Charlotte, a woman in her seventies, is mugged on a London street: She falls and breaks her hip. From this unfortunate but seemingly unexciting and unromantic beginning, Penelope Lively cleverly constructs a mesmerizing story, chronicling all the rippling effects of a single incident—like the concentric circles expanding from a pebble thrown in a pond. The aftershock spreads to the lives of an engaging cast of characters. A marriage crumbles; a romance blossoms; one career flourishes at the expense of another. The plot twists and turns. And through it all, Charlotte ruminates on the disappointments and limitations that are part and parcel of aging. Readers of a certain age will especially appreciate How It All Began. (EE)