the girls of slender means, my first muriel spark read, didn't bowl me over. i like her style, and the opening chapter led me to believe i'd really like this novel, however for such a short book it really felt long, and sometimes tedious. the highlight were the wonderful scenes involving the squeezing through a bathroom window. i spoke to adrian, who put me onto her, and he gave me grief for choosing this as my first muriel spark. so now i will seek out the prime of miss jean brodie, the driver's seat, or the abbess of crewe for my next attempt.