The Immaculate Misconception

by Polly Hope

Buttercup Jones, Polly Hope’s latest heroine, is the holder, albeit unconsciously, of a Divine fitness diploma, cum laude. Set in the Enclave of one of those vast international organisations, Buttercup struggles with the problem of her husband’s career, her own, and the general awareness that her children are not what they seem.

Crammed with characters, the author, with her accustomed expertise, involves the reader in a web of intrigue remarkable for its complexity. Treading a tightrope between comedy and horror she juxtaposes the forces of good and evil with her treatment of the magical and the occult.

Once again Polly Hope succeeds in her handling of the serious with humour and this very amusing novel is a brilliant tour de force. It well fulfills the promise that the reader has come to expect from the Author of HERE {Away From It Al}.

235 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 18, 2013

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, this is an extraordinary book, as though Muriel Spark and Leonora Carrington had got together and at some point were converted to Catholicism. (Actually, Carrington was raised a Catholic, so maybe more of a return to her roots.) To describe the events of the novel would not only be a spoiler but would just sound ridiculous.

I discovered this through Chris Fowler's almost equally delightful The Book of Forgotten Authors and it languished on my to read list for years till it came out in Kindle. There is a lovely piece by Chris Fowler about his friendship with Polly Hope here: https://www.christopherfowler.co.uk/b....