A House of Women

By: Eric Malpass

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

Now retired from the London theatre, Shakespeare returns to Stratford to live with his wife and children. But coming home to a house of women where routines have long been established is no easy task: his daughters merely find their famous father an unwanted intrusion. This moving story of Shakespeare’s latter years in Stratford centres on the adjustments the family has to make, and explores Will’s relationship with his two daughters and the men they decide to marry. This concluding novel in Eric Malpass’ masterful trilogy on Shakespeare’s life is as memorable as Sweet Will and The Cleopatra Boy. The Author: Eric Malpass was born in Derby in 1910 and worked in a bank after leaving school, but his firm ambition was to become a novelist and he wrote in his spare time for many years. His first book, Morning’s at Seven, was published to wide acclaim. With an intuitive eye for the quirkiness of family life, his novels are full of wry comments and perceptive observations. This exquisite sense of detail has led to the filming of three of his books. His most engaging character is Gaylord Pentecost – a charming seven-year-old who observes the strange adult world with utter incredulity. Eric Malpass also wrote biographical novels, carefully researched and highly evocative of the period. Among these is Beyond Human Fraility, the moving story of Thomas Cranmer. With his amusing and lovingly drawn details of life in rural England, Malpass’ books typify a certain whimsical Englishness – a fact which undoubtedly contributes to his popularity in Europe. Married with a family, Eric Malpass lived in Long Eaton, near Nottingham, until his death in 1996.