In this extraordinary, semi-autobiographical novel, Penelope Mortimer depicts a married woman''s breakdown in 1960s London. With three husbands in her past, one in her present and a numberless army of children, Mrs Mortimer is astonished to find herself collapsing one day in Harrods. This strange, unsettling novel, shot through with black comedy, is a moving account of one woman''s realisation that marriage and family life may not, after all, offer all the answers to the problems of living.

''Beautiful ... almost every woman I can think of will want to read this book'' Edna O''Brien

In this extraordinary, semi-autobiographical novel, Penelope Mortimer depicts a married woman''s breakdown in 1960s London. With three husbands in her past, one in her present and a numberless army of children, Mrs Mortimer is astonished to find herself collapsing one day in Harrods. This strange, unsettling novel, shot through with black comedy, is a moving account of one woman''s realisation that marriage and family life may not, after all, offer all the answers to the problems of living.

''Beautiful ... almost every woman I can think of will want to read this book'' Edna O''Brien