On their 75th birthday, we meet Dora and Nora Chance, former dancers and illegitimate twin daughters of one of Britain's leading theatrical actors. They relate their colorful and amusing family history as the novel unfolds, describing their often strained relations with the legitimate branch of the family. Carter writes in a dry, comic, British style reminiscent of Fay Weldon. There is a good deal of theater chatter and a raucous Hollywood tour the girls undertake with father Melchior and his twin, Uncle Peregrine. Still, while there is much imaginative fun, the insider humor may be too parochial for American tastes. Libraries can probably skip this one.

齣生於英國伊斯特本（Eastbourne），是英國最具獨創性的作傢之一，書寫風格混閤魔幻寫實、歌德式以及女性主義。卡特著有八部小說：《魔幻玩具鋪》（獲約翰·勒維林·裏斯奬）、《數種知覺》（獲毛姆奬）、《英雄與惡徒》、《愛》、《霍夫曼博士的地獄欲望機器》、《新夏娃的激情》、《馬戲團之夜》以及《明智的孩子》。三本短篇小說集：《染血之室》、《煙火：個個世俗故事》，以及《聖人與陌生人》等等。卡特的作品也深受媒體喜愛：短篇小說《與狼為伴》和《魔幻玩具鋪》曾拍成電影，《馬戲團之夜》和《明智的孩子》改編成舞颱劇於倫敦上演，2006年更為喻為是安吉拉·卡特之年，在英份掀起一陣卡特熱潮。

譯者簡介：

嚴韻，倫敦大學戲劇研究碩士，專職翻譯，並事寫作。

http://blog.yam.com/greenfire