Welcome to Litsy!

The main character Lise is batshit crazy! I was curious where this book would end up but sadly I didn‘t become emotionally attached to the characters. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

What a weird and wonderful little book! My rational mind thinks I should be disturbed by it, but Spark‘s black humour somehow made the story palatable. I picked it up today meaning just to have a look at it, but I read the first page and didn‘t put it down until I finished. Only 100 pages, but still…

Gifts from my husband ❤️

Thankful to reading a review here. Quite odd story but a perfect weekend kindle read.

Excuse the pun but Spark certainly takes the reader for an anxiety inducing ride as we follow the increasingly erratic Lise in an unnamed Mediterranean city in her search for a boyfriend who may or may not exist.

What a weird and wonderful novel! The story of a victim of a crime who bizarrely seems to be in ‘the driver‘s seat‘. A tilt I think at the conventional thinking that surrounds the social and sexual revolutions of the sixties. Spark is an original and unpredictable thinker who has no qualms about discomforting her readers. I found this in a charity shop and will keep looking out for second hand copies of the rest of her books.

They don‘t want to be all dressed alike anymore. Which is only a move against us. You couldn‘t run an army like that, let alone the male sex. With all due respect to Mr Fiedke,may he rest in peace, the male sex is getting out of hand. Of course Mr Fiedke knew his place as a man, give him his due.

Lise seems ordinary. A single woman of average looks, working in middle management at an unremarkable firm, heading south for vacation. But from the beginning, there are hints that something is not quite right. And Lise becomes inexplicable, especially as only actions and events are described. Early on Spark reveals the ending, leaving us to puzzle out how and why. But I found the tone too detached and didn‘t much care. It needs a second reading.

For a "suspense novel," this book sure is dragging along for me.

#BehindtheWheel #MayMovieMagic
I had The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie in my hand at the bookstore last weekend, but I put it back, thinking that there was another Muriel Spark novel I wanted to read first. Had I checked my TBR, I would have realized it was this one. Intriguing plot involving a woman trying to escape both her life and general persona, leading to a drama while sitting between two men on an airplane (so, I guess title is a metaphor? 🤔)

I originally gave this book 4 stars, but decided to upgrade it to 5. I have read it during the summer and still keep thinking about it occasionally.

A young-ish English woman - one of the most disturbing I remember reading about and so vividly realised - with an eclectic dress sense goes on summer holiday. The rest is an entirely unpredictable psychological suspense story that is not a thriller.

Definitely recommended.

It‘s been an exciting night. Thomas and Simon from The Readers podcast are in town (my town!) for a Reader‘s Retreat and we met up for drinks, dinner and a stroll around City Lights Booksellers. I have never had as much fun in a bookstore as I had with about 19 other hardcore readers. There was a lot of touching of covers, breathing in books and handing them off to one another to check out. I ended up coming home with these gems!

Wacky.

Sounds like my kind of book.

Next weekend I‘ll be driving across the state to visit as many independent booksellers as I can. If I can get to at least 15/20 on this map, I‘ll win a $25 gift voucher to each store! If you‘re in Connecticut and would like to join in, here are the details. https://www.rjjulia.com/event/connecticut-independent-bookstore-day-passport

A gorgeously dark and demented novella about a woman on holiday, searching for a man who is “her type.” Among her many strange behaviors, she carries a book whose gaudy cover matches her glaringly mismatched outfit, often holding it in front of her like a shield, like an identity badge. I myself suspect the book was titled The Driver‘s Seat, by Muriel Spark.

#QuoteOfTheDay

Thank you, @Wilkie for the wonderful Valentine‘s day gifts. They are fabulous! Two books on my wishlist and the other two sound right about my alley. And OMGosh, my first Persephone! The teas and chocolates look yum, love the page markers and the notebook + pen are lovely. Thank you for everything and Happy Valentine‘s Day! ❤️
#cupidgoespostal #valentinesbookexchange

What did I just read???? 106 pages of a woman looking for “her type”- described as “superbly chilling and blithely evil”- yes, that‘s as good a desciption as I can come up with. Go read it! 😱

#DogsofLitsy Whiskey and I plan to read this short 107 page novella today- well I think he plans to nap under a blanket as we have blanket weather here all week!🌬🐾

Startling. Bizarre. An apt cover! #MurielSpark can get under my skin in a way that only she and #ShirleyJackson can. My kind of #Halloween read. #TheDriversSeat

I knew nothing about this book and just started to read. So I was completely surprised by Lise, whose thoughts we never know, which makes this book so creepy and funny at the same time.
In the end, she is certainly in the driver's seat. Recommended easy-read! #1001books Picture: my new car 🚙!

#readingwomenmonth #booksaboutmentalhealth
There are so many books about mental health and i thought instantly of stunning recent memoirs that i posted on a thread recently H is for hawk and The Outrun but instead I've plumped for muriel spark's brilliantly dark novella about a woman who goes on a holiday to Italy - i won't say any more but .

Read in one night. This surreal novella had me turning pages. This passage is one instance of showing how Lise is not quite right. Even when Spark uses flash-forward to inform the reader of what will happen, it still all feels very suspenseful. Definitely going to seek out more of her works! Have already read The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. (Read for year 1970 of my #birthdaychallenge)

Thank you, John Lanchester, for the suggestion not to go any further in your introduction to this book. Usually I avoid reading introductions until after the end because of potential spoilers, but every once in a while I forget. Thanks again! #birthdaychallenge

This finally came in the mail today! Ordered this two weeks ago. No complaints with how long it took, with it being from overseas and the holidays, but now I can proceed with the next book I chose for my #birthdaychallenge. This was published in 1970. Muriel Spark may be best known for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.

An odd novella that made me laugh at times until I got about half way and then it turns even odder. Not what I was expecting, but that's a good thing

Lise is going on holiday and is going to be murdered. In this short, dark novel, (Spark's personal favorite) we'll get a picture of a woman who is on edge and who engages in increasingly erratic behavior. The end comes as a bit of a shock and surprise. Good stuff. http://cannonballread.com/2016/08/if-we-took-a-holiday-took-some-time-to-celebra...

It was my first Muriel Spark and it left me rather puzzled. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I read it for a book club or uni seminar... Should I read more Spark?

Short, horrifying, funny - and deserving of a very close read. As soon as I finished it, I flipped to the beginning and started again.

What an intense, dark and disturbing book - in the very best way. I loved this tale of a sad lady and her trip of a lifetime!

If you want a good place to start with Muriel Spark, then I suggest the funny, weird protagonist of the brief but perfect THE DRIVER'S SEAT.