Jane Stevenson arrived on the British literary scene with a book called Several Deceptions. A collection of four novellas, it was unashamedly erudite, marvellously witty and just a little bit cruel. It revived a neglected form quite brilliantly. Now Jane Stevenson returns with a new collection of novellas, each one featuring a formidable woman. In 'Light My Fire' a snobbish man is undone by a new young wife and an ancient Aga; in 'Walking with Angels' a housewife's mundane life is illuminated by the arrival of Ariel, an angel; and in 'Garden Guerillas' a widow takes an elaborate horticultural revenge on her daughter-in-law.