It Pays to Be Good

Flossie Elk’s headmistress maintained that “Beauty is the cause of much sorrow.” Her father, greengrocer George Elk, always said that “Beauty is a lure of Satan” and only wanted his daughter to be “a nice sensible girl as’ll make a good wife for some man.” But Mrs. Elk knew of the astounding power wielded by the beautiful: “If you ’ave the looks, you use ’em, my girl,” she said to a gurgling Flossie in her pram. Even then, Flossie needed no telling.

Noel Streatfeild casts a cynical eye backstage on to a world she knew so well before, disillusioned, she abandoned it to become a writer.

Originally published in 1936, the reviews unanimously declared this to be Streatfeild’s finest book so far, witty, intelligent and subtle.