Fay Weldon's reputation is growing all the time, and in England, her new
novel, Puffball, is her most successful book to date.
Readers of Fay Weldon know that you can always count on her for
surprise, and in Puffball she is at her ironic and outrageous best as
she tells us a tale of witchcraft and childbirth.
Liffey and Richard move from their chic London apartment to a quaint,
rose-covered cottage because Liffey insists. Their neighbors, Mabs and
Tucker, are delighted when Richard petulantly abandons Liffey to pursue
his career in London and they set out with energetic spite to teach
their city friend a lesson.
Whether Liffey becomes pregnant from that lesson or by Richard remains
to be seen, but Mabs believes that the baby in Liffey should rightfully
be in her. Enraged, Mabs begins casting spells over her unsuspecting and
naïve victim. And all the while, Liffey's baby grows and grows until it,
too, becomes a character in Ms. Weldon's unique novel.
By turns hilarious and frightening, Puffball tells us that Nature is
cheerfully determined that life will go on - no matter who her friends
or enemies may be.
