Play It Again? - Hardcover

Julie Highmore was born in Surrey. She has worked as a reader for OUP Children's Books, copy-edited academic work and taught English. She lives in Oxfordshire and has three grown-up children.

Quirky characters populate Highmore's engaging third novel, set in rural Norfolk. Fliss, an acupuncturist, lives with her daughter, Ellie, who is about to go off to university. Ellie lusts after Dylan, their next-door neighbor who, after his girlfriend leaves, starts renovating his house. Dylan's father, Alex, an aging rock star, is dumped by his girlfriend about the same time; he shows up at Dylan's unexpectedly, as does Dylan's mother, Marie, fresh off her second divorce and glamorized by a complete makeover. Fliss discovers an old crush at her school reunion, and from that point on, this intertwined cast moves in and out of relationships at a dizzying pace. Highmore adroitly keeps her characters bouncing from one embarrassing situation to the next--including Alex's attempt at solving his erectile dysfunction problem with acupuncture (administered, of course, by Fliss) and Dylan's surprising discovery that his ex-girlfriend's new love interest is tall, blonde, and female. Highmore's deft comic touch and off-kilter characters once again prove to be highly entertaining. Deborah Donovan
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