Amateurs in Eden

'The history of a literary wife . . . Her story is not a footnote; it is absolutely central' Lesley McDowell, IndependentGrowing up in a dysfunctional family, Nancy Durrell, the enigmatic first wife of Lawrence Durrell, future author of the Alexandria Quartet, was an introverted provincial schoolgirl who transformed overnight into a young woman of haunting beauty. From the smoky pubs of 1930s Fitzrovia to the sexual mayhem of the Villa Seurat in Paris, her story shines new light on an extraordinary group of people. In a remote village on pre-war Corfu Nancy and Lawrence found a paradise where for a time they wrote and painted, quarrelled and laughed and loved. Here, for the first time, is her riveting story.'Nancy, as beautiful as Garbo, and as reticent, can finally take her place as a significant, if sad, figure in a story more troubling and authentic than any from The Alexandria Quartet' Miranda Seymour, Sunday Times'A vivid picture of smoky rooms bare of furniture, madcap escapades intended to shock the bourgeoisie and inebriated nights at the Café Royal' Bel Mooney, Daily Mail'The bohemian world of the mid-century Mediterranean makes a sparkling backdrop to a nuanced portrait of this gifted, volatile pair' i (Independent­)