The Road to Lichfield is an excellent choice for book club discussions because it appeals to both middlebrow and highbrow readers, which is the kind of mix often found in such clubs.

It contains the usual elements of "a good read" — a suspenseful, intriguing plot; marriage, romance, and infidelity; well-rounded, believable characters; and social and psychological realism — as well as more sophisticated features, such as its Proustian treatment of psychological time, its Jamesian narrative technique for suggesting the subjective nature of experience, and its exploration of serious themes and social issues. Readers will enjoy discussing the relevant contemporary topics the book raises, including the conflict between historical preservation and community development and the role television plays in shaping our perception of reality. Furthermore, the book presents intricate thematic parallels (between Anne's experience and her father's; between the geographical and the psychological journeys Anne makes...