Short Stories

Life Actually

LIFE, ACTUALLY is a collection of short fictions which displays all the wit and wisdom which has made Bel Mooney's journalism universally loved, combined with the insight of her six novels to date.

These are tales of ordinary people whose lives become extraordinary without them realising why. In 'Over The Road' smart girl-about-town Caroline has her carapace pierced by someone else's love. 'The Herdman's Wife' is the savage monologue of a rejected wife whose husband, a fashionable literary novelist, turns the end of their marriage into fiction. In 'Trio' uptight Elizabeth discovers sexual fantasy, whilst 'Bag Lady' introduces a small time porn merchant of a few years back who suddenly encounters the tragedy of his life on the seedy streets of Manchester.

'Waiting For Placido', 'The Singer' and 'Poppendoktor' deal with the disappointments of love in European locations, whereas 'Christmas Puddings', set at the time of the end of communism, celebrates an unlikely flowering of true affection. 'Adam and the Floating Lady' recounts the anguish of the end of a marriage from the point of view of a child, and - more lightheartedly - 'A Country Prospect' show Bel Mooney's gift for satire.

All 10 short stories are available as free Digital Books from this page.

To Read These Short Stories

This collection is only available online on this website.

They are all .pdfs and they are available for you to read completely free of charge.

Click on the cover image for the story that you wish to read, a new browser window will open and the .pdf file will download into that window.

Please allow time for the file to load fully.

When you have finished reading you can simply close that window/tab.

If you wish you can download the file and read it in the Kindle App, or another reader that takes .pdf files.

Bel Mooney has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of these works.

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