Rosemary Tonks Livres

Gut-wrenching, ingenious, absolutely hilarious, this is the rediscovered story of woman's desperate quest for freedom. 'I'm thirty, and I'm stuck' Arabella is on an increasingly desperate quest for freedom from her overbearing father and her conspicuously absent brother. But her desire for self-actualisation only ends up leading her into the orbit of a happily married man. A spiky, self-conscious love affair begins, complete with awful dinner dates, devastating kisses and agonising introspection. Can Arabella realise what she wants? Can she escape the trap of being sexy, good and likable? Back in print after many decades, this is an outstanding novel by an extraordinary and little-known writer, the inimitable Rosemary Tonks. 'Salted with wit and peppered with clever images' Guardian 'Writing like this...is far too beautiful and accomplished to be kept off the shelf. It catches like nothing else the smogs, the rodentine genes, the murky post-War grays, the lurking sexual violence of London' Michael Hoffman, Poetry Foundation

Fun, witty and sun-soaked - literary cartwheels and seaside capers from the astoundingly brilliant mid-century writer who destroyed her own books. Great friends, Mimi and Caroline, are off on holiday to a beautiful Italian island. There they find themselves part of an eccentric cast of characters including their debonair host and his mistress, a relentless venture capitalist and a villain in the form of the local dentist. There is also Beetle, with whom Mimi is completely and simply in love. As everyone relaxes into island living and the demands of real life drift away, the holiday hijinks culminate in a very Mediterranean prank - the cutting down of the dentist's prize lemon tree. Back in print after many decades, this is a glorious novel by an extraordinary and little-known writer, the inimitable Rosemary Tonks. 'Everyone could do with a bit of Tonks in their lives' Stewart Lee

The narrative explores the protagonist's frustration with the men in her life, highlighting her humorous and somewhat desperate quest for deeper connections. She seeks knowledge and fulfillment, symbolized by her search for the Kama-Sutra, suggesting a desire for both emotional and physical intimacy. The tone combines wit and longing, capturing the challenges of navigating relationships and self-discovery in a comedic light.

The disappearance of the poet Rosemary Tonks in the 1970s was one of the literary world's most tantalising mysteries. All her published poetry is now available here for the first time in over 40 years, along with a selection of her prose. This second edition has an expanded introduction and an additional prose piece.

Brilliantly funny and brutal, this is the story of one woman's escape from the clutches of polite society, by the incredible mid-century writer who destroyed her own books. Sophie's mother knows exactly how to needle her. Sophie's lover Philip knows how to stab her in the heart. She may be clever, charming and smart but is Sophie destined to be an eternal bit-part? After a particularly callous throwaway remark from Philip, Sophie knows she must break away - from him, from her mother, from the snobbery of her Hampstead Heath upbringing. Being good and agreeable has brought nothing but loneliness; setting out alone might finally bring Sophie satisfaction. Back in print after many decades, this novel is a piece of dynamite, written by an extraordinary and little-known writer, the inimitable Rosemary Tonks. 'A bubbly, empathetic and ultimately lovely novel of a belated coming-of-age' New York Times 'Nobody writes about angsty women like Tonks' The Millions