Description
Book Synopsis''A very cool and intelligent writer'' TLS
Described by the New York Times upon her death as ''one of Britain''s best-known novelists'', plunge yourself into the wry world of Pamela Hansford Johnson in this story of seduction and marriage, perfect for fans of Elizabeth Jane Howard and Barbara Pym.
******************
Christine Hall, a mother in her late thirties, is on holiday on the south coast of England when she bumps into an old friend: Celia Baird, staying with her parents at the Moray hotel. Celia - eccentric, impulsive - is one of tangled group of friends who have Christine at their core. There''s architect Eric Aveling (who happens to be having an affair with Celia); his wife, terminally ill Lois; and Junius Evans, Eric''s business partner.
When death affects a shift in the dynamics of the group, none of them expect the final outcome.
Duty, guilt, secrecy, loneliness: the hidden side o
Trade Review
As her work reappears, another missing jigsaw piece is replaced * Independent *
Witty, satirical and deftly malicious -- Anthony Burgess
Sharply observed, artfully constructed and always enlivened by the freshness of an imagery that derives from her poetic beginnings * TLS *
A remarkable craftswoman -- A.S. Byatt, author of POSSESSION
Miss Johnson is one of the most accomplished of the English women writers * Kirkus *
Hansford Johnson at her wittiest is Waugh mingled with Malcolm Bradbury -- Ruth Rendell
A writer whose memory fully deserves to be kept alive -- Jonathan Coe, author of THE HOUSE OF SLEEP
