Ten years after the publication of the prize-winning Love, Nina comes the author’s diary of her return to London in her sixty-first year. Twenty years after leaving London, Nina Stibbe is back in town with her dog, Peggy. Together they take up lodging in the house of writer Deborah (Debby) Moggach in Camden for 'a year-long sabbatical'. It’s a break from married life back in Cornwall, or even perhaps a fresh start altogether. Nina is not quite sure yet. Debby does not have many demands – only to water the garden, watch for toads, and defrost the odd pie – so Nina is free to explore the city she once called home. Between scrutinising her son’s online dating developments, navigating the politics of the local pool, and taking detergent advice at the laundrette, this diary of a sixty-year-old runaway reunites us with the inimitable voice of Love, Nina, as the writer becomes, as she puts it, 'a proper adult' at last. Praise for Love, Nina 'No book this year had made me laugh more' - Guardian, Books of the Year 'Nina already feels like my best friend' - Marian Keyes 'Hilarious, rude and aching with sweetness . . . the most charming book I've ever read' - Maria Semple

From the prize-winning author of Reasons to be Cheerful comes a story about the ebb and flow of female friendship over half a lifetime 'A true gift of a novel, I utterly adored it. For as long as I could make it last, the world just felt a bit nicer.' Meg Mason 'Wonderful . . . Her best yet' Kathy Burke 'I loved it so SO much! Funnier than ever but with a new depth and maturity' Marian Keyes _______________________________________ Susan and Norma have been best friends for years, at first thrust together by force of circumstance (a job at The Pin Cushion, a haberdashery shop in 1990s Leicestershire) and then by force of character (neither being particularly inclined to make friends with anyone else). But now, thirty years later, faced with a husband seeking immortality and Norma out of reach on a wave of professional glory, Susan begins to wonder whether she has made the right choices about life, love, work, and, most importantly, friendship. Nina Stibbe's new novel is the story of the wonderful and sometimes surprising path of friendship: from its conspiratorial beginnings, along its irritating wrong turns, to its final gratifying destination. _________________________________________________ 'A lovingly observed testament to the complexities and profundities of female friendship' Elizabeth Day 'Nina Stibbe is not just very funny but absolutely life-affirming' Jenny Colgan 'Stibbe writes some of the best-turned comic sentences in contemporary writing. Like Susan, she makes it look easier than it must be' Sunday Times 'Nina Stibbe is one of our funniest novelists - it's time to take her seriously' Daily Telegraph 'Stibbe is one of the all-time greats' Daisy Buchanan 'Clever and funny, it takes a sharp look at the intricacies of marriage, friendship, work and driving. As with all Stibbe's writing there is a pleasingly perfect balance of wisdom with jokes' Cathy Rentzenbrink 'For beautifully funny and well-observed comic writing, Nina Stibbe is your go-to author. In her latest release, a tale of lifelong friendship between Susan and Norma, she explores the mistakes, rivalries and love we all experience in life' Stylist 'One of the great comic writers of our time' Irish Times

From the prize-winning author of Reasons to be Cheerful comes a story about the ebb and flow of female friendship over half a lifetime 'A true gift of a novel, I utterly adored it. For as long as I could make it last, the world just felt a bit nicer' Meg Mason 'Stibbe turns out more perfect, sharp, unique sentences than anyone else' Caitlin Moran 'Stibbe has an extraordinary gift' Marian Keyes 'Nina Stibbe makes being funny look easy, but that's just because she's very, very good at it' Clare Chambers ________________________________________________ Susan and Norma have been best friends for years, at first thrust together by force of circumstance (a job at The Pin Cushion, a haberdashery shop in 1990s Leicestershire) and then by force of character (neither being particularly inclined to make friends with anyone else). But now, thirty years later, faced with a husband seeking immortality and Norma out of reach on a wave of professional glory, Susan begins to wonder whether she has made the right choices about life, love, work, and, most importantly, friendship. Nina Stibbe's new novel is the story of the wonderful and sometimes surprising path of friendship: from its conspiratorial beginnings, along its irritating wrong turns, to its final gratifying destination. _________________________________________________ 'Nina Stibbe's very funny novels are full of charm, and her latest brilliantly captures the mordant humour of British suburban life' Evening Standard 'I absolutely loved every single page of it! I honestly think it's the funniest thing she's ever written' Garth Jennings 'I'm not surprised to see that Stibbe's writing has been compared to Jane Austen's' Emma Healey 'I am already longing for Nina Stibbe's next book' Observer 'Stibbe is one of the all-time greats' Daisy Buchanan 'Clever and funny, it takes a sharp look at the intricacies of marriage, friendship, work and driving. As with all Stibbe's writing there is a pleasingly perfect balance of wisdom with jokes' Cathy Rentzenbrink 'Nina Stibbe is not just very funny but absolutely life-affirming' Jenny Colgan 'For beautifully funny and well-observed comic writing, Nina Stibbe is your go-to author. In her latest release, a tale of lifelong friendship between Susan and Norma, she explores the mistakes, rivalries and love we all experience in life' Stylist 'One of the great comic writers of our time' Irish Times

WINNER OF THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARDS POPULAR NON-FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR 2014 A laugh-out-loud true story of the trials and tribulations of being a live-in nanny in 1980s London and inspired a major TV series starring Helena Bonham Carter. ***** In 1982 Nina Stibbe, a 20-year-old from Leicester, moved to London to work as a nanny for a very particular family. It was a perfect match: Nina had no idea how to cook, look after children or who the weirdos were who called round. And the family, busy discussing such arcane subjects as how to swear in German or the merits (or otherwise) of turkey mince, were delighted by her lack of skills. Love, Nina is the collection of letters she wrote home gloriously describing her 'domestic' life, the unpredictable houseguests and the cat everyone loved to hate. ***** 'I adored this book and could quote from it forever' Nick Hornby 'Funny and sharp: no book this year has made me laugh more' John Lanchester, Guardian 'The funniest book I've read in ages' Sunday Times 'An unassuming comic genius' Independent

The very start of Lizzie Vogel's story. From the much-loved author of Love, Nina, discover a wildly comic, brilliantly sharp-eyed novel about one family's fall from grace. 'All hail a book that's funny!' Barbara Trapido ***** Meet Lizzie Vogel, 9. Lizzie is concerned about her newly divorced mother; thirty-one years old and trapped in a hostile village in the English countryside with only three young children and a Labrador for company. It isn't that having a husband is good, but in 1970s rural Leicestershire, not having one is bad. The women in the village think Lizzie's mother is after their husbands - and no one will let the children into the Brownies! Worried about their mother's drinking, her (bad) playwriting and social workers sending them off to the infamous Crescent Home for Children, Lizzie and her sister embark on a misguided campaign to find their mother a new husband. LIZZIE'S STORY CONTINUES IN PARADISE LODGE AND REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL! ***** '[A] joyous read, full of wit and charm . . . I am already longing for Nina Stibbe's next book' OBSERVER 'Just the right mixture of childhood innocence and incredulity for the necessary deadpan delivery of Stibbe's particular brand of comedy. Read it and be charmed' INDEPENDENT 'A beguilingly comic blend of naivety and precociousness' SUNDAY TIMES NINA STIBBE'S NEW NOVEL ONE DAY I SHALL ASTONISH THE WORLD IS AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER NOW

Jane Gardam's funny and wise masterpiece, reissued with a new introduction by Nina Stibbe Filth, in his heydey, was an international lawyer with a practice in the Far East. Now, only the oldest QCs can remember that his nickname stood for Failed In London Try Hong Kong. Long ago, Old Filth was a Raj orphan - one of the many young children sent 'Home' from the East to be fostered and educated in England. Jane Gardam's novel tells his story, from his birth in what was then Malaya to the extremities of his old age. In doing so, she not only encapsulates a whole period from the glory days of the British Empire, through the Second World War, to the present and beyond, but also illuminates the complexities of the character known variously as Eddie, the Judge, Fevvers, Filth, Master of the Inner Temple, Teddy and Sir Edward Feathers. 'Beautiful, vivid, defiantly funny' The Times 'This novel is surely Gardam's masterpiece... On the human level, it is one of the most moving fictions I have read in years' Guardian 'Sharp, humane, generous and wonderfully funny, she is one of our very finest writers' Hilary Mantel 'Old Filth has stayed with me for years... I can't think of anyone who achieves so much with so few words' Sathnam Sanghera

Lizzie Vogel's story continues in Reasons to be Cheerful, the brilliantly comic sequel to Nina Stibbe's hilarious books Man at the Helm and Paradise Lodge. WINNER OF THE BOLLINGER EVERYMAN WODEHOUSE PRIZE FOR COMIC FICTION WINNER OF THE COMEDY WOMEN IN PRINT PRIZE 'I read all of Reasons To Be Cheerful in one glorious gulp' CAITLIN MORAN ***** Teenager Lizzie Vogel has a new job as a dental assistant. This is not as glamorous as it sounds. At least it means mostly getting away from her alcoholic, nymphomaniacal, novel-writing mother. But, if Lizzie thinks being independent means sex with her boyfriend (he prefers bird-watching), strict boundaries (her boss keeps using her loo) or self-respect (surely only actual athletes get fungal foot infections?) she's still got a lot more growing up to do. From the bestselling author of Love, Nina comes a brilliantly funny and heartbreaking story of growing up and finding the independence you might not actually want . . . ***** 'Funny, charming, odd-in-the-best-way and gorgeously uplifting! A delight from start to finish' MARIAN KEYES 'Pitch perfect vintage comedy' GUARDIAN 'Lives up to its title' SUNDAY TIMES 'Joyful. Stibbe's comedy probes what it means to become an adult' DAILY TELEGRAPH 'Loved it! I so love Lizzie. She is brave and kind and funny and totally original' KATIE FFORDE 'Comedy gold . . . Reasons To Be Cheerful is just the read you need right now' STYLIST 'Nina Stibbe is an author of such effortless wit that she could turn a shopping list into a bestseller' WOMEN AND HOME NINA STIBBE'S NEW NOVEL ONE DAY I SHALL ASTONISH THE WORLD IS AVAILABLE NOW

Lizzie Vogel's story continues in Paradise Lodge, the brilliantly comic sequel to Nina Stibbe's hilarious Man at the Helm. 'LOVE it! Instant classic - funny, wise, touching, entirely delightful' MARIAN KEYES ***** Working in a care home is not really a suitable job for a schoolgirl but 15-year-old Lizzie Vogel went for it. It just seemed too exhausting to commit to being a full-time girlfriend or a punk (it is the 1970s after all), plus she has some knowledge of old people. They're not suited to granary bread, and you mustn't compare them to toddlers, but she doesn't know there's a right way to get someone out of the bath - or what to do when someone dies. When a rival old people's home with better parking and daily chairobics threatens to take all their residents, Paradise Lodge's cast of staff and helpers have to come together to save the home before it's too late. From the bestselling author of Love, Nina comes a story of being very young, and very old, and the laughter and tears in between. LIZZIE'S STORY CONTINUES IN REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL! ***** 'The one problem with reviewing Stibbe is that I just want to quote entire pages: it's all so brilliant' THE I 'Stibbe looks at another chapter of her life through the prism of her trademark deadpan, acutely observed humour' STYLIST 'A dollop of nostalgia and very British humour' GLAMOUR NINA STIBBE'S NEW NOVEL ONE DAY I SHALL ASTONISH THE WORLD IS AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER NOW