Campari for Breakfast (38 page)

And to: Deborah Crowe, Jeni Hayes, Jim and Anne Carson, Ida and Bill Cochrane, Jessie-May Perry, Annie Michael, Liza Goddard, Michael Hobbs, Angela Annersley and the great many friends who have inspired and helped me along the way. For as the old Chinese Proverb says:

‘When Eating Bamboo shoots, remember the man who planted them’

Last but not least, I acknowledge most of all how much I owe to my Dad, Allen, and to my late Mother, Neta, who told me that as a child she thought scruples were little people who lived under the stairs, and that therefore an unscrupulous person was a person who lived in a flat. I would like to express my deep gratitude that she was such a very special source of help to me, and still is even now in the treasure of my memory.

Books that I read when researching:

England’s Lost Houses
, by Giles Worsley, (2011; Aurum Press)

The Imperial Russian Dinner Service; a Story of a famous work by Josiah Wedgwood
, by Dr. George C. Williamson, (1909; George Bell and Sons)

Folk Wines, Cordials and Brandies
, by Moritz A Jagendorf, (1963; Vanguard Press) (the recipe for Brown Bettys)

The Book of Decorative Furniture
, by Edwin Foley, (1911; T.C. & E.C. Jack)

About the Author

Sara Crowe is best known as an actress. She has appeared on television, stage and film, including the iconic
Four Weddings and a Funeral
. She has won the Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress, the Variety Club Best Actress Award and the London Critics Circle Theatre Award for Most Promising Newcomer. Sara’s West End appearances include
Private Lives
,
Calendar Girls
and
Hay Fever
. She has also toured with
Acorn Antiques: the Musical
, and appeared in
The City Madam
for the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Campari for Breakfast
is Sara’s first novel, inspired by a crumbling old house and a love of English eccentricity. She began writing as a child and has also written comedy sketches for television and stand-up. But in the tradition of late developers, it was only recently that she re-opened the notebooks of yesteryear and some of the characters climbed out.

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First published in Great Britain
in 2014 by Doubleday
an imprint of Transworld Publishers

Copyright © Sara Crowe 2014

Sara Crowe has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.

This book is a work of fiction and, except in the case of historical fact, any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Version 1.0 Epub ISBN 9781448170739
ISBNs 9780857522153 (hb)
9780857522160 (tpb)

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