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In Wicked Women, a 1997 New York Times Notable Book of Year and her most celebrated collection of stories ever, critically acclaimed Fay Weldon brings her bracing wit to bear on men, love, therapy, marriage, parenting, and the myriad self-deceptions and half-truths that oil the wheels of ''civilized behavior''. In these twenty madcap tales we enter Fay Weldon's world, peopled with therapists who blithely destroy marriages and Family ties, husbands and lovers whose greatest cruelty is their indifference, and clever women navigating the perils and pitfalls of domesticity. In lucid and finely honed prose, Fay Weldon serves up our greatest denials and most imprudent compromises. Her wicked humor and seasoned wisdom are as evident here as always -- and tempered by great compassion for the foibles of the human heart. Amazon.com Review Fay Weldon is a writer who understands the value of holding a grudge. Who can forget the years-long vengeance the heroine of her best-known book, The Life and Loves of a She-Devil , exacted on her faithless husband and the romance writer who stole him from her? Even the physical extremes to which Weldon's scorned wife goes in order to remake herself in the image of her rival--including broken bones and plastic surgery--are worth it when she finally succeeds in destroying their lives. Horrifying as the conceit might seem in real life, Weldon's fictional revenge, whether served hot or cold, is a most tasty dish. In Wicked Women , a collection of short stories, Fay Weldon continues her one-writer crusade to ensure that bad people get exactly what's coming to them. But if Fay Weldon's stories are dark, they are also savagely satirical. In ''Santa Claus's New Clothes,'' the children of a recently divorced father have some telling questions for their not-so-nice new stepmother, who also happens to be their father's former therapist. In ''Not Even a Blood Relation,'' a mother turns the tables on her three heartless daughters in a manner sure to delight the reader. Weldon has a clear-eyed view of right and wrong--not for her are the concepts of no-fault divorce or infidelity without consequence--and in her fiction, if not in life, victims receive Fay Weldon's fierce brand of justice. From Library Journal In these 20 stories, some previously published, Weldon continues to pursue the themes of love, relationships, and family with the humor and poignancy that have made her other writings (e.g., Worst Fears, LJ 5/15/96) so engaging. Delivering these themes with varying degress of satire, sincerity, and subtlety, she offers intricate moments in the lives of defeated lovers, insecure cuckolds, perplexed offspring, daring widow/ers, keen children, and underdogs who overcome the oppression of love. Weldon brings together all facets of the relationship race with a unique mastery, using sharp and cultivated prose. Recommended for all libraries. -?Judith A. Akalaitis, Chicago, Ill. Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. A New York Times Notable Book of the Year, Wicked Women brings together twenty tales that lay bare the minds and hearts of men, women, and children Victims, liberators, blackmailers, healers, and ghosts & mdash;they & rsquo;re just a few of the fascinating men and women you & rsquo;ll meet in this stellar, boundary-defying anthology. From a heartless lover to a therapist who & rsquo;s exposed for being a child hater, Weldon & rsquo;s characters search for meaning, betray their vows, take pleasure in others & rsquo; misfortunes, or get pushed out of the family manse by their grasping offspring. Whether she & rsquo;s depicting a child & rsquo;s reaction to the chaotic lives of her parents, or envisioning a terrifying futuristic society, Fay Weldon wields her prolific pen like a sword. In a pre-apocalyptic world where nothing is sacred, Wicked Women reveals the infinite ability of men and women to wound, to grieve, and to love A New York Times Notable Book of the Year, Wicked Women brings together twenty tales that lay bare the minds and hearts of men, women, and children Victims, liberators, blackmailers, healers, and ghosts{u2014}they{u2019}re just a few of the fascinating men and women you{u2019}ll meet in this stellar, boundary-defying anthology. From a heartless lover to a therapist who{u2019}s exposed for being a child hater, Weldon{u2019}s characters search for meaning, betray their vows, take pleasure in others{u2019} misfortunes, or get pushed out of the family manse by their grasping offspring. Whether she{u2019}s depicting a child{u2019}s reaction to the chaotic lives of her parents, or envisioning a terrifying futuristic society, Fay Weldon wields her prolific pen like a sword. In a pre-apocalyptic world where nothing is sacred, Wicked Women reveals the infinite ability of men and women to wound, to grieve, and to love In this title. 20 stories profile therapists who blithely destroy marriages and family ties, husbands and lovers whose greatest cruelty is their indifference, and clever women navigating the perils and pitfalls of domesticity. Description: vi, 311 p. ; 22 cm. Contents: Tales of wicked women. End of the line -- Run and ask Daddy if he has any more money -- In the Great War (II) -- Not even a blood relation. Tales of wicked men. Wasted lives -- Love amongst the artists -- Leda and the swan. Tales of wicked children. Tale of Timothy Bagshott -- Valediction. From the other side. Through a dustbin, darkly -- A good sound marriage -- Web central. Of love, pain and good cheer. Pains -- A question of timing -- Red on black -- Knock-knock. Going to the therapist. Santa Claus's new clothes -- Baked Alaska -- The pardoner -- Heat haze.