Weekend By Wood, Charlotte

''So great I am struggling to find the words to do it justice'' Marian Keyes

A Book of the Year for The Times, Observer, Independent and Good Housekeeping

''A rare pleasure'' Sunday Times

''Riveting'' Elizabeth Day

''A perfect, funny, insightful, novel about women, friendship, and ageing'' Nina Stibbe

''A lovely, lively, intelligent, funny book'' Tessa Hadley

''Glorious . . . Charlotte Wood joins the ranks of writers such as Nora Ephron, Penelope Lively and Elizabeth Strout'' Guardian

Sylvie, Jude, Wendy and Adele have been friends for decades, but when Sylvie dies, the ground shifts dangerously for the remaining three.

These women couldn''t be more different: Jude, a once-famous restaurateur with a long-standing affair with a married man; Wendy, an acclaimed feminist intellectual; Adele, a former star of the stage, now practically homeless.

Struggling to recall exactly why they''ve remained close all these years, the grieving women gather for one last weekend at Sylvie''s old beach house. But fraying tempers, an elderly dog, unwelcome guests and too much wine collide in a storm that threatens to sweep away their friendship for good.