Description

From the prize-winning author of Reasons to be Cheerful comes a story about the ebb and flow of female friendship over half a lifetime

‘A true gift of a novel, I utterly adored it. For as long as I could make it last, the world just felt a bit nicer’ Meg Mason

‘Stibbe turns out more perfect, sharp, unique sentences than anyone else’ Caitlin Moran

‘Stibbe has an extraordinary gift’ Marian Keyes

‘Nina Stibbe makes being funny look easy, but that’s just because she’s very, very good at it’ Clare Chambers
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Susan and Norma have been best friends for years, at first thrust together by force of circumstance (a job at The Pin Cushion, a haberdashery shop in 1990s Leicestershire) and then by force of character (neither being particularly inclined to make friends with anyone else). But now, thirty years later, faced with a husband seeking immortality and Norma out of reach on a wave of professional glory, Susan begins to wonder whether she has made the right choices about life, love, work, and, most importantly, friendship.

Nina Stibbe’s new novel is the story of the wonderful and sometimes surprising path of friendship: from its conspiratorial beginnings, along its irritating wrong turns, to its final gratifying destination.
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‘Nina Stibbe’s very funny novels are full of charm, and her latest brilliantly captures the mordant humour of British suburban life’ Evening Standard

‘I absolutely loved every single page of it! I honestly think it’s the funniest thing she’s ever written’ Garth Jennings

‘I’m not surprised to see that Stibbe’s writing has been compared to Jane Austen’s’ Emma Healey

‘I am already longing for Nina Stibbe’s next book’ Observer

‘Stibbe is one of the all-time greats’ Daisy Buchanan

‘Clever and funny, it takes a sharp look at the intricacies of marriage, friendship, work and driving. As with all Stibbe’s writing there is a pleasingly perfect balance of wisdom with jokes’ Cathy Rentzenbrink

‘Nina Stibbe is not just very funny but absolutely life-affirming’ Jenny Colgan

‘For beautifully funny and well-observed comic writing, Nina Stibbe is your go-to author. In her latest release, a tale of lifelong friendship between Susan and Norma, she explores the mistakes, rivalries and love we all experience in life’ Stylist

‘One of the great comic writers of our time’ Irish Times

Publisher Review

Nina Stibbe is one of our most beloved comic writers: One Day I Shall Astonish The World, about the lifelong friendship between two women, will cement that reputation further * Daily Mail, 2022 Sure Fire Blockbuster * Nina Stibbe is not just very funny but absolutely life-affirming -- Jenny Colgan As a comic novelist, Stibbe is so truly incomparable, I can only describe this perfect novel as Stibbe meets Stibbe, with a touch of Stibbe. (And if you love Nina Stibbe...you'll love this.) For as long as I could make it last, the world just felt a bit nicer. A true gift of a novel, I utterly adored it -- Meg Mason Clever and funny, it takes a sharp look at the intricacies of marriage, friendship, work, and driving. As with all Stibbe's writing there is a pleasingly perfect balance of wisdom with jokes -- Cathy Rentzenbrink I started off highlighting all the brilliant observations and one-liners but had to give up because there were so many. Nina Stibbe makes being funny look easy, but that's just because she's very, very good at it -- Clare Chambers, author of Small Pleasures For beautifully funny and well-observed comic writing, Nina Stibbe is your go-to author. In her latest release, a tale of lifelong friendship between Susan and Norma, she explores the mistakes, rivalries and love we all experience in life * Stylist, Best Novels for 2022 * The true heir to Sue Townsend -- Caitlin Moran Very funny . . . Nina does gentle wisdom well -- Nell Zink Another wonderful, funny slice of fiction from the author of best-seller, Love Nina. Her latest novel explores a decades-long friendship between two women and what happens when your paths diverge * Good Housekeeping, Books We're Looking Forward to in 2022 * Nina Stibbe's very funny novels are full of charm, and her latest brilliantly captures the mordant humour of British suburban life. Through the 90s to the present day, it follows Susan from her job in a haberdashery shop to working at the local university, and the ebbs and flows of her relationships with her husband and best friend * Evening Standard, Best Fiction Books to Look Forward to in 2022 * In One Day I Shall Astonish The World by gifted comic writer Nina Stibbe, Susan and Norma have been best friends for 30 years, but when Norma's life takes an unforeseen turn, Susan begins to wonder if she's followed the wrong path in life- and in friendship * Daily Mirror, Brilliant Books in 2022 * One Day I Shall Astonish the World by the always entertaining Nina Stibbe is a story of female friendship * Irish Times, Books To Look Out For In 2022 * In April look out for...Love, Nina writer Nina Stibbe's One Day I Shall Astonish The World * Daily Mirror, What's Hot in 2022 * Nina Stibbe is one of the great comic writers of our time * Irish Times * Stibbe is one of the all-time greats * Daisy Buchanan * Very few writers can find the delicate balance between heartbreak and hilarity like Nina Stibbe * Red Magazine * Funny, charming, odd-in-the-best-way and gorgeously uplifting! A delight from start to finish * Marian Keyes on 'Reasons to be Cheerful' * Joyful. Stibbe's comedy probes what it means to become an adult * Daily Telegraph on 'Reasons to be Cheerful' * Pitch perfect vintage comedy * Guardian on 'Reasons to be Cheerful' * As a comic novelist, Stibbe is so truly incomparable, I can only describe this perfect novel as Stibbe meets Stibbe, with a touch of Stibbe. (And if you love Nina Stibbe...you'll love this.) For as long as I could make it last, the world just felt a bit nicer. A true gift of a novel, I utterly adored it -- Meg Mason, author of SORROW AND BLISS