The Purple Swamp Hen and Other Stories

The Purple Swamp Hen and Other Stories

A glimmering collection of new short fiction from the Booker Prize winner.

â‚¬Å“Lively writes with an astringent blend of sympathy and detachment, emotional wisdom and satiric wit.â‚¬Â â‚¬"Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times

In such acclaimed novels as The Photograph, Family Album, and How It All Began, Penelope Lively has captivated readers with her singular blend of wisdom, elegance, and humor. Now, in her first story collection in decades, Lively takes up themes of history, family, and relationships across varied and vividly rendered settings.

In the title story, a Mediterranean purple swamp hen chronicles the secrets and scandals of Quintus Pompeiusâ‚¬s villa, culminating with his narrow escape from the lava and ash of Vesuvius. â‚¬Å“Abroadâ‚¬Â captures the low point of an artist coupleâ‚¬s tumultuous European road trip, trapped in a remote Spanish farmhouse and forced to paint a family mural and pitch in with chores to pay for repairs to their broken-down car. Other stories reveal friends and lovers in fateful moments of indiscretion, discovery, and even retributionâ‚¬"as in â‚¬Å“The Third Wife,â‚¬Â when a woman learns her husband is a serial con artist and turns a house-hunting trip into an elaborately staged revenge trap.

Each of these delightful stories is elevated by Livelyâ‚¬s signature graceful prose and eye for the subtle yet powerfully evocative detail. Wry, charming, and keenly insightful, The Purple Swamp Hen and Other Stories is a masterful achievement from one of our most beloved writers.
Country USA
Brand Penguin
Manufacturer Penguin
Binding Paperback
ItemPartNumber 27810759
ReleaseDate 2017-05-04
UnitCount 1
EANs 9780241978535

Country	USA
Brand	Penguin
Manufacturer	Penguin
Binding	Paperback
ItemPartNumber	27810759
ReleaseDate	2017-05-04
UnitCount	1
EANs	9780241978535

The Purple Swamp Hen and Other Stories

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