How It All Began

by Penelope Lively

Book Overview

A vibrant new novel from Penelope Lively-a wry, wise story about the surprising ways lives intersect. When Charlotte Rainsford, a retired schoolteacher, is accosted by a petty thief on a London street, the consequences ripple across the lives of acquaintances and strangers alike. A marriage unravels after an illicit love affair is revealed through an errant cell phone message; a posh yet financially strapped interior designer meets a business partner...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0670023442
• ISBN13: 9780670023448
• Release Date: January 2012
• Publisher: Viking Books
• Length: 229 Pages
• Weight: 0.97 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.4" x 9.1"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Favorite book by an outstanding author

This book has the such appealing characters and Penelope Lively reveals them little by little with all their strengths and flaws. The book begins with an elderly teacher being mugged. Her injuries and recovery cause upheavals for better and for worse in the lives of eight other people. This novel is humorous, clever, a bit sad and totally heartwarming. I loved it so much that I bought copies for all the members of my book club so we could enjoy it together.