'A jewel of romantic comedy' New York Times
'Shimmering ... it made everything in my life seem a whole lot better' CosmopolitanFor readers of Nora Ephron, Dolly Alderton and Jane Austen, a novel about two couples trying to find a way to be happy all the timeA 'jewel of romantic comedy' (New York Times) from the late great author, adored by Nigella Lawson, Dolly Alderton, Katherine Heiny and Caroline O'Donoghue.
It was just as she suspected: love turned you into perfect mush.
GUIDO is not in the habit of falling in love with women he sees in museums. Until he meets HOLLY. Precise about everything, she knows what she likes: pressed sheets, oranges (but nothing orange-flavoured), tea on a tray - and now, Guido.
Meanwhile VINCENT, Guido's eternally cheerful best friend and cousin, falls for his misanthropic new colleague, MISTY. She seems as uninterested in love as she is in Vincent (at first).
Through courtship, arguments, wedding plans and other perils, the couples find a way to be happy (almost) all the time.
'Seriously wise, seriously wonderful, seriously comic - your life will be richer for it' Katherine Heiny
'Uplifting, funny, generous. One of the most comforting, clever novels I know' Samantha Ellis
'Human and humorous, full of wisdom and love' Emma Straub
Merry and bright and tender ... written in exquisitely balanced sentences that taste just right. Comparison with Jane Austen is not out of order - New York Post
Delicious with much wit ... author and reader have the greatest fun - Sunday Telegraph
it abounds in good lines, aphorisms, advice to both the loved and the lovelorn - New York Times
A funny, loving, celebratory book ... in which everything is perfect - Boston Globe
Rare and charming ... refreshingly soothing - Company
Amazing! Impossible to put down ... sharply funny, altogether unusual. I recommend it highly - Newsweek
A jewel of romantic comedy - New York Times
A pleasure ... endless surprises and ultimately boundless joy ... It would be difficult not to enjoy it all - New Yorker
Laurie Colwin is the author of five novels - HAPPY ALL THE TIME, FAMILY HAPPINESS, GOODBYE WITHOUT LEAVING, A BIG STORM KNOCKED IT OVER and SHINE ON, BRIGHT AND DANGEROUS OBJECT - three collections of short stories - PASSION AND AFFECT, THE LONE PILGRIM and ANOTHER MARVELLOUS THING - and two collections of essays, HOME COOKING and MORE HOME COOKING. Laurie Colwin died in 1992.