This is an entertaining glimpse of the cultural and linguistic vagaries found in 18th Century England. The tale centers around the ups and downs of a pious vicar's family as narrated by the vicar himself. The story involves an interwoven complex web of personalities, situations, and relationships, which blend and twist through the course of the narrative. The story drags in places, because of the vicar's occasional long winded expositions on ethics, religion, manners, etc., but, in general, it flows nicely. The story concludes with a plethora of clever surprises.