The Big Five O
Книга "The Big Five O", автором которой является Jane Wenham-Jones, представляет собой захватывающую работу в жанре Современная зарубежная литература. В этом произведении автор рассказывает увлекательную историю, которая не оставит равнодушными читателей.
Автор мастерски воссоздает атмосферу напряженности и интриги, погружая читателя в мир загадок и тайн, который скрывается за хрупкой поверхностью обыденности. С прекрасным чувством языка и виртуозностью сюжетного развития, Jane Wenham-Jones позволяет читателю погрузиться в сложные эмоциональные переживания героев и проникнуться их судьбами. Wenham-Jones настолько живо и точно передает неповторимые нюансы человеческой психологии, что каждая страница книги становится путешествием в глубины человеческой души.
"The Big Five O" - это не только захватывающая история, но и искусство, проникнутое глубокими мыслями и философскими размышлениями. Это произведение призвано вызвать у читателя эмоциональные отклики, задуматься о важных жизненных вопросах и открыть новые горизонты восприятия мира.
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HarperImpulse an imprint of
HarperCollinsPublishers
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London SE1 9GF
First published in Great Britain by HarperImpulse 2019
Copyright © Jane Wenham-Jones 2019
Cover design © HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2019
Cover illustration © Robyn Neild / New Division
Jane Wenham-Jones asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.
Source ISBN: 9780008278694
Ebook Edition © July 2019 ISBN: 9780008278687
Version: 2019-09-05
‘Fresh, funny and wise’ Katie Fforde
‘I love Jane’s writing!’ Jill Mansell
‘feel-good’ Woman and Home
‘The book deserves a bloody magnum – I loved it.’ Judy Astley
‘Thoughtful, insightful and often laugh-out-loud funny’ Daily Mail
‘The story you’ve always wanted to read about infidelity’ Cosmopolitan
‘A perfect read’ OK
‘Frothy and funny!’ Woman’s Own
‘Humorous, warm-hearted and full of charm. We loved it.’
Woman’s Weekly
‘Great fun!’ Heat
A great read!’ Best
‘Funny and knowing … warm and thought provoking’ Daisy Buchanan
‘Wisdom, humour and real insight … poignant and funny by turns.’ Emma Lee-Potter
‘A delightful romp … You’ll be laughing out loud! Jane Corry
‘Warm, wise and funny’ Marina O’Loughlin
‘Made me laugh … Made me think … Made me want more!’ Julie Wassamer, author of The Whitstable Pearl Mystery
Table of Contents
For all those in their fabulous fifties. And beyond …
Facing Fifty
Fighting Fifty
Nifty at Fifty
Shifty at Fifty
Fat at Fifty
Fit and Fifty
Fed up and fifty
Fucking Fifty!
They were all laughing like drains when we were writing the invite. So I tried to laugh too. Come to our Joint 50>th Birthday …
Charlotte and Fay and Sherie and Roz. All four of us are hitting the half century this year, so it’s going to be a ball. We’ve been planning it for weeks. A big venue, lots of friends, banners, balloons, fizz and strictly no Oh-God-I’m-Fifty tears …
That’s what they tell me.
I am crying because that party is going to happen without me. I don’t know how this nightmare is going to unfold but I know in my heart it won’t end well.
I’m so afraid but I can’t bring myself to tell them. Sometimes I take a deep breath and my mouth opens but I always close it again. As if the very act of saying it out loud will make it real and I won’t be able to pretend any more that things might still be OK.
So each time we add to the arrangements, I have to keep smiling. I have to nod and look pleased and thrilled at the thought of every last bloom and fairy light.
I must be doing it well as they think I’m as excited as they are.
They have no idea at all what’s really going on …
It was Charlotte’s idea, of course. Charlotte loved any excuse for a bash and she wasn’t going to let this one go.
‘Makes so much sense,’ she announced, tossing back her mass of fair curls. ‘We pool our resources, friends and legendary organisational skills and put on an extravaganza.’ She threw out her arms as if to include the multitudes. ‘I’m thinking the pavilion. Broadstairs won’t know what’s hit it.’
Wine had been taken so immediately a committee was formed. Charlotte would be Chair, because traditionally she threw the best parties. Fay would be treasurer as she ran her own business; Roz quickly offered to take the notes, grasping an excuse to say as little as possible, until she’d figured out how the hell she’d manage this, while Sherie had laughed and smoothed back her expensively-streaked blonde hair.
‘And I shall sit and look decorative.’
‘There’s a change,’ Fay had growled.
‘You can be Artistic Director,’ said Charlotte decisively. ‘Colour schemes?’
