Description
Book Synopsis''Lively remains a sublime storyteller'' Guardian on How It All Began
''More stylish than many writers half her age . . . Lively knows a thing of two about storytelling.'' The Times on How It All Began
A dream house that is hiding something sinister; two women having lunch who share a husband; an old woman doing her weekly supermarket shop with a secret past that no one could guess; a couple who don''t know each other at all even after fifteen years together; and, in the story from which this collection takes its name, a bird and a servant girl in ancient Pompeii who cannot converse, but share a perfect understanding.
In this new and varied collection of short stories, Penelope Lively shows that she remains a master of her craft, and one of our finest English writers.
Trade ReviewCarefully thought-out stories. . .
Patterns of interaction between
past and present are
sounded out to
good effect. * Sunday Times *
Lively has
guts and
style. . .
You are in the hands of a master * Daily Mail *
Her new collection of short stories is
perfect. It is a
very wide range of short stories and
each one has an unexpected twist in the tale. * Kirsty Lang *
Thoughtful,
intelligent and
light of touch . . .
Lively has the gift, rare and wonderful, of being able to
peel back the layers one by one and set them before us,
translucent and gleaming. * Sunday Telegraph *
Spry and
world-wise,
The Purple Swamp Hen is
an enchanting story that
sets the tone for the rest of this
stellar collection. * Observer *
More stylish than many writers half her age . . . Lively knows a thing or two about storytelling. * The Times on How It All Began *
Lively is now nearly 80 but, as
How It All Began shows, there is no diminution of her skills . . . Lively is a writer of craft and sagacity and such old fashioned virtues trump the chic but meretricious every time. * Financial Times on How It All Began *
Penelope Lively at her best, sharp-eyed but sympathetic, deftly steering the reader from one point of view to another. This novel should delight her regular readers and ensnare new ones. * Evening Standard on Family Album *
Lively skilfully mingles past and present, as she peels away the layers to uncover a family secret of which no one speaks...Lively's astute skewering of family relations reverberates in the mind long afterwards. * Daily Mail on Family Album *
Gorgeous * David Vann on Family Album, Guardian Books of the Year *
Sensuous and beautiful prose...proof that the best novelists change and grow. * The Times on Consequences *
Neatly constructed, lucidly written and full of admirable sentiments. * Sunday Times on Consequences *
Masterful. Transforms the every day into something rich. * Time Out on Consequences *
