'This is a deeply stylish, astute and illuminating biography of a fascinating writer'
FRANCESCA WADE, author of Square Haunting

'Utterly charming. A book as elegant, sharp-witted and mischievous as its subject'
CLARE POLLARD, author of Delphi
'She was, if you believe what you read in the papers: a genius, a survivor, a bad mother, a fickle friend, a closeted lesbian, a tyrant, a loner, an eccentric, a recluse, a gossip, and an arch-manipulator. She would politely encourage you not to believe what you read in the papers.'

Muriel Spark was one of literature's great shapeshifters. That mercurial quality is found in her strange, brilliant, cruel novels - with their plots featuring pensioners receiving telephone calls from Death, the devil going clubbing in Peckham and a fascist schoolmistress leading her coterie of girls astray - but it is also true of her as a person.

As sly, nimble and elegant as Spark's own work, Like a Cat Loves a Bird is a thrilling new perspective on a remarkable life and career that spanned much of the twentieth century. From her childhood in Edinburgh to her final years in Tuscany - via South Africa, London, New York and Rome - it traces a light-footed journey around the world and through her strange and magnificent bibliography. It tells an irresistible story of transformation, wit and fierce determination and makes a passionate case for this vital modern artist.

'You don't have to be a Muriel Spark fan to enjoy the sharp wit of Like a Cat Loves a Bird, a fascinating and nuanced exploration of the sacrifices some make to focus on their art'
LUKE TURNER, author of Out of the Woods

'Vital, fun and immediate . . . full of engaging and astute literary analysis of Spark's work as well as scintillating, vivid biography'
FRANCESCA REECE, author of Glass Houses

'A readable and fascinating book, about an under-appreciated literary giant
LUCINDA HAWKSLEY, author of The Mystery of Princess Louise

"Clever ... Spark's nine lives, also presented as a "series of flickering sparks", neatly capture both the slipperiness and the picaresque quality of this most elusive of subjects ... [Bailey's] Spark is a likeable monster and his wit and playfulness are well suited to his subject. He is a good close reader and this is a biography that will delight those who admire Spark's 22 novels and intrigue those who are new readers or who know only The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" - The Times

"Inventive not inventing ... Bailey's approach isn't a conventional "life" so much as a hybrid of literary criticism, personal appreciation and a novel" - The Scotsman

"Astute . . . a welcome addition for anyone caught in the mental claws of one of the most elusive and brilliant writers of modern times" - Independent

"[Bailey] has great fun in exploring possibilities, imagining scenarios, creating scenes and celebrating [Spark's] enigmatic writing. Still, there are facts here, and you will learn a lot, not only about Spark, but about the changing (and depressingly persistent) sensibilities of the 20th century" - Scotland on Sunday