Desirable Residence

by Lettice Cooper

How would you react if squatters moved into the ground floor of your building?The tenants of the upper floor flats of No. 27 Cranby Gardens find themselves in this very situation when a family of three suddenly move into the basement just hours after the former tenants left that morning. Hilda Greencroft is prepared to be friendly – after all, they seem to be harmless a young couple with a baby – but Oliver and Judith Blackstone say ‘Out!’ But the squatters have done their research and declare their rights.Fifteen-year-old Tamsine Blackstone, a political revolutionary, thinks the squatters are fabulous, and rushes to offer help and advice, while her shy and idealistic elder brother, Simon, can’t bring himself to the make the first step and confront them too.Meanwhile, downstairs in the basement, Polly and Dennis Dyson are preoccupied with their own worries. Having fled from Dennis’ domineering mother, they have set up camp in Cranby Gardens with the hope of being transferred to social housing - immediately! But life in the squat is not the romantic idea it’s presumed to be – particularly with a young baby – and it is with infinite caution that the social services are slowly beginning to grind into action.And then trouble a group of new squatters descend on the flat and with them, a life of violence and petty crime. Abruptly, a very different situation faces everyone…In this delightfully human comedy, Lettice Cooper masterfully develops an intriguing plot to reveal a touching and gripping story of a collection of diverse and very human characters.

191 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1980

About the author

Lettice Ulpha Cooper began to write stories when she was seven. She studied Classics at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford graduating in 1918.

She returned home after Oxford to work for her family's engineering firm and wrote her first novel, 'The Lighted Room' in 1925. She spent a year as associate edtior at 'Time and Tide' and during the Second World War worked for the Ministry of Food's public relations division. Between 1947 and 1957 she was fiction reviewer for the Yorkshire Post. She was one of the founders of the Writers' Action Group along with Brigid Brophy, Maureen Duffy, Francis King and Michael Levy and received an OBE for her work in achieving Public Lending Rights. In 1987 at the age of ninety she was awarded the Freedom of the City of Leeds.

She never married and died in Coltishall, Norfolk at the age of 96.

From Wikipedia

Reviews

[Janis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great writing as always, but not my favourite of her books...Cooper here seems to be trying to fit in with a generation that was impressed by foul language and violent situations...not one of her characters in this book were likeable...
I had no interest in them or in the outcome of the book since even the good ones were unpleasant...however I can't fault her style...she is a brilliant writer and the book deserved the four stars...it was just not my cup of tea...

[Neenie Gove · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this weirdish, kinda unknown novel. So hard to describe.
Another incredibly descriptive and helpful review. yw!