{"product_id":"the-cost-of-living-1","title":"The Cost of Living","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"UTF-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRediscover the brilliance of \u003cem\u003eThe Cost of Living\u003c\/em\u003e in the Mermaid Collection - classic books by popular pioneering female authors republished to delight new generations of readers. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA witty and characterful novel about the aftermath of a party thrown by singletons Marianne, a freelance typist in her mid-thirties and twenty-six year old Alexandra, a freelance portrait painter, who live in the same apartment building and have decided it's time to meet some men. With a foreword by Jane Fallon\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e‘You’re always so cynical. It doesn’t do. It makes men feel inferior.’\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e‘Quite a few of them are...’\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIdealistic Alexandra is throwing a party to meet a more glamorous crowd.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMarianne, more sardonic, worries it’ll be the usual sort. The party is in Alexandra’s attic flat. Marianne will contribute a few bottles of red optimistically labelled Bordeaux.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCan it be judged a success? There’s Donald the bus conductor with high-brow dreams, nervous bespectacled Bernhardt and Marius the ghostwriter. Not to mention a brace of Peters. It’s left to sexy, young Pisa and riotous, middle-aged Mummy (neither invited) to steal the show.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eYet, after the party both Marianne and Alexandra find themselves caught in unexpected – sometimes far from romantic – relationships. Meeting people, it turns out, has the most peculiar consequences. Is that really the cost of living?\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Kathleen Farrell","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57627518796163,"sku":"9781405988766","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0573\/8600\/8738\/files\/websitecovertemplate-1969.png?v=1773851809","url":"https:\/\/rarebirdsbooks.com\/products\/the-cost-of-living-1","provider":"Rare Birds Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}