The Lovers of Pound Hill

Mavis Cheek was born and grew up in Wimbledon. She began her working life at Editions Alecto, the contemporary art publishers. She then attended Hillcroft College for Women from where she graduated in Arts. After her daughter Bella was born, she began her writing career in earnest; journalism and travel writing at first, then short stories, and eventually, in 1988, her novel Pause Between Acts, which won the She/John Menzies First Novel Prize. Her thirteen novels include Mrs Fytton's Country Life, Janice Gentle Gets Sexy and, most recently, Amenable Women, described in the Times as 'a brilliantly funny, warm, intelligent read'. She now lives and writes in the heart of the English countryside.

"When city girl Molly Bonner arrives in the village of Lufferton Boney, she creates quite a stir. With her non-country-style boots, determined manner and alluring looks, she sets off a wave of intrigue that ripples through the lives of everyone there, from Julie the barmaid at the Holly Bush to antiques dealer Dryden Fellows and Montmorency the cat. Nobody knows exactly what she's up to, but one thing seems certain: her presence will alter the lives and loves of the village and its people for good. For Molly is a girl on a mission: to discover the truth behind Lufferton Boney's sinister and most notorious resident, the giant (and slightly obscene) Gnome, a fertility symbol etched into the face of Pound Hill. As she works her way into the villagers' hearts and lives, Molly needs to keep one step ahead. She has a few demons of her own to settle, as she pursues the wonderful secret that only the Gnome can reveal... Mavis Cheek is on brilliant form in this warm and sparklingly witty novel about life and love."

A fabulously reviewed comic romp set in the English countryside by queen of social satire Mavis Cheek