In this delectable collection of stories that move sequentially through the ages of woman, dramatic twists surprise and unnerve the reader. From childhood violence to romantic ruin in a retirement home, mayhem and magic are never far away in this work. Deliciously conceived, highly flavored, and subtly blended, these stories are a feast for lovers of literature.

"Here (Flanagan) shows all the natural short-story writer's gifts of compression.... Nobody can begin a story any sharper or faster". -- Michael Harris, Los Angeles Times

"(The Blue Woman) bursts with insight about male-female relations, women growing older and the small dramas that affect us all. In unflaggingly crisp, witty prose that displays a wide range of styles and points of view, the tales range through the different life stages of women". -- Publishers Weekly
-- "Flanagan here writes with an effortless-seeming expertise that recalls Alice Munro.... She imagines people and situations with an intensity, an affection, and an acuteness that virtually lifts them off the page with credibility". -- Peter Kemp, (London) Sunday Times