Laurie Colwin

At once a hilarious social commentary and an insightful, sophisticated modern romance, A Big Storm Knocked It Over stands as a living tribute to one of contemporary fiction''s most original and beloved voices.In her late thirties, book designer Jane Louise Parker has just married a man whose native decency leaves her almost breathless at her good fortune. After the wedding, she returns to work at a small publishing house whose finances are in disarray. But Jane Louise still has difficulty thinking of herself as a grown-up. Alongside her best friend, Edie, Jane Louise patiently waits to become pregnant, wondering if a baby will provide a sense of rootedness that still seems to elude her. And when that longed-for child arrives, it transforms the Parkers'' lives in a way that is as unexpected as it is rapturous.A novel about trying to find a place in the world from the ultimate chronicler of the human heart, A Big Storm Knocked it Over offers a comic love story for overthinkers.A W&N Essential

When Sam Bax, that charming daredevil of a Boston lawyer, sails his boat into a storm off the coast of Maine, Elizabeth ''Olly'' Bax, his wife and ardent sidekick, becomes a widow at the edge of twenty-seven. With no pretense of ''courage'', Olly grieves, coping with the warmth and awkwardness of family ties and trying to rethink her own life. Realizing that her risks are as daring as any of Sam''s - while he chanced life and limb, Olly risks her heart - she finds that love can take some surprising turns.Laurie Colwin depicts Olly''s recovery with humour, compassion, and a decided lack of sentimentally, creating a real heroine who remains true to her heart and still manages to keep her head.A W&N Essential

Within these fourteen hilarious and insightful tales of urban life, you''ll meet:Raiford Phelps, an ornithologist who discovers new patterns of animal behavior when he meets Mary Leibnitz.Benno Morna, a temporary bachelor, free to indulge in TV, junk food, and Greenie Frenzel when his wholesome wife is out of town.Vincent Cadworthy and Guido Morris, whose elegant friendship is suddenly disrupted by Misty Berkowitz.Elizabeth Bayard, whose passion for order and civility does constant battle with her unruly loves.They are buffeted by the pressures of their jobs, imposed upon by their families and their surroundings, and remain ever hopeful of making sense of their lives. With compassion and biting wit, Laurie Colwin has created a new sort of comedy of manners.A W&N Essential

The triumphant sequel to Home Cooking by "a home cook, like you and me, whose charm and lack of pretension make her wonderfully human and a welcome companion as she chatters on about the small culinary accomplishments and discoveries that occur in her kitchen" (Chicago Tribune). Following the success of Home Cooking, Laurie Colwin returned to the kitchen to cook up this delightful mix of culinary recipes, advice, and personal anecdotes. With down-to-earth charm and wit, she discussed the many pleasures and problems of cooking at home, including such topics as "Desserts that Quiver," "The Duck Dilemma," "Real Food for Tots," "Turkey Angst," and "Catering on One Dollar a Head." As informative as it is entertaining, More Home Cooking is a rare treat for Colwin's many fans and for anyone who loves to spend time in the kitchen.

"As much memoir as cookbook and as much about eating as cooking." --The New York Times Book Review Weaving together memories, recipes, and wild tales of years spent in the kitchen, Home Cooking is Laurie Colwin's manifesto on the joys of sharing food and entertaining. From the humble hotplate of her one-room apartment to the crowded kitchens of bustling parties, Colwin regales us with tales of meals gone both magnificently well and disastrously wrong. Hilarious, personal, and full of Colwin's hard-won expertise, Home Cooking will speak to the heart of any amateur cook, professional chef, or food lover.