Not at Home

This title is printed to order. This book may have been self-published. If so, we cannot guarantee the quality of the content. In the main most books will have gone through the editing process however some may not. We therefore suggest that you be aware of this before ordering this book. If in doubt check either the author or publisher’s details as we are unable to accept any returns unless they are faulty. Please contact us if you have any questions.

I don’t mind being alone at all. I was often here alone in the blitz, and I was so frightened of the bombs that I quite stopped being frightened of burglars.

World War II has ended, residents are flooding back to London, and the housing shortage creates strange bedfellows. Elinor MacFarren–middle-aged spinster, botanical writer, and collector of prints and objets d'art–decides to rent part of her house to Antonia Bankes, whose American husband is with the Occupation Forces in Europe. While Miss MacFarren prefers to live alone, Mrs Bankes seems a perfect tenant. She admires Miss MacFarren’s beautiful things ( It’s the prettiest room I’ve ever seen in my life! ), promises quiet and care ( You’ll find me madly careful ), and seems an ideal homemaker ( I like housework. I’ve got quite a ‘thing’ about it. ).

Inevitably, however, it’s not so easy. Mrs Bankes proves to be exasperating and helpless, skilled only in charm, manipulation, and blithely promising anything to get her way. What follows is an intricately plotted, gloriously entertaining saga of domestic warfare, as Miss MacFarren tries to cope, tries to cajole, and finally tries to rid herself of her meddlesome tenant, all while taking up whiskey–and all with unpredictable and delightful results. This new edition includes an introduction by Sir Roy Strong.