The L-Shaped Room [Paperback]

`Written...when motherhood...was a fate worse than death, ...shame and tension... may seem incomprehensible to today's sexually active youngsters'
--Daily Mail

'an angry tale in many ways, with an inextinguishable fire of authenticity ... perfectly suited to the theme' --The Independent on Sunday

'a documentary feel rather than a poetic register strengthens the impact of her message.' --The Independent on Sunday

`illustrates beautifully the tortured interplay between internal shame and external strictures as Jane goes to extraordinary lengths to hide her pregnancy.'
--New Statesman

Tender and compulsive, the bestselling novel which became a famous film

'Lynne Reid Banks' compassionate first novel examines the stigma of unmarried motherhood in pre-pill, pre-Abortion Act Britain... While the social climate has changed drastically since publication, a transgressive frisson still crackles from the pages'

The Guardian

Pregnant by accident, kicked out of home by her father, 27-year-old Jane Graham goes to ground in the sort of place she feels she deserves - a bug-ridden boarding-house attic in Fulham. She thinks she wants to hide from the world, but finds out that even at the bottom of the heap, friends and love can still be found, and self-respect is still worth fighting for.

(20030723)

'Lynne Reid Banks' compassionate first novel examines the stigma of unmarried motherhood in pre-pill, pre-abortion Act Britain... While the social climate has changed drastically since publication, a transgressive frisson still crackles from the pages'

The Guardian

Pregnant by accident, kicked out of home by her father, 27-year-old Jane Graham goes to ground in the sort of place she feels she deserves - a bug-ridden boarding-house attic in Fulham. She thinks she wants to hide from the world, but finds out that even at the bottom of the heap, friends and love can still be found, and self-respect is still worth fighting for.

Lynne Reid Banks has written a number of books for children and young adults. Her children's books include The Adventures of King Midas; The Farthest-Away Mountain; Maura's Angel; The Indian in the Cupboard, recently made into a major Hollywood film; Return of the Indian; The Fairy Rebel; and The Magic Hare. Her books for teenagers include One More River, Sarah and After, My Darling Villain, The Writing on the Wall, Melusine: A Mystery and Broken Bridge. In addition, she has written two historical books about Israel: Letters to My Israeli Sons and Torn Country (20030723)