Susie Boyt writes a column on shopping for the FT Weekend supplement. She is a novelist and lives in London.
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The clientele included a housekeeper who used to ‘do’ for the Queen Mum, and the actor who played Zeffirelli’s Romeo
‘Oh I love “The Crown”, too,’ said my friend. ‘It’s just that the brooches are so disappointing’
One of the handbag’s functions is to serve as an instant memorial to you in the event of your sudden demise
I darted into what is perhaps my very favourite shop in the world, which I keep for emergencies
‘In the morning, the squalor of having to make your own toast!’
The day lacked promise and I did not feel myself. Where can you go in such a mood? To the cinema, that’s where!
You know you have the coat you always wanted when you long for winter — and when your friend ‘borrows’ it
I get shy and nervous when it comes to sweet things. There are mixed feelings and layers of meanings to cut through
My father said that gambling was only worth doing if you risked more than you could afford
A pert and eager doppelgänger could take my place when I’m not feeling quite up to it
‘The man from the Amazon’ staggered in under the weight of 14 boxes, his head obscured from view
It’s the autumn term at last, a time for reinvention and rigour . . . except, none of it is forthcoming this year
I don’t know what the completed jigsaw is but I had the sense my friend might be the missing piece
Now that I’m being asked to judge things nine times a day, I feel it’s healthy for things to stay mysterious
Being a playboy is a blessing and a curse
The bed making becomes a metaphor for how you do everything. You will go about life restoring order and harmony
Recently I have wondered which of my routines I would stick to if I had only a year to live
If you remember many things about people, it will read as caring
Children do most of their growing through the summer holidays because they are less stressed than in term-time, and stress stunts growth
People don’t go to ‘maybe I’ll like it’ shows when they could go to ‘you’re going to love it’ ones
Sometimes the events of real life are so far-fetched and fantastical that they make writers feel deskilled
Part of the appeal of ‘The Good Wife’ was that almost everything took place beneath her immaculate surfaces
Watching ‘White Christmas’ with a flourishing rose bed visible from my window — well, it was a first
‘I taught my children, to thine own self be true,’ the pianist said. ‘I think it may have been a mistake’
One woman’s ‘good’ is sturdy praise, while another’s has notes of sympathy attached
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