The Madonna of the Pool

The Madonna of the Pool Description

Helen Stancey's debut collection of Short Stories more than rival her well received novels, `Words' and `Common Ground. The Madonna of the Pool is a fantastic collection of short stories which explore the triumphs, compromises and quiet disappointments of everyday life. Drawing on a wide array of characters, Helen Stancey shows how small events, insignificant to some, can resonate deeply in the lives of others. Richly poetic, deeply moving and entirely engaging, these short stories demonstrate an exquisite understanding of human adaptation, endurance and, most of all, optimism. `Mrs Turton always kept a box of chocolates on the bedside table so that she would have something pleasant to occupy herself with should her husband's behaviour turn overly intimate. The chocolates weren't needed very often - fortunately she hadn't married that kind of man. Nevertheless, it was as well to be prepared, and she denied herself chocolates the rest of the time to ensure that they would retain their full power of distraction.' Author of Words and Common Ground, Helen Stancey's writing has been greeted with great critical acclaim: `In the poised assurance of its writing,... one has a sense of a writer gifted with an instinctive sense of how to tell a story.' - SPECTATOR `writing so accomplished...' - TABLET `palpable excellence' - LITERARY REVIEW