A Far Cry from Kensington

Product Description Set on the crazier fringes of 1950s literary London, A Far Cry from Kensington is a delight, hilariously portraying love, fraud, death, evil, and transformation. Mrs. Hawkins, the majestic narrator of A Far Cry from Kensington, takes us well in hand and leads us back to her threadbare years in postwar London. There, as a fat and much admired young war widow, she spent her days working for a mad, near-bankrupt publisher (''of very good books'') and her nights dispensing advice at her small South Kensington rooming house. At work and at home Mrs. Hawkins soon uncovered evil: shady literary doings and a deadly enemy; anonymous letters, blackmail, and suicide. With aplomb, however, Mrs. Hawkins confidently set about putting things to order, little imagining the mayhem that would ensue. Now decades older, thin, successful, and delighted with life in Italy -- quite a far cry from Kensington -- Mrs. Hawkins looks back to all those dark doings and recounts how her own life changed forever. She still, however, loves to give advice: ''It's easy to get thin. You eat and drink the same as always, only half . . . I offer this advice without fee; it is included in the price of this book.'' A Far Cry from Kensington has been hailed as ''outstanding'' (Observer), ''wickedly and adroitly executed'' (New York Times), and ''a comedy that holds a tragedy as an eggcup holds an egg'' (Philadelphia Inquirer). Review ''Wickedly and adroitly executed.'' -- New York Times ''Far Cry is, among other things, a comedy that holds a tragedy as an eggcup holds an egg.'' --Philadelphia Inquirer''A 1950s Kensington of shabby-genteel bedsitters, espresso bars . . . irradiated with the sudden glows of lyricism she can so beautifully effect.'' --Sunday Times (London)''Outstanding.'' -- Observer ''The divine Spark is shining at her brightest -- pure delight.'' --Independent (UK) About the Author MURIEL SPARK (1918-2006) was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. She was the author of over twenty novels, including The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, as well as critical biographies, radio plays, children's books, poetry, and short-story collections. She was made a Dame of the British Empire in 1993 and a Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres in 1996.