A richly comic tale of the tangled fortunes of two theatrical families, the Hazards and the Chances, Angela Carter's witty and bawdy novel is populated with as many sets of twins and mistaken identities as any Shakespeare comedy, and celebrates the magic of over a century of showbusiness. 'Wise Children is Angela Carter's best book. It deserves many prizes and, better than that, the affection of generations of readers' Edmund White, Times Literary Supplement 'Inventive and brilliant' Victoria Glendinning, The Times