SURREAL, humorous and intriguing, Working Wonders is refreshingly different.
Jenny Colgan's novel centres around hapless town planner Arthur Pendleton, who reluctantly accepts the seemingly impossible quest of heading up Coventry's bid to become European City of Culture 2005.
The task soon descends into a strange mythical adventure which sees Arthur encounter both love and tragedy.
While the plot is sometimes laughably unrealistic, Arthur is a likeable hero who puts his all into transforming Coventry from a concrete jungle to a magical wonderland.
Accompanied by his chaotic colleagues, who include a greedy dog called Sandwiches, he finds a way of escaping the boring routine of office life.
But it is not all plain sailing as he is pitted against his nemesis, Ross, who is equally determined that Slough should be the city of choice.
A modern-day fairy tale, Working Wonders is witty and enjoyable escapism.
Updated: 09:36 Wednesday, September 24, 2003
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