Collected Novels of Fay Weldon

Man Booker Prize nominee Fay Weldon has been writing some of the boldest, funniest satirical novels for over half a century. In her mid-eighties, she's penned a scathing sequel, The Death of a She Devil. The Life and Loves of a She Devil A New York Times Notable Book Weldon tells the story of Ruth, whose husband, Bobbo, has fallen in love with Mary Fisher, a bestselling romance novelist who lives in a high tower overlooking the sea. Mary is petite, dainty, and lovely. Ruth is not. When Bobbo moves out, Ruth decides to orchestrate an elaborate and masterful revenge. Weldon's novel was made into a film with Meryl Streep and Roseanne Barr. The Hearts and Lives of Men: In Weldon's novel set in 1960s London, Clifford Wexford and Helen Lally meet at a party and fall passionately in love. But their baby, Nell, isn't even a year old when their marriage unravels. Divorce quickly follows, and so begins a battle for Nell's care and affection. Helen remarries; Clifford has affairs-and something quite remarkable happens to little Nell, as an ill-conceived kidnapping plot sets her on a series of picaresque adventures in this modern-day fairy tale. Praxis Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize Praxis Duveen is a survivor. At five years old, in 1920s England, she is still innocent, the product of an unstable mother and a father who abandoned her and Hypatia, her half-crazy sister. As the decades fly by, Praxis experiences many incarnations, from prostitute to rape victim, wife to adulteress, and eventually becomes the accidental leader of an international women's movement. Now, from her dingy basement apartment where she's attempting to write a memoir, Praxis recounts her remarkable journey-peppered with more than a few detours along the way.

The beloved author of The Life and Loves of a She Devil sends up marriage, 1950s London, fad diets, celebrity feminists, and Doctor Faustus. The Fat Woman's Joke: A novel about sex, food, marriage, and the indignities of the 1960s. After a lifetime of gorging herself, Esther Wells has an epiphany: She and her husband are going on a diet. Dedicated foodies throughout their marriage, they are about to discover what happens when new passions supplant old. Down Among the Women: In 1950s London, Scarlet was raised by her mother-a former radical who left her husband to be fiercely independent. But at twenty, Scarlet has already had one abortion, and is about to become a single mother to the child she's naming Byzantia. Over the course of twenty years, Scarlet and her friends will discover it's never too late to become the women they are meant to be. Growing Rich: Carmen is sixteen when Bernard Bellamy spies her from the back seat of his big, black BMW. He's just made a bargain with Mephistopheles: his mortal soul in exchange for the fulfillment of his desires. As time passes, inexplicable things happen to Carmen and her friends. But she's determined to hang on to her soul, no matter what obstacles-or temptations-are erected in her path. Will she succumb? Only the devil knows . . .

Three novels from the British satirist: from the joy of inspiration to the shock of betrayal and the pleasure of vengeance. Perhaps best known for The Life and Loves of a She Devil, Man Booker Prize nominee Fay Weldon has been writing some of the boldest, funniest satirical novels for over half a century. In her mid-eighties, she's penned a scathing sequel, The Death of a She Devil, The three volumes collected here-from an epistolary novel inspired by Jane Austen to a widow's discovery of her husband's betrayal and a tale of abandonment that twists into comeuppance-all prove Weldon's wit and insights into the human condition to be as sharp as ever. Letters to Alice: With the dire warning, "You must read, Alice, before it's too late," Aunt Fay implores her niece to immerse herself in the works of enduring authors. Taking its inspiration from Jane Austen's relationship with her niece, Weldon's epistolary novel explores the literary life, as lived by both Austen and eighteen-year-old Alice, as she struggles with her own writing, school, parents, romance, ambition, and spiky green hair. Worst Fears: A New York Times Notable Book. A darling of the London theater world, Alexandra Ludd is playing Nora in Ibsen's A Doll's House when her husband, Ned, former theater critic and stay-at-home father to their young son, Sascha, dies of an apparent heart attack. But when Alexandra returns to their country home, her grief begins to give way to suspicion. Ned didn't keel over in the dining room, as her good friends told her. He died in their bed-and he wasn't alone. What's a widow to do? The Heart of the Country: When her husband kisses her and their children goodbye, departs for the office, and never returns, Natalie blames herself. Perhaps if she hadn't been cheating on him every Tuesday and Thursday, he wouldn't have left her for his secretary, a local beauty queen. Penniless and soon homeless, Natalie finds herself navigating the heartless labyrinth of the state welfare system. There, she meets Sonia, who offers to shelter Natalie and her children. But Sonia has her own agenda (hint: she's narrating from a mental institution) that will culminate in a monstrous act of vengeance at the town's carnival.