Margaret Kennedy

Rediscover the brilliance of Lucy Carmichael in the Mermaid Collection - classic books by popular pioneering female authors republished to delight new generations of readers. Pre-order this gorgeous edition now.Originally published in 1951 from the author of beloved holiday classic The Feast comes a glorious coming-of-age tale about a heroine whose wedding day does not go entirely to plan . . . With a foreword by Lucy Mangan ***‘People seem to get over things, don’t they? I don’t know how, but they do – ordinary people. I’m very ordinary, so I expect I shall do what they do.’Lucy Carmichael is jilted at the altar. But no matter. Her loving and kind family never liked her explorer fiancé anyway.Instead of moping or falling into her supportive family’s arms, however, Lucy abandons their suburban home. Heading for the country, she takes up a teaching position in the industrial town of Ravonsbridge.There, she finds solace in her work, in her new (rather gossipy) colleagues – and rediscovers her sensible young self.But if Lucy has, despite everything, kept her head – where lies her heart?Praise for Margaret Kennedy:'She is not only a romantic but an anarchist, and she knows the ways of men and women very well indeed' Anita Brookner'Kennedy was immensely popular in her heyday' Washington Post'Margaret Kennedy's poised style, cool wit and skilful characterization kept her novels welcome for three decades' Cambridge Guide to Literature in English

The Constant Nymph chronicles the complicated relationships within two families, primarily focusing on the character of Lewis Dodd, a charismatic, talented composer, and Tessa Sanger, the teenage daughter of his mentor, whose passionate love defies societal norms. Set against the stunning backdrop of the Swiss Alps and the bustling city of London, the narrative follows the lives of both the Dodd family and members of the Sanger household. The story takes a harrowing turn when the deaths of key figures destabilize the fragile equilibrium within each family. Central to the novel is the unquenchable love that Tessa Sanger harbors for Lewis. She is a vibrant and fervent young woman deeply enamored with him, despite the insurmountable barriers posed by their age difference and Lewis's marriage to her cousin. Despite these obstacles, Tessa's love for Lewis persists, and her emotions drive much of the story's tension and conflict. The Constant Nymph explores themes of love, obsession, artistic pursuit, and sacrifice, and delves into the enigma of human emotions and the complexities of unfulfilled desire. The novel has garnered praised for its vivid characters and emotional depth and has inspired various adaptations across different media over the years, including a 1943 film adaptation starring Charles Boyer and Joan Fontaine, whose performance as Tess earned her an Academy Award nomination. This Warbler Classics edition includes a biographical timeline.

"Kennedy is not only a romantic but an anarchist." --Anita pookner Summer, 1947. A bizarre catastrophe rocks a seaside village in Cornwall when a cliff tumbles down on the Pendizack Manor Hotel. The hotel is obliterated, and seven guests are killed in the disaster. Everyone else makes a narrow escape. As the survivors tell their stories, the events of the previous week are revealed, and a parade of sins exposed. Gluttony, Lecherousness, Sloth, Pride, Covetousness, Envy and Wrath: all are in residence at Pendizack Manor, and as the day of the disaster creeps closer, it becomes clear that who's spared and who's lost might not be as arbitrary as first assumed. A modern upstairs-downstairs comedy with an old-fashioned morality play tucked away inside, The Feast is sly, kaleidoscopic, and utterly ingenious, a novel that only Margaret Kennedy could have written.

Originally published in 1924, The Constant Nymph tells the story of how a teenage girl falls in love with a family friend, who eventually marries her cousin. The two girls show mutual jealousy over their common love for the man. The novel was a bestseller after it was first published, becoming the first novel of a genre that might be called "Bohemian". A significant part of its success was due to its (for the time) shocking sexual content, describing, as it does, scenes of adolescent sexuality and noble savagery in the Austrian Tyrol.

"Tense, touching, human, dire, and funny" (Elizabeth Bowen): a Regency novel like none before or since. Troy Chimneys purports to be the private memoirs of Miles Lufton, a minor politician of Regency-era pitain. In them he recounts, with tongue partially in cheek, the battle between the two sides of his personality: the man of sensibility versus the ruthless social climber. But as he charms his way into love and power, the duel threatens to destroy him. In Margaret Kennedy's later novels, Anita pookner observed, "virtue does not triumph, patience is not rewarded, people do not receive . . . their just deserts." A tragicomic confession, by a hero worthy of Jane Austen, Troy Chimneys is the apogee of Kennedy's late style.

This summer holiday vintage crime classic exploring the mystery of a buried Cornish hotel invites us to solve the puzzle as detectives: perfect for fans of Celia Fremlin's Uncle Paul, Agatha Christie, or Richard Osman ...'I am loving it!' Nigella Lawson'Hilarious and perceptive ... Perfect.' Daily Mail'Entertaining, beautifully written, and profound.' Tracy Chevalier'Tense, touching, human, dire, and funny ... A feast indeed.' Elizabeth Bowen'Kennedy is not only a romantic but an anarchist.' Anita Brookner'Oh boy, what a treat; wonderfully sharp and funny ... Page-turningly good!' Lissa Evans'So full of pleasure that you could be forgiven for not seeing how clever it is.' Cathy RentzenbrinkCornwall, Midsummer 1947. Pendizack Manor Hotel is buried in the rubble of a collapsed cliff. Seven guests have perished, but is it murder, and what brought this strange assembly together for a moonlit feast before this Act of God - or Man? Over the week before the landslide, we meet the hotel guests in all their eccentric glory: and as friendships form and romances blossom, sins are revealed, and the cliff cracks widen ..Reader Reviews:'One of the best books I have ever read ... Viva Ms. Kennedy, you were truly marvellous!' *****'The best book I've ever read. Yes, I know that's a big statement! Kennedy is quickly becoming my all-time favorite author ... A first-rate literary genius.' *****'This is bar none, one of the best books I have ever read.' *****'Offers us the chance to solve a very unusual kind of mystery ... An unexpectedly engaging literary game.' ****'A magnificent rediscovery ... Kennedy's masterpiece is a searing and unflinching look at postwar England ... Elegantly and tartly written, this smart and haunting novel offers one of the most unforgettable endings ... A brilliant and moving literary feast to be enjoyed without any moderation! *****'I'm longing to read this again! Clever Kennedy! Is it a thriller? Is it a morality play or an exploration of divine justice? Or is it a family/village saga and maybe even a romance? ... Terrifically readable with a marvellous cast.' *****'Such a good idea, and brilliantly executed ... I was unable to stop reading, absorbed completely in the company of the motley group. It's almost like you're eavesdropping on them. After finishing it, I find myself still thinking about it ... A fabulous read.' *****'One of my favorite kinds of books: a forgotten treasure..' *****

‘Most people knew in their hearts that the lid had been taken off hell, and that what had been done in Guernica would one day be done in London, Paris and Berlin.’ Margaret Kennedy’s prophetic words, written about the pre-war mood in Europe, give the tone of this riveting 1941 wartime memoir: it is Mrs Miniver with the gloves off. Her account, taken from her war diaries, conveys the tension, frustration and bewilderment of the progression of the war, and the terror of knowing that the worst is to come, but not yet knowing what the worst will be. English bravery, confusion, stubbornness and dark humour (‘Nanny says that an Abbess is threatening to swallow the whole of Europe’) provide the positive, more hopeful side of her experiences, in which she and her children move from Surrey to Cornwall, to sit out the war amidst a quietly efficient Home Guard and the most scandalous rumours. Where Stands A Wingèd Sentry (the title comes from a 17th-century poem by Henry Vaughan) was only published in the USA, and has never been published in the UK before. Margaret Kennedy (1896-1967) made her name as a novelist with The Ladies of Lyndon (1923) and The Constant Nymph (1924), and continued publishing until the year before her death. The Introduction will be by Faye Hammill, Professor of English Literature at the University of Glasgow.

Adapted by Margaret Kennedy, from her own novel, with Basil Dean.10 women, 10 men

Romilly Brandon was heir to a fortune and the handsomest and liveliest young man in the county. But in his twenty-first year, the pretty daughter of the local parson, Jenny Newbolt broke his heart, and he left to live a dissipated life in London. Returning years later, Romily finds many surprises - his one-time sweetheart grown old and withered, and in possession of a great secret that shakes him to his core. When Romily finally learns the truth, is it too late to atone?

A Victorian gentleman is forced by illness to entertain himself with the family archive, and he uncovers the Regency-era correspondence and diaries of one Miles Lufton, MP - apparently a black sheep of the family, connected with a scandal long buried. But through the pieced-together artefacts from the past, a fuller picture emerges of a man torn between two personalities - Miles, serious, studious and penniless, and 'Pronto', flirt, political mover and eternal 'extra man'. Miles longs to dispose of his disreputable alter ego, but that way lies calamity...