It's the last go-round for German Moran, an elderly writer with the courage to stare death in the eye, but who nevertheless bemoans the frailties and indignities of old age. His rival in the pursuit of a lovely young actress is a handsome, dashing, but insensitive-and also very married-movie producer who happens to be his son. Populated with lively and unforgettable characters from the New York art and literary scene, this novel entertains and diverts us from the larger underlying, eternal questions about death and dying.