This collection of four novellas has the signature Lessing elegance and stateliness of expression on the surface, but all are surprising and edgy under the surface. In the case of the title characters of the novella that gives the collection its title, under the surface lies a perhaps improbable, perhaps disturbing but still compelling sexiness, too. While somewhat uneven in terms engaging the reader (particularly the dystopic “The Reason for It”), there is something to satisfy in plot and character in each novella. Published in 2003 when she was into her 80s, this collection shows that the Nobel Prize winner’s sharp, ironic wit has yet to dull.