________________________ 'There is no mistaking Trapido's narrative talent: racy, vibrant and witty' - Guardian 'Reading it is rather like being bombarded with sequins' - Observer ________________________ Ali Bobrow is a single parent with a fraught nine-year-old daughter, a malevolent ex with a grabby new wife, and an underused artistic talent. A pushover when it comes to needy neighbours and uninvited children, she allows her house to be the local drop-in centre, until she collides with Noah Glazer. A solid man of science, Noah walks into Ali's life bringing good sense, order and security. But ten years on, Ali is drawn back into the complexities of her past: an old lover, two ex-spouses, a colleague from clown school and a small smuggled cat all help to rock the boat. ________________________ 'The plot's interplay of flashbacks and digressions, which prompt bright dialogue and dark complications, recalls Matisse's line and palette. Some sentences can be relished in isolation, like fine brushwork' - New Yorker 'Full of wisecracks, efficiency, carnal delights, and love of children ... warm and comic' - The Times 'Funny, sexy, glowing' - TimeOut

With an introduction by Helen Dunmore: 'A family tapestry rich in good humour, sensuality and comical human imperfection ... Shimmers with life' (New York Times Book Review)

About the Author
Barbara Trapido is the author of seven novels, including five in the acclaimed and beloved Oxford series. She lives in Oxford.

Reviews
Barbara Trapido was much praised for her sparkling Brother of the More Famous Jack. This one is even better ... contains a good deal of subtlety and even tragedy beneath its hilarious surface * FINANCIAL TIMES *
I adore her books -- CAROL SHIELDS
An achingly funny novel ... wickedly observed -- LIBBY PURVES
There is no mistaking Trapido's narrative talent: racy, vibrant and witty * GUARDIAN *
Reading it is rather like being bombarded with sequins * OBSERVER *
Barbara Trapido's writing is so sparklingly clear and witty that it can be a shock to realise how strong an undertow runs beneath the surface -- HELEN DUNMORE
A family tapestry rich in good humour, sensuality and comical human imperfection. Each character's story moves back and forth in time, shimmering with life * NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW *
The plot's interplay of flashbacks and digressions, which prompt bright dialogue and dark complications, recalls Matisse's line and palette. Some sentences can be relished in isolation, like fine brushwork * NEW YORKER *
Full of wisecracks, efficiency, carnal delights, and love of children ... warm and comic * THE TIMES *
Excellent - funny, sexy, glowing. An easy read, but in Trapido's case easy reading is the product of hard writing .... An unobtrusively artful book. There is something Nabakovian in [her] determination to enchant ... Trapido casts a faery light over the materials of everyday life * TIME OUT *
Splendid ... Trapido's wit can swiftly wound, but does not alienate the reader's delight ... She carries along the tale with great descriptive gusto * TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT *
A rare delight ... This novel is written with a scintillating intelligence, expressed in exquisite phrasing and beautifully shaped sentences that finish on a perfect note * SYDNEY MORNING HERALD *



Book Information
ISBN 9780747599616
Author Barbara Trapido
Format Paperback
Page Count 304
Imprint Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Weight(grams) 202g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 19mm