This light-hearted novel is concerned with the preservation of witty and meaningful conversation. As O'Henry wrote, "One should inject a few raisins of conversation into the tasteless dough of existence." The three middle-aged main characters are of widely different backgrounds: Two Welshmen, TEDDY VAUGHAN-JONES, the sophisticate; WILL, the consummate roue'; and ELIZABETH, an American of scholarly bent, meet regularly at a pub, THE WELSH PONY. They are dedicated to maintaining the "Art of Conversation" which seems to be fading in this fast-moving world of high-tech communication. The happy...

This light-hearted novel is concerned with the preservation of witty and meaningful conversation. As O'Henry wrote, "One should inject a few raisins of conversation into the tasteless dough of existence." The three middle-aged main characters are of widely different backgrounds: Two Welshmen, TEDDY VAUGHAN-JONES, the sophisticate; WILL, the consummate roue'; and ELIZABETH, an American of scholarly bent, meet regularly at a pub, THE WELSH PONY. They are dedicated to maintaining the "Art of Conversation" which seems to be fading in this fast-moving world of high-tech communication. The happy...