{"product_id":"like-a-cat-loves-a-bird-the-nine-lives-of-muriel-spark-hardcover","title":"Like a Cat Loves a Bird: The Nine Lives of Muriel Spark - Hardcover","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eJames Bailey\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"A deeply stylish, astute, and illuminating portrait of a fascinating writer.\"--Francesca Wade, author of \u003ci\u003eGertrude Stein: An Afterlife\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eA spiky and delicious new literary portrait of the great twentieth-century British author of beloved novels such as \u003ci\u003eThe Prime of Miss Jean Brodie\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Girls of Slender Means\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"She 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.\"--from \u003ci\u003eLike a Cat Loves a Bird\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eMuriel Spark (1918-2006) was one of literature's great shapeshifters. That mercurial quality is found in her strange, brilliant, cruel novels--with their plots featuring a cast of elderly characters 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, \u003ci\u003eLike a Cat Loves a Bird\u003c\/i\u003e offers a thrilling new perspective on a remarkable life and career that spanned much of the twentieth century. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFrom Spark's childhood in Edinburgh to her final years in Tuscany--via South Africa, London, New York, and Rome--James Bailey traces a light-footed journey around the world and through the novelist's strange and magnificent books. The result is an irresistible story of transformation, wit, and fierce determination--and a passionate case for this vital modern artist.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eJames Bailey\u003c\/b\u003e is a writer and researcher who holds a PhD in literature and is the author of \u003ci\u003eMuriel Spark's Early Fiction.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 320\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.3 x 8.6 x 5.7 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e June 09, 2026\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47730142347517,"sku":"9780691290171","price":36.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/3414\/0157\/files\/BttbPN9_Wc9780691290171.webp?v=1781801769","url":"https:\/\/booktolia.com\/products\/like-a-cat-loves-a-bird-the-nine-lives-of-muriel-spark-hardcover","provider":"booktolia","version":"1.0","type":"link"}