my icon is from the first edition of the vet's daughter.

Oh, of course! I see it now.

I have read The Skin Chairs but don't remember it well -- what makes it a favorite for you?

Partly I like Woolworth's because it's a little bit of a cheat: a Comyns novel with a relatively happy ending. It probably reads best against the others.

I haven't read Out of the Red, into the Blue, Birds in Tiny Cages, or A Touch of Mistletoe. Do you know any of those well?

I think the voice in Sisters By a River is very clever.