'Breathtaking, moving and very funny' Brandon Taylor

Olly is twenty-one when she first meets Sam Bax. Fearless, goofy and risk-taking, he arrives in her life on the back of a huge motorcycle. By the end of the day, the pair are kissing in an apple orchard. A year later, they are married.

Five years after that, Sam has sailed into a storm and Olly is a widow at twenty-seven, left to grieve her impetuous, irresistible husband and deal with a world that treats her like a piece of antique glass.

But as time passes, she realises that her risks are as daring as any of Sam's: while he chanced life and limb, Olly risks her heart - and finds that love can take some surprising turns.

With humour, compassion and a decided lack of sentimentality, this is the wise and witty story of a woman trying to find her future, from the beloved Laurie Colwin.

A W&N Essential with an introduction from Brandon Taylor

"Delights the mind as it touches the heart. Colwin is one of the golden few who can't, apparently, put a foot wrong" - Cosmopolitan

"Deep and rich as a long-simmered broth. To redirect its title somewhat, Shine on, Bright and Gifted Writer" - Los Angeles Times