Family Money (Virago Modern Classics) [Paperback]

Nina Bawden (Author)

Book Description

Series: Virago Modern Classics | Publication Date: March 1, 1997

Fanny Pye's London house, bought for a song many years earlier, is now worth a small fortune. When she intervenes in a street brawl and is hospitalized, her children tactfully suggest that she move to the suburbs, coincidently releasing some useful "family money." Fanny has different views about inheritance and property, and is far more concerned that she cannot properly remember the events of that night which ended in the death of a stranger. Then, as her amnesia clears, she is overwhelmed by a terrible sense of danger.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Bawden's second novel (after Circles of Deceit ) is pervaded by an acute sense of menace. Its frightened protagonist, Fanny Pye, is a London widow suffering from partial amnesia and agoraphobia after witnessing a violent crime. Strolling home from a neighborhood restaurant, Fanny sees an altercation among three young men which leaves one of them dead and another--called Jake--fleeing the scene. Knocked unconscious by the third man, Fanny comes to in the hospital with a sketchy memory of the episode; repeated prodding from her two grown children as well as the authorities does little to jog her recall. The son and daughter attempt to cope with their aging and now ailing mother when she comes home from the hospital full of talk about giving away great sums of money to an old family friend. Fanny herself must find a way to cope with a new neighbor, a strange young man named Jake who seems vaguely familiar. Sharply observed and drawn with precision, Fanny's troubles and their eventual resolution make a compelling read.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Bawden has written a deeply sympathetic story of a woman attempting to come to grips with old age. When sixtyish widow Fanny Pye is mugged after witnessing a street crime, she finds her loss of memory a frightening portent of things to come. No one will take her seriously; her fears that she may have recognized her mugger are treated as irrational. In effect, friends and family have "just lumped her into a sack labelled OLD WOMEN," but Fanny fights back. Characterization shines here: Bawden shows a sure hand in her careful selection of telling detail as Fanny, an ordinary woman, becomes extraordinary in her refusal to allow society to strip her of individuality merely because she is old. Also well drawn are secondary characters such as Fanny's anxious children and a canny old flame. Thoughtful readers will be moved by Fanny's struggle. Recommended.
- Beth Ann Mills, New Rochelle P.L., N.Y.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 250 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group (March 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1860492789
• ISBN-13: 978-1860492785
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,099,888 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)