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A Cat, a Hat, and a Piece of String
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  • Published: 3 March 2014
  • ISBN: 9780552778794
  • Imprint: Black Swan
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 288
  • RRP: $29.99

A Cat, a Hat, and a Piece of String

a spellbinding collection of unforgettable short stories from Joanne Harris, the bestselling author of Chocolat

Formats & editions
EBook
8 Nov 2012
Audiobook
8 Nov 2012
Paperback
3 Mar 2014
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A brilliant new collection of short stories from Joanne Harris, author of Chocolat and Peaches for Monsieur le Cure.

An enthralling and enchanting collection of short stories from the bestselling author of Chocolat and The Strawberry Thief... Perfect for fans of Kate Atkinson and Kate Mosse as well as readers of Eve Chase and Stacey Halls.

'A vibrant tombola of stories...' -- Time Out
'Strongly plotted and written in registers that are variously comical, sad and surreal...' - Independent
'A jewel of a book' -- ***** Reader review
'Sublime and touching' -- ***** Reader review
'Unputdownable' -- ***** Reader review
'Compelling - you can lose yourself one story at a time' -- ***** Reader review
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Stories are like Russian dolls; open them up, and in each one you'll find another story.

Come to the house where it is Christmas all year round; meet the ghost who lives on a Twitter timeline; be spooked by a newborn baby created with sugar, spice and lashings of cake.

Conjured from a wickedly imaginative pen, here is a new collection of short stories that showcases Joanne Harris's exceptional talent as a teller of tales, a spinner of yarns.

Sensuous, mischievous, uproarious and wry, here are tales that combine the everyday with the unexpected; wild fantasy with bittersweet reality.
  • Published: 3 March 2014
  • ISBN: 9780552778794
  • Imprint: Black Swan
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 288
  • RRP: $29.99
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About the author

Joanne Harris

Joanne Harris’s Whitbread-shortlisted Chocolat was made into an Oscar-nominated film starring Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp. She is the author of many other bestselling novels, including Lollipop Shoes and Peaches for Monsieur le Curé, both also featuring Vianne Rocher, as is her new novel The Strawberry Thief. She has also written acclaimed novels in such diverse genres as fantasy based on Norse myth (Runemarks, Runelight, The Gospel of Loki), and the Malbry cycle of dark psychological thrillers (Gentlemen & Players, Blueeyedboy, and Different Class).

Born in Barnsley, of an English father and a French mother, she spent fifteen years as a teacher before (somewhat reluctantly) becoming a full-time writer. In 2013, she was awarded an MBE. She lives in Yorkshire, plays bass and flute in a band first formed when she was sixteen, and works in a shed in her garden.

portrait photo of Joanne Harris

Also by Joanne Harris

Different Class
Doctor Who: Time Trips (The Collection)
Doctor Who: The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Time Traveller (Time Trips)
Peaches for Monsieur le Curé (Chocolat 3)
Gastronomicon/The Ugly Sister (Storycuts)
Auto-da-fé/Free Spirit/Fule’s Gold (Storycuts)
Breakfast at Tesco’s (Storycuts)
See all

Praise for A Cat, a Hat, and a Piece of String

A vibrant tombola of stories...each a commute-friendly 20-or-so pages long.

Time Out

Harris inhabits a world where fantasy and reality collide in a most inventive way to produce a series of delightful, bittersweet yarns.

Bella

Strongly plotted and written in registers that are variously comical, sad and surreal...Best of all is 'Cookie', where delicious gluttony - Harris's forte - gathers a sharp note of menace.

Independent

An excellent mix of stories - some dark and mysterious, others heart-warming and thought-provoking.

Good Housekeeping (Reader Recommended)

Harris is an intriguing writer, so this is worth a punt, if only to savour the seasonal horror of the story about a house where it's Christmas all year round.

The Lady