Four Beauties

First published in 1968, The Four Beauties is Bates''s last collection of novellas offering a mixture of comedy, adventure, a semi-autobiographical piece and an exploration of a dark love triangle.

''The Simple Life'' is set at a country cottage offering the joys of a humble existence, and focuses on a bitter alcoholic wife who finds temporary pleasure in a seventeen-year-old boy.

A reminiscence of...