The Spa - Hardcover

Weldon, Fay

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 080211864X ISBN 13: 9780802118646

Publisher: Grove Press, 2008

Synopsis

Fay Weldon is renowned for her biting humor and devilish prose. In her latest novel, The Spa , Weldon offers a glimpse of the despairs and dalliances of a set of high-powered women who have burned paths through—and sometimes been burned by—their worlds and the men in them. It is the week between Christmas and New Year’s and ten high-achieving ladies are gathered at the expensive Castle Spa. They lounge in the Jacuzzi, sipping champagne, and telling each other the story of their lives, starting with the trophy wife’s tale of her spell in a Greek prison; the brain surgeon’s tale of twins and mistaken identity; the judge’s tale of a sex change that allowed him to experience pleasures from both male and female perspectives. The manicurist, the public speaker, the journalist, the company director, the ex-vicar’s wife, and the screenwriter all share their stories, ending with the stepmother’s tale, a reversal of Cinderella’s fate, with the stepmother as the victim. Sparkling, witty, always sharp-tongued, and occasionally libidinous, The Spa is a darkly funny sketch of a group of women who, despite prejudice, imprisonment, domestic catastrophes, and romantic debacles, have risen to the top of their respective worlds.

About this title

Review

"[Weldon is] a chronicler of the war between the sexes. . . . [Her] trademark acid wit is very much in evidence here."

Edition details

• Publisher: Grove Press
• Publication date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 080211864X
• ISBN 13: 9780802118646
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 336