I'd go as far as to say that the story borders on the mythological. Fay Weldon's use of sparse and simple prose in the telling of it strengthens the story even further.

Fay Weldon has an understanding of human nature which transcends the boundaries of social nicety and political correctness at the best of times, but she improves on her usual excellence here. This book presents the light and shadow of men and women in all their forms - there are no "good-guys" or "bad-guys" here. She shows how good can spring from bad and bad from good... a dangerous idea? Read it and see what you think.

I've read this book at least a dozen times over the years and I've learned something new about life, and myself, every time. It's frightening, uplifting and ultimately liberating. I can't recommend it more highly.

Hodge brings to life this tale of Ruth, an unattrative housewife who seeks revenge on both her husband and the new object of his affection, the successful romance novelist Mary Fisher.

The novel plays upon the transformation of the two female characters as Ruth molds herself into a she devil, a tool with which to reek her fury upon the world, and as a result Mary's world crumbles about her, the fairy castle becoming tarnished and unlovely.

At times harrowing, Weldon's work portrays the desperate plight of the unwanted and the undesirable, and the satisfaction of destruction.