{"product_id":"9781504039390","title":"The Bottle Factory Outing: A Novel","description":"\u003cb\u003eNamed by the\u003ci\u003e Observer\u003c\/i\u003e as “one of the 100 greatest novels of all time,” this dark comedy with a disturbing twist follows two working-class women in 1970s London.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Unlikely friends Brenda and Freda share a rundown room in London and toil away at an Italian factory pasting labels onto wine bottles. Brenda, a shy and passive thirty-three-year-old brunette, recently ran away to the city to escape an abusive husband. Freda, meanwhile, is a rebellious twenty-six-year-old blonde with big dreams and a penchant for bossing people around.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e The two women are the only English workers at the bottling facility, and their presence certainly stirs up trouble. Freda has a crush on the trainee manager, Vittorio, and tries to get close to him despite the fact that he’s engaged to an Italian girl. Brenda, on the other hand, spends a fair amount of time trying to distance herself from the advances of the factory’s manager, Mr. Rossi.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e When Freda organizes a company outing, what’s supposed to be a day of freedom and fun turns into a dark and chaotic tragedy. The workers plan to travel by van to a stately castle, where they will picnic and drink wine before visiting an African safari. But the van never shows up, and when they finally do make it to the castle, something goes fatally wrong.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, \u003ci\u003eThe Bottle Factory Outing \u003c\/i\u003ewas inspired by author Beryl Bainbridge’s own experiences working as a cellar girl in the mid-twentieth century. Intertwining themes of loneliness and friendship, sexual frustration and personal power, passion and murder, this tragicomedy is a British classic that depicts working-class life as something both terribly morose and wickedly funny.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThis ebook features an illustrated biography of Beryl Bainbridge including rare images from the author’s estate.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  ","brand":"Open Road Media","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47143309181168,"sku":"9781504039390","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781504039390_p0.jpg?v=1763711769","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781504039390","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}