Author:Gustave Flaubert,Roger Whitehouse
'She decided she would teach him to speak and he was very soon able to say, 'Pretty boy!', 'Your servant, sir!' and 'Hail Mary!''
With pathos and humour, Flaubert imagines the unexamined life of a servant girl.
Introducing Little Black Classics: 80 books for Penguin's 80th birthday. Little Black Classics celebrate the huge range and diversity of Penguin Classics, with books from around the world and across many centuries. They take us from a balloon ride over Victorian London to a garden of blossom in Japan, from Tierra del Fuego to 16th-century California and the Russian steppe. Here are stories lyrical and savage; poems epic and intimate; essays satirical and inspirational; and ideas that have shaped the lives of millions.
Gustave Flaubert (1821-1880). Flaubert's works available in Penguin Classics are Madame Bovary, Sentimental Education, Three Tales and Salammbo.
This collection is a joy
—— BooksellerHelen Simpson is a vital (and pleasurable) voice
—— Melanie White , Independent on SundayThese uplifting and sensitive tales act like a guide to ‘the next phase’ – whatever that may bring.
—— Imogen Lycett Green , Daily MailCockfosters is elegant, sane, and – while remaining firmly rooted in ordinary life – gently ground-breaking.
—— Theo Tait , Sunday TimesOver the course of a quarter century, Simpson has assembled a body of work that delivers one of literature’s richest accounts of the post-war lives of girls and women.
—— Sarah Crown , Guardian[Simpson’s] stories are chamber pieces, acutely observed domestic miniatures, and born of modesty.
—— Jon Day, five stars , Daily TelegraphReading Simpson’s stories makes you feel less alone in the world: she’s one of those writers who just seem to hit the nail on the head. She’s funny, too.
—— Cressida Connolly , Literary ReviewInvigorating, aggressive wickedly funny short stories on the modern gender wars, exhausted motherhood and anxieties about work and getting older.
—— CA, four stars , MetroFrom varifocals to the menopause, a virtuoso of the short story turns her attention to the ageing process.
—— Justine Jordan , GuardianElegant, understated and quietly funny stories.
—— Cathy Rentzenbrink , StylistClever, affecting and frank, but above all, terrifically entertaining.
—— Stephanie Cross , LadySometimes one gets the sense that her stories are some kind of futuristic instruments, wearing the disguise of the short story, planted into the heart of evolving contemporary life to take hyperaccurate readings of the inner weather and shifting equilibria of a certain class of society.
—— Neel Mukherjee , SpectatorCockfosters isn’t just carefully crafted stories, Helen Simpson has also tackled some pertinent feminist issues in an incredibly sharp, honest and accessible way.
—— Georgie Lane-Godfrey, four stars , StylistSad and tender, sometimes political or formally inventive, and always beautifully observed.
—— Belfast Telegraph MorningExhibits a wit and tenderness that makes her one of our best story writers.
—— Max Liu , IndependentIn my stocking, to savour during the fug I hope to find [this book].
—— Sara Wheeler , ObserverFor Christmas, I’d like [this book].
—— Kate Kellaway , ObserverWarm, funny and acutely observed.
—— Lorien Kite , Financial TimesThemes of dealing with the force of ever-looming old age, the ups and downs of friendship, marriage and love, and the strength of female identity are expertly weaved together in Simpson’s crafty concoction of social commentary and character study. This is all of our lives and social taboos laid bare in comedic style, with the trials and oddities of modern life deftly illuminated.
—— Cheryl Caira , Scottish WomanBitterly comic.
—— Katy Guest , Independent on SundayA collection of warm and witty gems reflecting the complexities of modern life.
—— Kate Figes , Mail on SundayAn unmissable collection of near-perfect short stories.
—— Saga MagazineHumour folded into every story.
—— Maggie Fergusson , Intelligent LifeFull of minutely observed details of life that sparkle in her hands: funny, knowing, true. She is a master of dialogue… She can get more life onto a page than most can in twenty… An exceptional collection of stories.
—— SkinnySimpson has a fine ear for the cadence of everyday speech.
—— Emily Rhodes , Times Literary SupplementSimpson sharpens her fiction to a fine point, the better to dig into social wounds
—— Anthony Cummins , New StatesmanA slim and fairly devastating volume... Simpson is truthful, funny, and sharp… The result is elegant, sane and, while remaining fairly rooted in ordinary life, gently ground-breaking.
—— Theo Tait , Sunday TimesA collection of well-turned short fiction.
—— William Leith , Evening StandardHelen Simpson has been hailed as a true chronicler of what it means to be a woman. Her new collection explores the menopause years, to which there is no better, braver or funnier guide than Simpson.
—— Mumsnet