Prelude to a Kiss shares with those early 40s romances a certain atemporal ambience and a purity in its treatment of love, which is central to its charm.

It's a novel, and zany, romantic dilemma, and though Lucas gets plenty of laughs out of this preposterous situation, what's singular about Prelude to a Kiss is the depth of feeling it wrests from this whimsical conceit.

This Prelude to a Kiss is not only without charm and wit, but it's also clumsily set forth: many people seeing it may wonder what, in heaven's name, is going on.

It's all a bit cheesy and awkward...