Rules of Civility

'Fabulous' Observer n 'Achingly stylish' Guardian n 'Irresistible' Daily Telegraph n 'Gripping' The Sunday Times n n n In a jazz bar on the last night of 1937, n watching a quartet because she couldn't afford to see the whole ensemble, n there were certain things Katey Kontent knew: n n the location of every old church in Manhattan n how to sneak into the cinema n how to type eighty words a minute, five thousand an hour, and nine million a year n and that if you can still lose yourself in a Dickens novel then everything is going to be fine. n n By the end of the year she'd learned: n n how to live like a redhead n and insist upon the very best; n that riches can turn to rags in the trip of a heartbeat, n chance encounters can be fated, and the word 'yes' can be a poison. n n That's how quickly New York City comes about, like a weathervane, or the head of a cobra.

Time tells which. n n n n 'A delicious and memorable novel that will leave you wistful - and desperate for a martini.' Stylist n n 'Elegance and hardship drip off the page' Daily Mail n