The people in The Blue, Maggie Gee’s first collection of short stories, try and often fail to understand the world, freeing themselves by small acts of courage, love or folly. A journalist decides to convert an evangelist in mid-air; a solicitor gives up his day job to help young artists; a Middle Eastern woman shocks her children as she walks through the heat towards the sea; a man, in a moment of madness, cuts down his neighbour’s tree. These subtle fables of everyday life are set against an intricate global backdrop where life is harder for outsiders. Exquisitely written and aerated by comedy, they show human beings who struggle to live good lives. ‘The joy of reading Maggie Gee’ the Observer 'Impressive, Captivating and highly recommended.' Scotland on Sunday '...brief, light sketches, filled with colour, (that) offer glimpses into their small subjects' lives, and wider insights into the familiar world that surrounds them.' Times Literary Supplement '...(Gee's) writing is superbly assured, with a crystalline clarity and understated humour.' The Times 'Written with deceptive stylistic simplicity and plain dialogue, complicatedemotions are revealed in Maggie Gee's The Blue.' Mslexia