Heart Of The Country - Hardcover

Weldon, Fay

3.6

383 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 009167090X ISBN 13: 9780091670900

Publisher: Random House UK, 1986

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Men have deserted women often, and perhaps Natalie Harris, whose husband ran off with the local carnival queen, should not have been surprised. But there she was - charming, well-meaning, and well-dressed - suddenly without gas to drive her children to school or money to pay their tuition.

True. Natalie had had a lover for a number of years, but they saw each other only on Tuesday and Thursday afternoon. Still, she felt wronged and helpless when her husband left her; she was the kind of woman other men, attached to other women, liked to help - on their own terms, of course.

The Heart of the Country is about the decidedly unsentimental education of Natalie Harris. Without husband, without home, thrown on the mercy of bank managers and welfare officers, she depends for enlightenment upon long-suffering Sonia who has been abandoned before. But what can Sonia do in the face of Natalie's own nature and the procession of men only too ready to take advantage of her appealing vulnerability?

A cunning satirist, Fay Weldon tickles the myth of the suburban countryside as a place where serenity reigns and neighbors are kindhearted. But if the heart of the country is in upheaval, chaos can be exhilarating. And as Weldon exposes the foibles of the human spirit, she manages to celebrate its wonderful elasticity. Involuntary though it may be, Natalie Harris's education is not all to her disadvantage.

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About the Author:

Weldon's work includes more than twenty novels, five collections of short stories, several children's books, nonfiction books, magazine articles, and a number of plays written for television, radio, and the stage. She was awarded a CBE in 2001.

From Publishers Weekly:

The strikingly inventive British author ( The Shrapnel Academy , The Life and Loves of a She-Devil ) delivers another biting satire on men's inhumanity to women. Weldon sets the scene in a small town where upper-class Natalie is left suddenly penniless after her husband scarpers with his secretary. Sonia, a woman similarly deserted but accustomed to coping with draconian welfare officials, gives Natalie and her children shelter as well as priceless advice. As local males lust for Natalie's body (and the posh house they assume will come with it), Sonia plans a twist on the annual town carnival, a demonstration hinted at throughout the narrative, and occuring at the novel's horrifying conclusion. This strong story about damaged lives is memorable as well for the lusty humor that makes all Weldon's books irresistible. Literary Guild, Doubleday Book Club alternates.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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