‘Life is a mirror,’ according to William Makepeace Thackeray. ‘If you frown at it, it frowns back; if you smile, it returns the greeting.’
When I am asked to name my favourite novel, I usually opt for Thackeray’s Vanity Fair. Or The Old Wives’ Tale by Arnold Bennett. Or The Last Chronicle of Barset by Anthony Trollope. Or anything by Elizabeth Taylor (not the actress – the novelist. If you’ve not tried her, you must. Start with . You are in for a treat.)
