Four Novels by Muriel Spark (2004)

A collection of four novels by Muriel Spark published by Everyman's Library.

Book Review: This collection comprises three of the best novels by Muriel Spark (1918-2006), and one other. The first thing to note is that not only did Muriel Spark not suffer fools gladly, but she also didn't waste anyone's time. The four novels contained herein fill only 460 pages, so an average of a mere 115 pages each. Such efficiency. And as brevity is the soul of wit, then so much wit. The four novels here are The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1961), her best; it's successor, The Girls of Slender Means (1963); and The Driver's Seat (1970). These are her three most popular works and arguably her best among a career of 21 novels. The fourth book included is The Only Problem (1984), one of her least popular and more difficult books, parsing the Book of Job. It's less focused and precise than the other three (although with Spark I'm always ready to concede that any of her works may have flown high over my head and I missed the flying elephant entirely). Accordingly, The Only Problem is  less available than her other books, so perhaps the publishers lured us with the three excellent books to ensure that everyone has a chance to read the other one. Perhaps readers who (somehow) fail to enjoy the three popular novels may actually prefer the more esoteric choice. And these books cover a wide range of subjects: an iconoclastic teacher and her students at a girls' school, life at a boarding house for young women during the war years, a woman alone seeking something on a European holiday, a wealthy young man writing a treatise on the Book of Job as his estranged wife has apparently become a terrorist on the lam (though a horse would've been more efficient). Ms. Spark doesn't repeat herself. This collection gives readers new to the inimitable author a wonderful introduction, three of her best combined with one to show just how inimitable she can be. All short and all enjoyably entertaining. This lovely ribbon-bookmark edition published by the always tasteful Everyman's Library (Knopf), provides the "crème de la crème" of Muriel Spark's oeuvre, and would make a marvelous addition to anyone's personal library, or a lovely gift for any sophisticated, intelligent, and discerning reader of your acquaintance. Such as yourself.  [5★]