You have seen them in parks, in supermarkets, at airports. They are the happy ones, and you notice them because they are happy. They smile at strangers, when you look at them their response is to smile. They were born that way, you say, as you go thoughtfully on your way.
The Pure Gold Baby will raise your spirits and break your heart. Anna is the smiling child with special, unknowable qualities, who also presents profound challenges. And Jess is her charismatic single mother. Over the course of decades, we observe how much Jess loves her surprising daughter, who touches the lives of those around her. With characteristic intelligence, sympathy and wit, Drabble writes about parenthood, about friendship and ultimately about the way we care for one another in today’s society. A captivating novel from one of the world’s most respected and admired literary figures.
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andThe Pure Gold Baby
‘Vintage Drabble.’
‘As meticulous as Jane Austen and as deadly as Evelyn Waugh.’
‘Reading Margaret Drabble’s novels has become something of a rite of passage…Sharply observed, exquisitely companionable tales.’
‘Writers of a certain vintage often fall into one of two camps: those whose creative powers are irrevocably on the wane and those who are at the height of their game. Margaret Drabble’s 18th novel, The Pure Gold Baby, is evidence, if we needed it, that the 74-year-old British novelist, biographer and critic fits firmly in the latter category.’
‘Everything and nothing happens in a moving testament to love, loyalty, and friendships between women. Perhaps the real pure gold baby will know she, or he, has inspired this great writer to return to fiction with a poignant but ultimately uplifting tale.’
‘A magnificent novel that confirms Drabble’s status as a national treasure.’
