Small Pleasures

LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION<p></p>A BBC 2 'BETWEEN THE COVERS' BOOK CLUB PICK<p></p><p></p>'Wonderful' RICHARD OSMAN<p></p>'Perfect' INDIA KNIGHT<p></p>'Beautiful' JESSIE BURTON<p></p>'Witty and sharp' DAVID NICHOLLS<p></p><p></p>1957, the suburbs of south east London. Jean Swinney is a journalist on a local paper, trapped in a life of duty and disappointment from which there is no likelihood of escape. When a young woman, Gretchen Tilbury, contacts the paper to claim that her daughter is the result of a virgin birth, it is down to Jean to discover whether she is a miracle or a fraud. As the investigation turns her quiet life inside out, Jean is suddenly given an unexpected chance at friendship, love and - possibly - happiness.<p></p><p></p>'Gorgeous . . . I could not recommend it more' PANDORA SYKES<p></p>'Remarkable . . . Small Pleasures is no small pleasure' THE TIMES<p></p>'Irresistible . . . wry, perceptive and quietly devastating' MAIL ON SUNDAY