{"product_id":"2940169847970","title":"Dear Mr Bigelow: A Transatlantic Friendship","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eDear Mr Bigelow\u003c\/i\u003e is an enchanting selection of weekly 'pen-pal' letters written between 1949 and 1961 from an unmarried woman working at the Pier Approach Baths in Bournemouth, to a wealthy American widower, living on Long Island, New York. Frances Woodsford and Commodore Paul Bigelow never met, and there was no romance - she was in her forties when he died aged ninety-seven - yet their epistolary friendship was her lifeline.  \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe 'Saturday Specials' as Frances dubbed them, are brilliantly-packed missives, sparked with comic genius, from post-war England. We follow her travails at the Baths (and her ghastly boss Mr Bond); the hilarious weekly Civil Defence classes as the Cold War advances; her attempts to shake off Dr Russell, an unwanted suitor; life at home with Mother, and Mac, her charming ne'er-do-well brother; and escapades in their jointly-owned car, a 1934 Ford 8 called Hesperus.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMost importantly, we get to know Frances - and her deep affection for Mr Bigelow. She started to write to him as a way of thanking his daughter for the clothes and food parcels she sent. But what had begun as a good turn offered Frances the chance to escape a trying job, and to expound with elegance, wit and verve on topical subjects from home and abroad, bringing us a beady commentary on her life and times that leaps vividly from the page. Her letters to Mr Bigelow during his final illness are a tender and moving farewell, a touching conclusion to a unique record.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Random House UK","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47098108969200,"sku":"2940169847970","price":16.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940169847970_p0.jpg?v=1763785985","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940169847970","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}