This is the only work of Muriel Spark I have read so far, and I can see she has a wicked, subtle sense of humour and her characters are life like eccentrics. The writing is polished and mature with a wit she clearly underplays.
I found the opening a bit mundane but the story soon picked up pace, a richly entertaining account of a wealthy American woman’s machinations to evict a close male friend from one of her luxurious properties. Delightful intricate story of wealth and opportunism set in a corner of Italy. Everyone she meets turns out to be a swindler out to grab what they can of her vast fortune. But in the end we see our heroine is not quite as resource-less as she appears.
.Occasionally overdone and melodramatic, yet it was most enjoyable read. I guess I will seek out her other works – the most notable The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.