Home
/
Fiction
/
Highland Fling
Highland Fling
Oct 10, 2024 6:21 AM

Author:Nancy Mitford

Highland Fling

Nancy Mitford's first novel, a set of completely incompatible and hilariously eccentric characters collide in a Scottish castle, where bright young things play pranks on their stodgy elders until the frothy plot climaxes in ghost sightings and a dramatic fire.

Inspired in part by Mitford's youthful infatuation with a Scottish aristocrat, her story follows young Jane Dacre to a shooting party at Dulloch Castle, where she tramps around a damp and chilly moor on a hunting expedition with formidable Lady Prague, xenophobic General Murgatroyd, one-eyed Admiral Wenceslaus, and an assortment of other ancient and gouty peers of the realm, while falling in love with Albert, a surrealist painter with a mischievous sense of humour.

Light-hearted and sparkling with witty banter, Highland Fling was Mitford's first foray into the delightful fictional world for which the author of The Pursuit of Love and Love in a Cold Climate later became so celebrated.

'A delightful comedy of manners' - The Times

Reviews

An absolute treat . . . fabulous setting, gorgeous food and wonderful characters

—— Jill Mansell

Another gem from Jo Thomas. Fun, food, love and France, what more can anyone want?

—— Katie Fforde

So good I could almost taste it. Magnifique!

—— Milly Johnson

If you want to get away from it all this festive season, this is just the novel to transport you

—— Heat

A gorgeous winter read

—— My Weekly

[A] joyous romcom ... This has everything you want from an escapist read: romance, food and beautiful descriptions of the French countryside

—— Good Housekeeping

An utterly delightful Christmas read!

—— My Creative Notebook

A feel-good festive romp

—— Best

Atmospheric and romantic

—— The People's Friend

Feel-good fiction at its best... the perfect read'

—— NB

Perfect, feel-good loveliness

—— Miranda Dickinson

Delightfully warm with plenty of twists and turns

—— Trisha Ashley

Darkly funny and wry story is full of nostalgia and friendship

—— Sun

Warm and wonderfully well-observed . . . One Day I Shall Astonish The World reminds us that the richness of life is in its small details, not the grand plans. This is author Stibbe at her entertaining and heartwarming best

—— Sunday Express

Nina Stibbe is one of our most beloved comic writers: One Day I Shall Astonish The World, about the lifelong friendship between two women, will cement that reputation further

—— Daily Mail, 2022 Sure Fire Blockbuster

While there may be echoes of previous greats, however, Stibbe's voice is utterly her own . . . One Day I Shall Astonish the World is, unsurprisingly, very funny. But it might also be Stibbe's most moving novel yet . . . so hilarious and rewarding

—— Irish Business Post

Funny, kind, sad, relevant, and raucous in all the right places. I loved it so much

—— Daisy Buchanan

Nina Stibbe is not just very funny but absolutely life-affirming

—— Jenny Colgan

Clever and funny, it takes a sharp look at the intricacies of marriage, friendship, work, and driving. As with all Stibbe's writing there is a pleasingly perfect balance of wisdom with jokes

—— Cathy Rentzenbrink

I started off highlighting all the brilliant observations and one-liners but had to give up because there were so many. Nina Stibbe makes being funny look easy, but that's just because she's very, very good at it

—— Clare Chambers, author of Small Pleasures

Her best yet and it's a delight to watch this gifted comic writer go from strength to strength . . . You'll be rooting for Susan on every page of a novel packed to the gills with perceptive, laugh-out loud observations and idiosyncratic turns of phrase, putting the quirks of ordinary life under the microscope

—— Daily Express

For beautifully funny and well-observed comic writing, Nina Stibbe is your go-to author. In her latest release, a tale of lifelong friendship between Susan and Norma, she explores the mistakes, rivalries and love we all experience in life

—— Stylist, Best Novels for 2022

The true heir to Sue Townsend

—— Caitlin Moran

[Stibbe's] new novel is Elena Ferrante re-scripted as English comedy

—— Daily Telegraph

Delicious

—— Oldie

Funny of course but also a real departure as it packs most of a life and a long, messy marriage into barely 300 pages and its humour springs from a deep understanding of social pain. This acute portrayal of frienmity is up there with Cats Eye and as nourishing as Anne Tyler on top form

—— Patrick Gale

I absolutely loved every single page of it! I honestly think it's the funniest thing she's ever written

—— Garth Jennings, writer and director of 'Sing' and 'Sing 2'

From the comic voice of her generation comes a suburban tale of dysfunctional relationships full of charm, wit and lightly told wisdom

—— i

A master wielder of dry British humour, Stibbe here chronicles 30 years in the lives of frenemies Susan and Norma - a tangle of sweetness, snubs and secrets from their university days to middle age. There's an LOL moment on almost every page, which makes the pandemic ending astonishingly moving

—— People Magazine

Very funny . . . Nina does gentle wisdom well

—— Nell Zink

Another wonderful, funny slice of fiction from the author of best-seller, Love Nina. Her latest novel explores a decades-long friendship between two women and what happens when your paths diverge

—— Good Housekeeping, Books We're Looking Forward to in 2022

Nina Stibbe's very funny novels are full of charm, and her latest brilliantly captures the mordant humour of British suburban life. Through the 90s to the present day, it follows Susan from her job in a haberdashery shop to working at the local university, and the ebbs and flows of her relationships with her husband and best friend

—— Evening Standard, Best Fiction Books to Look Forward to in 2022

The wayward, wildly original and beautifully noticing sentences are perfectly cadenced . . . Despite the sparkling, satirical voice, and her laughter at the littleness of Little England, Stibbe creates a world in which tolerance and forgiveness are the key, even in these dark and scary times, to the possibility of a happy life

—— Daily Telegraph

It's a rare novel that makes me laugh out loud but Stibbe has a knack for extracting humour from everyday moments

—— Good Housekeeping, Books of the Month

In One Day I Shall Astonish The World by gifted comic writer Nina Stibbe, Susan and Norma have been best friends for 30 years, but when Norma's life takes an unforeseen turn, Susan begins to wonder if she's followed the wrong path in life- and in friendship

—— Daily Mirror, Brilliant Books in 2022

One Day I Shall Astonish the World by the always entertaining Nina Stibbe is a story of female friendship

—— Irish Times, Books To Look Out For In 2022

In April look out for...Love, Nina writer Nina Stibbe's One Day I Shall Astonish The World

—— Daily Mirror, What's Hot in 2022

Nina Stibbe is one of the great comic writers of our time

—— Irish Times

Stibbe is one of the all-time greats

—— Daisy Buchanan

Very few writers can find the delicate balance between heartbreak and hilarity like Nina Stibbe

—— Red Magazine

Funny, charming, odd-in-the-best-way and gorgeously uplifting! A delight from start to finish

—— Marian Keyes on ‘Reasons to be Cheerful’

Joyful. Stibbe's comedy probes what it means to become an adult

—— Daily Telegraph on ‘Reasons to be Cheerful’

Pitch perfect vintage comedy

—— Guardian on ‘Reasons to be Cheerful’

I love everything Nina Stibbe writes and this was my favourite of the novels. It's so sharp and painful and brilliantly funny. There are sentences you could eat for Christmas dinner. If you haven't read it already - you probably have but just in case - I really do think you'd love it

—— Katherine Rundell

Riveting drama packed with suspense and secrets

—— Woman & Home

Like drinking a pink Cosmo laced with arsenic . . . a fun, engaging and sometimes disturbing read

—— USA Today

Perfect

—— Hello

Fascinating and compassionate

—— Daily Telegraph

I loved every line of it

—— Louise Candlish

Funny and captivating

—— Closer

A cracking story cleverly told

—— Fabulous
Comments
Welcome to zzdbook comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Copyright 2023-2024 - www.zzdbook.com All Rights Reserved