Something Beginning With

By Sarah Salway

Book Overview

One of the great hidden gems of the past decade.

Written in brief entries from 'Ambition' to 'Zzzzz' Salway's confident debut novel chronicles the existential ups and downs of British 20-something Verity Bell.

The alphabetically arranged mini-chapters make for an inventive and episodic narrative, as Verity muses on her career (A is for Attitude: "I work as a secretary in the media... something I don't always talk about because some people seem to think I'm showing off"), her friendship with the fabulous Sally (B is for Best Friends: "my best friend, Sally, has become the mistress of a millionaire called Colin"), her feelings on Gwyneth Paltrow (G is for You-Know-Who: "If I looked like Gwyneth Paltrow, nothing could possibly go wrong in my life") and other issues of love, friendship and family.

With both parents deceased, Verity clings to Sally as a sort of substitute family, but struggles with her insecurities and her envy of Sally's 'perfect' existence. She falls madly in love with a married man but, unsurprisingly, their steamy affair is not the solution to Verity's problems; rather, it exacerbates her self-doubt as she plays second fiddle to the wife and children.

Ultimately, Verity's life takes an unexpected turn, and she emerges a stronger and more creative woman. Salway wraps her bright, comic writing in bite-sized chunks that make this first novel an easy-reading pleasure.

First published in 2004 to considerable critical acclaim - Neil Gaiman called Sarah 'an astonishingly smart writer' and Sainsbury's magazine hailed the book as 'a Bridget Jones for our times' - Something Beginning With became a cult classic. By which we mean a book that didn't sell a huge amount but nearly everyone who did buy it loved it.

We are delighted to be able to include Something Beginning With as one of the launch titles for The Library of Lost Books. Sarah has a considerable online following and her debut novel has been unavailable for some time.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0007368399
• ISBN13: 9780007368396
• Release Date: September 2010
• Publisher: Friday Project
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.0" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Fun, easy read

This book is an alphabetized list of vingnettes that take whimsical look at Verity Bell's love life. It is light and fun in some stories, yet deeply serious and somber in others. I wasn't expecting to get so drawn in because the book is quite a short read, but by the end I was definitely rooting for Verity.

an alphabet's worth of praise:

Amusing Brilliant Clever Delightful Endearing Fun Great Humorous Insightful Joke-filled Keen Lovable Marvelous Nimble-witted Open Perceptive Quirky Respectable Smart Terrific Unbeatable Well-written, Xcellent Youthful Zesty

A Unique Voice

In the ABC's of Love, Verity Bell takes us through the alphabet and into her psyche, in a series of understated, humorous and spot-on observations about her life. With an eye for character-defining detail, Verity watches herself from the outside, not quite letting on if she is completely aware of the story-line beneath the words. "It is posher as well as more interesting to be haunted by internal ghosts who make you miserable," she has learned. "The good thing about being in love is that I can recognise John's faults in an adult fashion," she concludes, after another series of let-downs by her married lover. Like Candide, each page delivers a nugget of self-delusion the reader can identify with, and the word associations prompt you to see the quirky connectedness of all things. V is for Vacuuming, but it is really about John missing the dog at home who attacks his Hoover. "Doors" starts off with the intriguing fact that British TV ads never show closed doors, and leads to a memory of Verity's mother telling her to stay in her room. "It wasn't cruel, she just wanted a break from me."The cumulative effect of Verity's vignettes, each a story in itself, is to create a world very much like the one that goes on in our heads: a series of seemingly disassociated thoughts that add up to a life rich with meaning. In a sense, the cover of this book can be deceiving. The ABC's of Love, `A Novel of Romance from A to Z' is darker, funnier and more perceptive than you might be expecting. Sarah Salway has a unique voice and a disarming way of communicating her view of the world. I want to see what she does next.

A pleasure from A to Z

This is one of the finest books I have read in a while; I loved it. It is miles ahead of all other chick lit out there, because apart from being entertaining, funny and utterly engaging, this novel is also insightful, touching, and beautifully written. Written in alphabetical glossary entires, each short section tells its own story, and the vignettes add up to a lovely book that is as smart as it is sweet. I would highly recommend this one to anyone, not just "chicks". There is really nothing out there quite like it.

Smart, lively read

I loved this book. It's short and a quick read, but it's very well written. Verity is Every Girl and yet also her own person. I recommend this for all the fans of "chick lit" and authors like Rita Ciresi or Jane Green.