Barreca ponders life's questions and many others by giving women a hilarious antidote for the toxic "musts" they've been fed over the centuries, mulling over everything from the horror of chin hairs to why the "glass ceiling" is better described as a thick layer of men and telling women to stop believing the lies and conquer the world.

"British women in the second half of the 20th century have produced a body of work that is as diverse as it is entertaining. This book offers an informal, jargon-free introduction to the fiction of sixteen contemporary writers either brought up or now living in England. Book jacket."--Jacket.