{"product_id":"9781448214938","title":"The Woman Who Had Imagination","description":"\u003ci\u003eThe Woman Who Had Imagination\u003c\/i\u003e, H.E. Bates's fourth volume of stories, first published in 1934 (Jonathan Cape), is a fascinating collection of contrasts. The stories combine elements of realism and poetry, beauty and ugliness, tenderness and irony. Graham Greene, writing in the \u003ci\u003eSpectator\u003c\/i\u003e, lauded the collection as 'the first volume of Mr. Bates's maturity' and Bates as 'an artist of magnificent originality with a vitality quite unsuspected hitherto'.\u003ci\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis is brilliantly demonstrated in the title story\u003ci\u003e, '\u003c\/i\u003eThe Woman Who Had Imagination',\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003ethe heart-rending story of an Italian woman, revealed through the casual meetings and conversations that take place on a day's outing of a country choir. \u003cbr\u003eThe contrast between 'The Waterfall',\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003ewith its melancholy and grace,\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003eand the disturbing tensions in\u003ci\u003e '\u003c\/i\u003eThe Brothers'\u003ci\u003e, \u003c\/i\u003eemphasises\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003eBates's mastery of both the delicate and the disquieting. It is also in this collection that we are introduced to the much-loved comic narrator, Uncle Silas, in 'The Lily', 'The Wedding' and 'Death of Uncle Silas.\u003ci\u003e'\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn addition to the original collection this edition includes two extra stories. 'The Country Doctor'\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003econcerns a woman's grief on the death of her dearest friend. It was first published in the \u003ci\u003eFortnightly Review\u003c\/i\u003e in 1931 with the title 'The Country Sale'\u003ci\u003e,\u003c\/i\u003e and later in the limited edition \u003ci\u003eThe Story Without an End and The Country Doctor\u003c\/i\u003e (White Owl Press, 1932), and has not been reprinted since. \u003ci\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'The Parrot' chronicles a man, a marriage and the eponymous parrot, and has only previously been published in 1928 in \u003ci\u003eT.P.'s Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e, founded by the radical MP, T.P. O'Connor.","brand":"Bloomsbury USA","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47155433963760,"sku":"9781448214938","price":5.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781448214938_p0.jpg?v=1763827540","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781448214938","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}