WINNER OF THE SOMERSET MAUGHAM AWARD

'Cusk combines humour and striking emotional honesty.'
Financial Times
'Cusk shows a brilliant, and often hilarious funny, aptitude for identifying surreal moments in social interaction.'
Evening Standard
'Cusk is a highly interesting, original writer and more unusually she is a joy to read.'
The Times

Stella Benson sets off for Hilltop, a tiny Sussex village housing a family that is somewhat larger than life. Her hopes for the Maddens may be high, but her station among them, as au pair to their irascible son Martin - is undeniably low. What could possibly have driven her to leave her home, job and life in London for such rural ignominy? Why has she severed all contact with her parents? Why is she so reluctant to talk about her past?

The Country Life is a rich and subtle story about embarrassment, awkwardness and being alone; about families, or the lack of them; and about love in some peculiar guises.

• We started tracking this book on February 13, 2012.
• This book was £5.38 when we started tracking it.
• The price of this book has changed 83 times in the past 5,168 days.
• The current price of this book is £5.99 last checked 3 hours ago.
• This lowest price this book has been offered at in the past year is £0.99.
• The lowest price to date was £0.99 last reached on May 30, 2025.
• This book has been £0.99 one time since we started tracking it.
• The highest price to date was £7.59 last reached on January 2, 2017.
• This book has been £7.59 3 times since we started tracking it.

• Literature & FictionContemporary FictionLiterary
• Literature & FictionLiterary FictionLiterary
• Whispersync for Voice

• Publication Date: October 6, 2011
• Text-to-Speech: Disabled
• Lending: Disabled
• Print Length: 355 Pages
• File Size: 657 KB