Anne Fine takes no prisoners, she is very forthright about feelings and relationships, especially women, and that is one reason her writing is so compelling. It reaches your gut. This is a ‘Beauty and the Bitch’ story, although it is the Bitch who is beautiful but only on the outside. It’s a tale of sister rivalry, slightly predictable but in a very satisfying way. I love all her adult books, I’m sure her children’s ones are brilliant too but I’ve not read one. This comes highly recommended.
Lulu has always been intolerable. From spending every childhood moment worming her way into the affections of her stepmother (spitefully undermining poor Geraldine, her dumpy and hardworking stepsister, along the way) to growing into a sexy, long-legged and ruthless adult. Jobs, lovers, fashionable clothes: Lulu picks them up at whim and drops them with equal ease, confident that Geraldine and her faithfully supportive husband, Robert, will bail her out of every passing problem. But not even watchful Robert has realized quite how much Geraldine's exemplary patience has rested on one simple but long-lasting assumption about her own family. Could everything finally be about to change ...?
'This wickedly entertaining novel ... is not one to miss' The Independent
'Fine untangles all these threads with great psychological intelligence, and a merciless sense of comedy.' Saga
'Few writers can convey better than Anne Fine the dangerous currents that ripple through an unhappy family.' Financial Times
'Fine's depiction of a cunning and manipulative character is masterful, and the conclusion is horribly satisfying.' The Times
'Fine writes in dignified and clear prose that does ring true.' Sunday Times
Author
About Anne Fine
Fly in the Ointment is Anne Fine's seventh novel. Her first was the critically acclaimed The Killjoy, which was runner up for the David Higham Prize for Fiction. Taking the Devil's Advice and Telling Liddy have both been adapted for radio. The Observer referred to her novel In Cold Domain as ‘a glorious tirade against the grind of motherhood’ and the Evening Standard described All Bones and Lies as ‘splendid, clever, cruel and funny ’. Anne Fine’s work has been translated into over thirty languages. She has two grown up daughters and lives in County Durham.
