LIKE MEN BETRAYED <i> by John Mortimer (Penguin: $7.95) </i>

Originally published in 1954, this quirky but eminently readable novel by the creator of the popular “Rumpole” series focuses on a favorite theme of that decade: the inability of one generation to communicate with another. Christopher Kennet, a mild, fiftysomething lawyer, strives “just to live” without reference to any creed or credo. His comfortable existence is shattered by the peculations of his greedy, ambitious son, Kit, who’s been dipping into the trust fund of a rich, alcoholic matriarch. The reasons for Kit’s ambition never become clear, even to him. He pursues money the way the poet Seton pursues women, but with more success. In his effort to save his son, Kennet discovers untapped resources within himself. He pays a terrible price, but manages to overcome the inertia of his sedentary life and indulge in a delicious adventure.