Taking tea is one of the quintessentially English occasions, and who is a greater authority on the subject than the sumptuous Ritz London Hotel? This charming Edwardian-style book captures the essence of this traditional British pastime, and provides us with all the expertise on the ceremony as well[...]
In this collection - Simpson's third - each short story complements the others in depicting the hectic, day-to-day whirlpool of women's lives, at work, at home, and on holiday. Confronted by situations ranging from excruciating to hilarious, there will be a high-recognition factor for many readers.[...]
One woman finds grief for her lost lover is assuaged by involvement in some carpentry repair work. Another grows increasingly angry as the grim reaper scythes through her circle, with farcical and tragic results. This title offers stories of charting tantrums, funerals, pregnancy, war and love affai[...]
A young woman's diary records a blackly farcical escape attempt involving flamenco, murder and wild picnics; two students fall in love then almost talk themselves out of it in an argument about the end of the world; a heartfelt anti-cancer spell is cast in the desire to protect a friend.[...]
Since the publication of Four Bare Legs in a Bed, her first collection, Helen Simpson has been hailed as one of the best short story writers at work today. These are wickedly funny, heartfelt, and sensuous stories that deal with the full stretch, from birth to death and everything in between.[...]
Set against the backdrop of modern-day London, a collection of nine entertaining short stories captures the joys, tribulations, triumphs, and annoyances of domestic life as it explores the worlds of two female teachers exchanging drunken confidences at a small cafT, a teenage poetry lover who resolv[...]
A debut collection of short stories, some of which have appeared in "Soho Square", "Storia 1" and "Best Short Stories 1988". The stories are mainly concerned with contemporary metropolitan life, ranging across subjects such as relationships, marriage, sex and independence.[...]
'Wallis was a gold-digger or prospector of the evening, who never used a fossicking dish or pick to pan her pay dirt.' (written at the time of the Abdication by a contemporary of Wallis from her home town of Baltimore, as recorded in MEPO/10/35 file 17098 in the Public Records Office.) The Public Re[...]