarity and can be utter hell. Because it’s immoral, you know, in the real sense of the word: I mean, it makes its own laws; and it possesses the person who has it like a demon. Fools talk about it as though it were the same thing as a sense of balance, but believe me, it’s not. It’s a sense of anarchy, and a sense of chaos. Thank God it’s rare.

Ha’penny, Walton. Yes. Follows Farthing, which I think I read after I started writing reviews, but which I apparently didn’t review. They are more or less indistinguishable in character of the plot, quality, and structure . I’ll be reading Half a Crown as soon as my library can get me a copy, but I think I’ll be more than half hoping that there won’t be a Quid or Guinea in the offing unless Walton comes up with something a little more surprising or otherwise interesting. Walton’s lead is likable enough, and the writing is just fine, but the themes are nearly tiresome in their timeliness, and I prefer a bit more escape in my escapist literature.