Book description
A novel of urban deceit and rural passion, of doctors, witches, birth
and death.
'Many people dream of country cottages. Liffey dreamed for many years,
and saw her dream come true one hot Sunday afternoon, in Somerset, in
September… A trap closed around her. The getting of the country cottage,
not the wanting - that was the trap.'
Richard and Liffey, a young married couple, follow their dream of
moving out of London to a country cottage in the middle of Somerset.
Richard continues to live and work in London, coming to stay with Liffey
only on weekends.
Pregnant Liffey feels burdened, hampered, at the mercy of these
biological impulses beyond her control.
Then there are the odd neighbours, the Tuckers, to reckon with, and the
looming shadow of Bella, Richard's lover in London, threatening the
rural idyll Liffey had for so long imagined.
With wit and wisdom, Fay Weldon paints a funny and shocking picture of
the conflicts within these seemingly conventional lives, conflicts which
seem inevitably to stem from the eternal struggle between male and
female. 'Wicked insight and amusement… the novel is unmistakeably
Weldon' Financial Times
'Magical… she lays out the ingredients of her brew with a kind of
manipulative glee, coolly moulding her characters and then neatly
skewering them with mockery' Daily Mail
'Fay Weldon is a national treasure.' Sam Leith, Literary Review
'Weldon, like Dickens, can have her readers perched on the edge of
their chairs with excitement by the end of the first page and hold them
there in a state of riveted curiosity until the last words.' Evening Standard
'Weldon is a gifted tease of a writer.' Sunday Times
'Prolific and provocative, Fay Weldon shines brightest in the league
table of British women novelists.' Time Out Fay Weldon was born and
raised in New Zealand. Her novels and short stories best-sell around the
world and wherever they go are awarded great critical acclaim. Her film
and TV work wins enthusiastic viewers by the million, worldwide.
