Good Behaviour

A BBC 2 Between the Covers Book Club Pick Booker Prize Gems

By: Molly Keane

Write A Review

Paperback | 7 August 2006 | Edition Number 1

Sorry, we are not able to source the book you are looking for right now.

We did a search for other books with a similar title, however there were no matches. You can try selecting from a similar category, click on the author's name, or use the search box above to find your book.

A BBC TWO BETWEEN THE COVERS BOOK CLUB PICK (BOOKER PRIZE GEMS)

'Molly Keane is a mistress of wicked comedy' Vogue

'I really wish I had written this book. It's a tragi-comedy set in Ireland after the First World War. A real work of craftsmanship' Hilary Mantel

I do know how to behave - believe me, because I know. I have always known . . .

Behind the gates of Temple Alice, the aristocratic Anglo-Irish St Charles family sinks into a state of decaying grace. To Aroon St Charles, large and unlovely daughter of the house, the fierce forces of sex, money, jealousy and love seem locked out by the ritual patterns of good behaviour. But crumbling codes of conduct cannot hope to save the members of the St Charles family from their own unruly and inadmissible desires. This elegant and allusive novel established Molly Keane as the natural successor to Jean Rhys.

'I have read and re-read Molly Keane more, I think, than any other writer. Nobody else can touch her as a satirist, tragedian and dissector of human behaviour. I love all her books, but Good Behaviour and Loving and Giving are the ones I return to most' Maggie O'Farrell

Industry Reviews

'An extraordinary tour de force of fictional presentation a masterpiece a technically remarkable work, as sharp as a blade Molly Keane is a mistress of wicked comedy.' VOGUE

'A witty, black comedy of manners, GOOD BEHAVIOUR is a memorable novel by an Irish writer whose only equal is Elizabeth Bowen.' BOOKSELLER

'A fine novel, wickedly alive' Victoria Glendinning, SUNDAY TIMES

'Enchanting' Edna O'Brien, OBSERVER

'May well become a classic among English Novels' NEW YORK TIMES

'The very best of Anglo - Irish writing ' - Clare Boylan

'This self-possessed, crisply detailed and alertly funny novel is a wonder. Silent for decades, Keane has abruptly produced a masterpiece.' NEWSWEEK

'Miss Keane writes easily, with wit and charm. She treats her characters with both sensitivity and humour, and there is much to make you smile. It is a gentle book but showing a few sharp edges, and always displaying an unpretentious love of writing.' LIVERPOOL DAILY POST

Shipping

	Standard Shipping	Express Shipping
Metro postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Regional postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Rural postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95

Orders over $79.00 qualify for free shipping.

How to return your order

At Booktopia, we offer hassle-free returns in accordance with our returns policy. If you wish to return an item, please get in touch with Booktopia Customer Care.

Additional postage charges may be applicable.

Defective items

RRP $34.99

$28.75

18%
OFF

The End of Everything : Longlisted for the Booker Prize 2026 - 'Visionary and brilliant' China Mieville - M. John Harrison

$16.00

36%
OFF

Paperback

RRP $24.99

$21.75

13%
OFF

The Midnight Estate

A haunting mystery of a family's darkest secrets by the author of THE THINGS WE CANNOT SAY

Paperback

RRP $22.99

$20.75

10%
OFF

Good Behaviour

A BBC 2 Between the Covers Book Club Pick Booker Prize Gems

Industry Reviews

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

More in Modern & Contemporary Fiction

Walking on the Ceiling

I Love the Whole World!

Can Nothing Save Us?

The End of Everything

Longlisted for the Booker Prize 2026 - 'Visionary and brilliant' China Mieville

Gone Tomorrow

(Jack Reacher 13)

Quite the Pair

Ordinary Funny Tragic

The hilarious new novel from the author of Trivial Grievances

Life of M

From the author of the Outline trilogy

The Cairo Bridal Shop

When He Was Wicked

Bridgerton [Deluxe Collector's Edition]

We Chase Shadows

Book 2 We Solve Murders

The World Beneath Her Feet

The new heartwarming novel from the bestselling author of The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart and The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding

Big Little Truths

Big Little Lies

The Vivisectors

Longlisted for the Booker Prize 2026

The Most Dangerous Games

From MrBeast and James Patterson. A secret competition. 100 players. $1 billion. ARE YOU THE ONE?

Becoming Venus

Rose had no idea empowerment could look like this ...

He Who Fights With Monsters

Adventurer

The Door

Death on the Lanai

A Golden Girls Cozy Mystery

Every Bookshop Needs a Cat

The Doubles

Theodora's Tea Shop

The Witch Below the Dreaming Wood

The Midnight Estate

A haunting mystery of a family's darkest secrets by the author of THE THINGS WE CANNOT SAY

This product is categorised by