The Unfortunates

The ebook edition of a classic novel from the bestselling author of ‘The Future Homemakers of America’.

What hope is there for Poppy Minkel? She has kinky hair, out-sticking ears, too yellow a neck and an appetite for fun, and her mother Dora despairs of ever finding her a husband, despite the Minkel's Mustard fortune that seasons these dubious attractions. When Daddy disappears, Poppy's tendency to the unusual is quietly allowed to flourish. World War I opens new horizons. With never a moment of self-doubt, she invents her own extraordinary life in step with the unfolding century.

Reviews

Praise for ‘The Unfortunates’:

'It is a marvel. Graham's style is riveting, hilarious one-liners falling in quick succession.' Anthea Lawson, The Times

'My unputdownable book of the year. I laughed and cried.' Shereen Nanjiani, Sunday Herald

'An irrepressible adventurer, Poppy is a comic combination of innocence and pluck, but although this is a brisk, breezy read, it's also a novel with serious bite.' Hephzibah Anderson, Daily Mail

'Laurie Graham is a writer with a remarkably malleable comic voice.' Alex Clark, The Guardian

'Fresh, funny and smart, a novel that reels from the Titanic to jazz age New York.’ Observer

‘This wildly funny novel … is often on the brink of being a wildly tragic one.’ The Sunday Times

‘A compelling read.’ Hello!

‘Poppy Minkel is a wonderfully original, naive character, and Graham injects her with the same eccentric humour all her protagonists share, making it impossible not to love her. A fantastic, engrosssing read.’ Glamour

About the author

Laurie Graham is the author of eight novels. ‘The Ten O’Clock Horses’ was shortlisted for the Encore Award and dramatized for Radio 4, as was ‘Perfect Meringues’. Laurie is a former Daily Telegraph columist and contributing editor to She magazine, and wrote the bestselling ‘Parents’ Survival Guide’. In addition to her novels, she writes original dramas and adaptations for BBC Radio. Her ten-episode dramatization of ‘Little Women’ was broadcasted on Woman’s Hour.