Susan Midalia Libri

If Jane Austen was twenty-five today would she be a greenie or a member of the Young Liberals? Probably neither. But for 25-year-old Hazel, reading the classics starting with A is a way to pass the time while jobless and plotless. A chance encounter with an irresistible older man provides a much-needed distraction. When Hazel is partnered with him on a political campaign, her attraction is deepened by the strength of his convictions. Adam seems to be attracted to her too – but why can’t she persuade him to embark upon romance? And what does Jane Austen have to teach a young woman about life, love, and literature in the 21st century anyway?

Life sucks when you are a vacuum cleaner-salesman facing redundancy, and your wife of nearly forty years fills your days and nights with incessant chatter. But when Gloria suddenly and alarmingly stops talking, the silence is more than fifty-nine-year-old Bernard can bear. In desperation, Bernard turns to his ex-daughter-in-law for help. Meg has issues of her own, and her bright and funny daughter Ella sometimes wonders if her mum is trying so hard to keep her safe it stops them both from spreading their wings. Will Meg's suspicious nature thwart her chance encounter with the kindly but engimatic Hal? And is there still hope for Bernard and Gloria on the other side of silence?