I'm not a member of a book club, so I don't know if it's de rigueur for literary associations to throw back a few cocktails and to unsheath verbal knives at holiday get-togethers. If it is, then I was in the presence of a masterful group of readers.

Is the counselor fresh from 15 years of seeking property tax reductions for shopping centers any more qualified to represent a home buyer than a fresh-faced law graduate? Probably not, but only one of them is claiming "I have been focused on property law since 1997."

The home seller sobbed when she heard her real estate transaction fell through. "I've got to get out of here," she let me know for the umpteenth time. "I can't keep pretending to be middle class."