Queen of the Tambourine

Queen of the Tambourine Synopsis

Winner of the Whitbread Prize for Best Novel of the Year: "e;Gardam's portrait of an insanely imaginative woman in an elusive midlife crisis is impeccably drawn"e; (The Seattle Times).With prose that is vibrant and witty, The Queen of the Tambourine traces the emotional breakdown-and eventual restoration-of Eliza Peabody, a smart and wildly imaginative woman who has become unbearably isolated in her prosperous London neighborhood. The letters Eliza writes to her neighbor, a woman whom she hardly knows, reveal her self-propelled descent into madness. Eliza must reach the depths of her downward spiral before she can once again find health and serenity. This story of a woman's confrontation with the realities of sanity will delight readers who enjoy the works of Anita Brookner, Sybille Bedford, Muriel Spark, and Sylvia Plath."e;Excellently done . . . Manic delusions have never been so persuasive . . . Very moving when it is not being exceedingly funny."e; -Anita Brookner, award-winning author of The Debut"e;British author Gardam, who won the Whitbread Award for this jigsaw puzzle of a novel, keeps up the suspense to the end, writing like a sorceress in the meantime."e; -The Seattle Times"e;Brilliant."e; -The Sunday Times"e;An ingenious, funny, satirical, sad story . . . Vivid and poignant."e; -The Independent on Sunday"e;Wickedly comic . . . masterly and hugely enjoyable."e; -Daily Mail"e;Marvelously subtle and moving."e; -The Times (London)

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