THE BOOK OF EVE. by Beresford-Howe, Constance - 1973

Toronto: Macmillan of Canada, 1973. 170 pp, 8vo (8 3/4" H). "Here is a fresh, beautifully written story of an almost old woman who, one morning on impulse, walks out of a forty-year-old marriage, leaving her invalid husband calling querulously for his breakfast. In a desperate bid for a life of her own, and with little more money in her pocket than her first Old Age Pension cheque, Eva exchanges her sedate and conventional middle-class existence in a Montreal suburb for a chaotic rooming-house life in one of the city's poorer districts. Eva's account of her transition from housewife to eccentric is the basis for this warm and delightful novel which, in a surprising way, turns out to be a love story. Eva herself is a wonderful character, with a prickly charm, an acid humour, and a probing, active intelligence that gives sense and meaning to her strange choice, and makes her story a compelling and unforgettable experience." A few tiny light foxing marks on verso of dedication page and up to and including page 6, two tiny corner bumps, wrinkling at top/bottom of spine. Dust jacket has light to moderate edgewear/wrinkling - mainly at top/bottom of spine and flap-folds, minor rubbing, two small closed tears.. First Edition. Hard Cover. Very Good-/Good+.