{"product_id":"like-a-cat-like-a-cat-loves-a-bird-the-nine-lives-of-muriel-spark-by-james-bailey","title":"like a cat Like a Cat Loves a Bird : The Nine Lives of Muriel Spark by James Bailey","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eShe was, if you believe what you read in the papers: a genius, a survivor, a bad mother, a fickle friend, a closeted lesbian, a tyrant, a loner, an eccentric, a recluse, a gossip, and an arch-manipulator. She would politely encourage you not to believe what you read in the papers.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e'Muriel Spark was one of literature's great shapeshifters. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThat mercurial quality is found in her strange, brilliant, cruel novels - with their plots featuring pensioners receiving telephone calls from Death, the devil going clubbing in Peckham and a fascist schoolmistress leading her coterie of girls astray - but it is also true of her as a person. As sly, nimble and elegant as Spark's own work, Like a Cat Loves a Bird is a thrilling new perspective on a remarkable life and career that spanned much of the twentieth century. From her childhood in Edinburgh to her final years in Tuscany - via South Africa, London, New York and Rome - it traces a light-footed journey around the world and through her strange and magnificent bibliography.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIt tells an irresistible story of transformation, wit and fierce determination and makes a passionate case for this vital modern artist. 'You don't have to be a Muriel Spark fan to enjoy the sharp wit of Like a Cat Loves a Bird, a fascinating and nuanced exploration of the sacrifices some make to focus on their art'LUKE TURNER, author of Out of the Woods'Vital, fun and immediate . .\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e. full of engaging and astute literary analysis of Spark's work as well as scintillating, vivid biography'FRANCESCA REECE, author of Glass Houses'A readable and fascinating book, about an under-appreciated literary giantLUCINDA HAWKSLEY, author of The Mystery of Princess Louise\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFormat:Hardback 320 pages, N\/A\u003cbr\u003ePublisher:Hodder \u0026amp; Stoughton\u003cbr\u003eImprint:Sceptre\u003cbr\u003eISBN:9781399742528\u003cbr\u003ePublished:9 Apr 2026\u003cbr\u003eClassifications:Biography: literary, Anthologies (non-poetry), 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000, Feminism \u0026amp; feminist theory\u003cbr\u003eWeight:438g\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wave of Nostalgia","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":64057882083677,"sku":null,"price":20.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0934\/8838\/2301\/files\/9781399742528.jpg?v=1775056563","url":"https:\/\/waveofnostalgia.co.uk\/products\/like-a-cat-like-a-cat-loves-a-bird-the-nine-lives-of-muriel-spark-by-james-bailey","provider":"Wave of Nostalgia","version":"1.0","type":"link"}