False Pretences

by Lee Langley

Teasing out the extraordinary within the everyday, False Pretences is a contemporary novel in mosaic. Through the separate yet interlinked stories, it traces the lives of two women as they deal with the complexities of love, private terrors, violence and - most precarious of all - hope. There is mystery, wry humour, sometimes tragedy be-neath the jaunty surfaces glimpsed through the years, until, by the end, we have encompassed their lives.

Genres: Short Stories

Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Award-winning novelist and travel-writer, Lee Langley was born in Calcutta in the late 1930s, of Scottish parents, and she spent most of her early childhood there. Her parents separated when she was 4, and she spent the next 6 years travelling through India with her mother, where she got caught up in the Indian independence riots. Her family returned to the UK as feelings rose higher against the British. Lee Langley has since written of a sense of loss and exile from a place that she had loved as a child. She won the Writers’ Guild Award and the Commonwealth Writers Prize. Lee Langley has also written film scripts and has adapted novels for TV. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, and is also an active committee member of the P.E.N., the writers’ organization that campaigns for freedom of speech internationally. Lee Langley is married to the novelist Theo Richmond, and lives in Richmond in London.

Reviews

[Alan Shaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have just read this collection of linked short stories for the second time and it was well worth coming back to after more than 10 years. Ms. Langley is a great story teller and is able to say much in a short space without stating the obvious at every turn. Susan and Josie are the links between most of the stories and are ladies at turning points in their lives - both characters are subtly drawn and by the final story I would have been happy to spend much longer in their company. The stories themselves, as other reviewers have said, run the gamut from quirky to tragic but with quiet humour in and amongst ... and at times an acid edge too. Really excellent stuff.

[Nikki Magennis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Langley's stories are beautifully crafted, delicately linked and with a fascinating range of settings, characters and ideas. I can't understand why this book isn't more widely known. Having said that, the title is a bit weak and doesn't do the stories justice. It is, as noted in the title story itself, a tautology and a bit of an empty phrase. The stories certainly are anything but empty, though.
Wonderful observation, a lovely light touch, many of these characters really touched me. Some of the stories are light and witty and some heartbreaking. I'd call this kind of writing pretty English - although the settings cover Japan, Europe and Britain, there's a slight hint of RP about the tone.
Anywya, going to seek out more work by this author.

[Ape · Rating 3 out of 5]

My short comments from 2007 bookcrossing:

Collection of short stories set in the UK, India, Italy, France and one in Tokyo (featuring a particularly obnoxious and condescending husband). Two women, Josie and Susan feature in the stories - sometimes one of them is the main character, other times they fleetingly drift by in the background. The characters in the stories are experiencing turning points and big decisions in their lives. Interesting read.