Blithe Spirit: A Novel
*Adapted as a novel by Charles Osborne from Noël Coward's play
Charles Osborne
A brilliant novelisation of Noël Coward's most famous play
When celebrated novelist Charles Condomine and his new wife Constance invite a medium to give a seance, they expect nothing more than an amusing evening full of trickery, and a few insights for the story Charles is writing. But the wonderfully eccentric Madame Arcati turns out to be a genuine psychic - and when she unintentionally summons up the ghost of Charles's long-dead first wife, Elvira, the trouble begins. For Elvira has no intention of leaving without Charles, in spite of anything Constance might say or Charles might wish...
Originally written in the dark days of 1941, Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit went on to capture the imagination of the world, both as one of the most popular plays of the century and as the classic movie starring Rex Harrison and Margaret Rutherford. Charles Osborne's novelisation brilliantly captures the spirit of Coward's delicious comedy with all the deftness and wit of the original play, showing the humour that abounds in social mores and relationships - on both sides of the grave. Praise for Charles Osborne's novelisations of Agatha Christie plays:
"A lively and light-hearted read which will give pleasure to all those who have long wished that there was just one more Christie to devour" Antonia Fraser, Sunday Telegraph
"Reads like authentic, vintage Christie. I feel sure Agatha would be proud to have written it" Mathew Prichard, Agatha Christie's grandson
"A worthy addition to the Christie canon" Spectator
"Like a martini - crisp, dry, sophisticated, habit-forming - will satisfy all devotees of Christie's neat plotting" Booklist
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About Charles Osborne Charles Osborne was born in Brisbane in 1927. He started out in musical and literary journalism, and he continues to review books for the Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph. An international authority on opera, he has published many books on the subject, including guides to the operas of Mozart, Puccini, Strauss and Wagner; and his extensive writing on Verdi has been honoured with several awards. He is also the author of a biography of W. H. Auden, and more recently he has novelised plays by Agatha Christie and Oscar Wilde. Now living in London, Charles Osborne is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and President of the UK Critics' Circle.
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