A Far Cry From Kensington by Muriel Spark

The fraying fringes of 1950s literary London.

I can't help it. Sometimes the words just come out and I can't stop them. It feels like preaching the gospel.

When publishing assistant and war widow Nancy Hawkins tells Hector Bartlett he 'urinates frightful prose', the repercussions are swift. Losing not one, but two, much-sought-after literary jobs, Mrs Hawkins finds herself embroiled in a mystery involving anonymous letters, quack remedies and blackmail. Years later, and a far cry from Kensington, she looks back with a sharp and mischievous eye at the cost of telling the truth.

Introduced by Ali Smith.

'Mercurially funny, playful and mischievous' Ali Smith

'I was in heaven reading this book. . . just blissful' Stephen Fry

'Funny, astringent, shrewd, her take on life is wonderfully bracing' William Boyd

'Wonderfully entertaining' Sunday Telegraph

'An outstanding novel . . . A Far Cry From Kensington has an effortless, translucent grasp of the spirit of the period' Observer

'The divine Spark is shining at her brightest . . . Pure delight' Claire Tomalin