A sliver of limpid, chilling prose set in the heart of the scorching Mediterranean, Spark’s jet-black novella marches compellingly to a shocking nihilistic end that we know is coming from the first chapter. One of the great Scottish writer’s most flintily accomplished works, The Driver’s Seat is a masterpiece that will stay with you forever.
Described as 'a metaphysical shocker' at the time of its release, Muriel Sparks' The Driver's Seat is a taut psychological thriller, published with an introduction by John Lanchester in Penguin Modern Classics.
Lise has been driven to distraction by working in the same accountants' office for sixteen years. So she leaves everything behind her, transforms herself into a laughing, garishly-dressed temptress and flies abroad on the holiday of a lifetime.
But her search for adventure, sex and new experiences takes on a far darker significance as she heads on a journey of self-destruction.
Infinity and eternity attend Lise's last terrible day in an unnamed southern city, as she meets her fate. One of six novels to be nominated for a 'Lost Man Booker Prize', The Driver's Seat was adapted into a 1974 film, Identikit, starring Elizabeth Taylor.
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
ISBN: 9780141188348
Number of pages: 128
Weight: 103 g
Dimensions: 197 x 129 x 8 mm
The Driver's Seat is a scalpel, cutting away the excess of the traditional novel and leaving only the core. It is a stiletto, piercing straight to the heart - or thereabouts - John Self
Only a short book, so perfect for a commute or a lunch break.
Very well written and although from the beginning you are away of her planning a crime, you are still left surprised by the crime.
She wanted to take...
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Spark's story is of Lise, the woman in bright colours, who is looking for someone, a man, on her trip to the South. Peppered in the prose are nods to the future, where the people she passes will eventually... More
I bought this book as it was my local Waterstones' (Grimsby store) book club, book of the month (for April).
I was intrigued by the tantilizing blurb and the simple cover. I've never read anything by Muriel...
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