Redundant journalist attempts to acquire all available pieces of the eponymous china. Each piece, created in 1914, shows a different English landmark, and the exercise is clearly a recherche du temps perdu, personal and national, as well as attempt to salvage the narrator's self-esteem and failing marriage. Symbolism of quest is far from subtle but the settings are varied and the descriptions vivid. I was attracted to this book because it concerned fine china, and I was not disappointed.