“... the only thing that kept Mitchell going, ‘for it gave him his faith in man and kept him from black, hopeless pessimism’. It also positions the ‘farm life’ he so hated as the original sin.His output was prodigious, and it had to be. That £500 a year had to come from somewhere. Stained Radiance was followed a year later by The Thirteenth Disciple ...”

“... was quite enjoyable because I liked hearing her hold forth, say, on the novels of Ethel Mannin and Naomi Jacob or about Jessie Matthews in Evergreen. On a really good day the subject would be some family matter – a bit of scandal or, better still, discreet criticism. But she could also be fascinating in the public domain. She was in especially good form on ...”