As the days get shorter and Summer comes to an end I thought we might be in need of something cheerful. Based on the BBC Radio 4 series ‘Little Lifetimes’ this book is a collection of 24 short stories.

All quite different, some reminding me of Alan Bennett’s dry observations, others similar in style to Roald Dahl’s ‘Tales of the Unexpected’ and others…well the others are just Jenny Eclair, to the extent that her voice comes alive on the page.

I don’t usually enjoy short stories. Too often they are shallow, too hurried or lacking in detail but Ms Eclair never falls into that trap.

There’s sadness, revenge, disappointment, love, in fact the whole range of emotions, all beautifully presented in just a few pages. So, not entirely cheerful but ‘a good read’ and you can’t ask for more than that.