Excellent Women

Excellent Women is a novel by Barbara Pym, first published in 1952 and generally acclaimed as the funniest and most successful of her comedies of manners.

Warning: wikipedia contains spoilers

The plot concerns Mildred Lathbury, a mild-mannered spinster who occupies herself with charity work. Excitement enters her life with the arrival of new neighbours, anthropologist Helena Napier and her handsome, dashing husband, Rocky - with whom Mildred fancies herself in love. Through the Napiers, she meets another anthropologist, Everard Bone, and it is with him that Mildred will eventually form a relationship. A sub-plot revolves around the activities of the local vicar, Julian Mallory, who becomes engaged to a glamorous widow, Allegra Gray. As with most of Pym's books, the story is less important than the development of comic characters (such as Everard's elderly mother) and situations.

The phrase, "excellent women", is used ironically as a condescending reference to the kind of women who perform menial duties in the service of churches and voluntary organisations.