Like a Cat Loves a Bird

<p><b><i>"</i>This is a deeply stylish, astute and illuminating biography of a fascinating writer"</b><br><b>FRANCESCA WADE, author of <i>Square Haunting</i></b><br><br><b>"Utterly charming. A book as elegant, sharp-witted and mischievous as its subject"</b><br><b>CLARE POLLARD, author of <i>Delphi</i><br></b><br><i><b>"She was, if you believe what you read in the papers: a genius, a survivor, a bad mother, a fickle friend, a closeted lesbian, a tyrant, a loner, an eccentric, a recluse, a gossip, and an arch-manipulator. She would politely encourage you not to believe what you read in the papers."</b></i><br><br>Muriel Spark was one of literature''s great shapeshifters. That mercurial quality is found in her strange, brilliant, cruel novels<b> - </b>with their plots featuring pensioners receiving telephone calls from Death, the devil going clubbing in Peckham and a fascist schoolmistress leading her coterie of girls astray <b>- </b>but it is also true of her as a person. <br><br>As sly, nimble and elegant as Spark''s own work, <i>Like a Cat Loves a Bird</i> is a thrilling new perspective on a remarkable life and career that spanned much of the twentieth century. From her childhood in Edinburgh to her final years in Tuscany - via South Africa, London, New York and Rome - it traces a light-footed journey around the world and through her strange and magnificent bibliography. It tells an irresistible story of transformation, wit and fierce determination and makes a passionate case for this vital modern artist.<br><br><b>"You don''t have to be a Muriel Spark fan to enjoy the sharp wit of <i>Like a Cat Loves a Bird</i>, a fascinating and nuanced exploration of the sacrifices some make to focus on their art"</b><br><b>LUKE TURNER, author of <i>Out of the Woods</i><br><br></b><b>"Vital, fun and immediate . . . full of engaging and astute literary analysis of Spark''s work as well as scintillating, vivid biography"</b><br><b>FRANCESCA REECE, author of <i>Glass Houses</i><br></b><br><b>"A readable and fascinating book, about an under-appreciated literary giant" </b><br><b>LUCINDA HAWKSLEY, author of <i>The Mystery of Princess Louise</i></b></p>