A.N. Wilson, Spectator
‘There are few modern tales of first love and its disillusions that are as thoroughly realised, as brilliantly lewd, and as hilariously satisfying to men and women of all ages as this one’ Rachel Cusk
Noah’s Ark
With an introduction by Helen Dunmore
Ali Bobrow is an other-worldly 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, who falls for her pale red hair. A solid man of science, Noah walks into her over-populated 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.
‘An achingly funny novel . . . wickedly observed’
Libby Purves
‘There is no mistaking Trapido’s narrative talent: racy, vibrant and witty’
Guardian
‘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
Frankie & Stankie
Shortlisted for the Whitbread Novel Award With an introduction by Joanna Briscoe
Dinah and Lisa are growing up in 1950s South Africa, where racial laws are tightening. They are two little girls from a liberal family – big sister Lisa is strong and sensible, while Dinah is weedy and arty. As the shadows of apartheid lengthen, Dinah journeys through childhood and adolescence and the minefields of boys and university in this vibrant and irresistible novel.
‘A gorgeous book about growing up, hugely atmospheric . . . a wonderful read’
Observer
‘A big book with big themes’
Hilary Mantel
‘She has become one of that rare band whose next novel is awaited with impatience. Frankie & Stankie is a beautifully written slice of both personal and political history . . . by the end of the novel, you are immersed in her world and simply never want to leave it’
Guardian
Temples of Delight
Jem is a joyful mystery to Alice. She is something to give thanks for. And when she disappears from Alice’s life, as suddenly as she entered it, a whirl of glamour, subversion and literary references, Alice is left bereft. But then she meets Giovanni, presumptuous and hectoring, passionate and beautiful, who leads her back to her childhood friend and the mystery and chaos still surrounding her. Alice finds herself being seduced all over again . . .
‘Her characters are larger than life, but still ring psychologically true. Temples of Delight shows how grief is implicit in joy. It makes you laugh and it moves you’
Sunday Times
‘Very funny . . . fizzes along at a cracking pace’
Sunday Telegraph
‘A strange and magical novel; a complex and ambitious work’
Sunday Express
The Travelling Hornplayer
Shortlisted for the Whitbread Novel of the Year
Stella Goldman is programmed for maximum nuisance capacity, but with flecked pussycat eyes and orange crepe hair she is as beautiful as she is difficult. When she discovers both her father’s affair and her boyfriend’s infidelity on the same day, she flees into the arms of kindly Pen, who speaks as though he has stepped from the cast of Brief Encounter. Meanwhile, her friend Ellen struggles to come to terms with the death of her sister, Lydia, whose ghost haunts not only her and their father Roland, but the Goldmans too. Along with eccentric professors, wicked monks and a travelling hornplayer, their lives collide in a breathtaking finale.
‘Sprinkled with magic’
Sunday Times
‘This woman is brilliant. She deserves to be up there, topping the bestseller lists and winning all the prizes. And she actually makes you laugh . . . I enjoyed every page’
Daily Mail
‘Reading Barbara Trapido is sheer pleasure. Afterwards, I went out and bought everything else she has written – and am only disappointed I didn’t do it earlier’ Independent on Sunday Books of the Year
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Bloomsbury Publishing, London, New Delhi, New York and Sydney
Copyright © Barbara Trapido, 1994
First published by Hamish Hamilton 1994
This electronic edition published in 2013 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
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A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
eISBN: 978-1-4088-2274-6
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