Madame Sousatzka is a gifted piano teacher who specializes in child prodigies and hosts her lessons in the dilapidated London home she shares with three other eccentrics: a 'countess' in retirement, a gay osteopath, and a 'woman-of-the-evening'. Madame Sousatzka's newest student is an astonishing talent, and in her hands, the new boy will blossom into musical genius. But the public cannot hear him yet: until his debut he belongs to Sousatzka and her bizarre hot- house tenants. One day he will be a great pianist - until that day he must play only for Sousatzka ... This moving and entertaining novel by Booker Prize-winning author Bernice Rubens was adapted into the 1988 film starring Shirley MacLaine. 'A story of delectable charm and wit. Passionate, comical, touchingly unaware of oddity, Madame Sousatzka is Ms Rubens' most engaging creation, inimitable and unforgettable.'-The Times