{"product_id":"killing-time","title":"Killing Time","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eTHE \u003ci\u003eSUNDAY TIMES \u003c\/i\u003eBESTSELLER. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKilling Time \u003c\/i\u003eis a wonderful surprise gift from Alan Bennett – a new story, set in a home for the elderly; a glorious, darkly comic treat. \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e''A mini-masterpiece.'' THE TIMES\u003cbr\u003e''Full of wit and style.'' OBSERVER\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e''A \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eterrific cast of characters, and secrets and chaos aplenty.'' iNEWS\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e''A geriatric \u003ci\u003eLord of the Flies\u003c\/i\u003e.'' SPECTATOR\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eWe have a choir and on special occasions a glass of dry sherry. It’s less of a home \u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003eand more of a club and very much a community.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePresided over by the lofty Mrs McBryde, Hill Topp House is a superior council home for the elderly. Among the unforgettable cast of staff and residents there’s Mr Peckover the deluded archaeologist, Phyllis the knitter, Mr Cresswell the ex-cruise ship hairdresser, the enterprising Mrs Foss and Mr Jimson the chiropodist. Covid is the cause of fatalities and the source of darkly comic confusion, but it’s also the key to liberation. As staff are hospitalised, protocol breaks down. Miss Rathbone reveals a lifelong secret, and the surviving residents seize their moment, arthritis allowing, to scamper freely in the warmth of the summer sun.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e‘Violet? She’ll be having a little lie-down,’ said Mrs McBryde. ‘She likes to give her \u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003epacemaker a rest. I’ll rout her out.’\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eKilling Time \u003c\/i\u003ewas a \u003ci\u003eSunday Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestseller w\/e 09\/11\/2024 to w\/e 28\/12\/2024.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"MediaPlace","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57395101991294,"sku":"NW9780571394814","price":9.42,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1379\/1261\/files\/9780571394814.jpg?v=1778629414","url":"https:\/\/mediaplace.com\/products\/killing-time","provider":"MediaPlace","version":"1.0","type":"link"}