The Black Dress

Pru's husband has walked out, leaving her alone to contemplate her future. She's missing not so much him, but the life they once had - picnicking on the beach with small children, laughing together, nestling up like spoons in the cutlery drawer as they sleep. Now there's just a dip on one side of the bed and no-one to fill it.

In a daze, Pru goes off to a friend's funeral. Usual old hymns, words of praise and a eulogy but...it doesn't sound like the friend Pru knew. And it isn't. She's gone to the wrong service. Everyone was very welcoming, it was - oddly - a laugh, and more excitement than she's had for ages. So she buys a little black dress in a charity shop and thinks, now I'm all set, why not go to another? I mean, people don't want to make a scene at a funeral, do they? No-one will challenge her - and what harm can it do?

I barked out loud. Not since Freud has sex been more in bed with death. She gets sharper and more mordant with age and about age. Thank goodness. This page-turner is like the best wakes, it will make you feel hungry and alive. The Times
As ever with Moggach, the joy is in her witty observations of middle-class life and bracingly tart portrayal of family relationships Daily Mail
A darkly funny novel about betrayal, loneliness and the surprising pleasure of being single again Good Housekeeping
With dry wit and observation, Moggach tackles the perils of ageing with brutal honesty Daily Express
Perceptive and devastating Daily Mirror
A delightful black comedy full of later-life misadventures Best
She really is the Nora Ephron of North London. Such a deceptively light touch, and so funny about the indignities of getting old and all our little vanities Clare Chambers
Moggach is always funny, perceptive and very contemporary Philippa Perry
I love clever books that make me laugh. Deborah Moggach, queen of social comedy, is on top form in The Black Dress. Superb Cathy Rentzenbrink
Princess of the deliciously dark Mel Giedroyc
'Moggach tackles the perils of ageing with honesty and wit' Sunday Express
'Both a delicious piece of mischief and a serious exploration of the 'howling loneliness' of the deserted older woman . . . [Moggach is] the most frank, unpretentious writer, always on the side of fun' Saga

Deborah Moggach, OBE, is a British novelist and an award-winning screenwriter. She has written twenty novels, including Tulip Fever, These Foolish Things (which became the bestselling novel and film THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL ), and The Carer . She lives in London.

Pru is on her own. But then, so are plenty of other people. And while the loneliness can be overwhelming, surely she'll find a party somewhere? 'Moggach is at the height of her powers' Sunday Times Pru's husband has walked out, leaving her alone to contemplate her future. She's missing not so much him, but the life they once had - picnicking on the beach with small children, laughing together, nestling up like spoons in the cutlery drawer as they sleep. Now there's just a dip on one side of the bed and no-one to fill it. In a daze, Pru goes off to a friend's funeral. Usual old hymns, words of praise and a eulogy but...it doesn't sound like the friend Pru knew. And it isn't. She's gone to the wrong service. Everyone was very welcoming, it was - oddly - a laugh, and more excitement than she's had for ages. So she buys a little black dress in a charity shop and thinks, now I'm all set, why not go to another? I mean, people don't want to make a scene at a funeral, do they? No-one will challenge her - and what harm can it do? 'Full of warmth and humour, as well as blistering truths' Daily Mirror

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