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Muriel Spark
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The Driver's Seat (Penguin Modern Classics) Paperback – 27 April 2006

by Muriel Spark (Author), John Lanchester (Introduction)
4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 474 ratings
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Described as 'a metaphysical shocker' at the time of its release, Muriel Sparks' The Driver's Seat is a taut psychological thriller, published with an introduction by John Lanchester in Penguin Modern Classics.

Lise has been driven to distraction by working in the same accountants' office for sixteen years. So she leaves everything behind her, transforms herself into a laughing, garishly-dressed temptress and flies abroad on the holiday of a lifetime. But her search for adventure, sex and new experiences takes on a far darker significance as she heads on a journey of self-destruction. Infinity and eternity attend Lise's last terrible day in an unnamed southern city, as she meets her fate. One of six novels to be nominated for a 'Lost Man Booker Prize', The Driver's Seat was adapted into a 1974 film, Identikit, starring Elizabeth Taylor.

Muriel Spark (1918 - 2006) wrote poetry, stories, and biographies as well as a remarkable series of novels, including The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1961), The Mandelbaum Gate (1965) which received the James Tait Black Prize, and The Public Image (1968) and Loitering with Intent (1981), both of which were shortlisted for the Booker Prize. Spark was awarded the T.S. Eliot Award for poetry in 1992, and the David Cohen Prize for literature in 1997.

If you enjoyed The Driver's Seat, you might like Spark's The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, also available in Penguin Modern Classics.

'An extraordinary tour de force, a crime story turned inside out'
David Lodge

'Her spiny and treacherous masterpiece'
New Yorker

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  1. Print length
    128 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Penguin Classics
  4. Publication date
    27 April 2006
  5. Dimensions
    19.8 x 0.7 x 12.9 cm
  6. ISBN-10
    0141188340
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0141188348
  8. See all details
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Product description

Review

The Driver's Seat is a scalpel, cutting away the excess of the traditional novel and leaving only the core. It is a stiletto, piercing straight to the heart - or thereabouts -- John Self

About the Author

Muriel Spark (born February 1, 1918) was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. She began writing seriously after the war, beginning with poetry and literary criticism. In 1947, she became editor of the Poetry Review. Her first novel The Comforters was published in 1957, but it was The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1962) which established her reputation. After living in New York for some years, she settled in Italy in the late 1960s. She became Dame Commander of the British Empire in 1993.


John Lanchester was born in Hamburg in 1962. His first novel, THE DEBT TO PLEASURE, published by Picador in 1996, won the Whitbread First Novel Award, the Betty Trask Prize and the Hawthornden Prize. His second novel, MR PHILLIPS (Faber), was published in 2000 and was hailed as a "postmodern Ulysses". FRAGRANT HARBOUR, his third novel, was published by Faber in 2002. His work has been translated into 21 languages.
John Lanchester has recently delivered a memoir, FAMILY ROMANCE, which will be published by Faber in the spring of 2007.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Classics (27 April 2006)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 128 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0141188340
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0141188348
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 19.8 x 0.7 x 12.9 cm
  • Customer reviews:
    4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 474 ratings

About the author

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Muriel Spark

Muriel Spark

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Muriel Spark (1918–2006) was a prolific Scottish novelist, short story writer, and poet whose darkly comedic voice made her one of the most distinctive writers of the twentieth century. Spark grew up in Edinburgh and worked as a department store secretary, writer for trade magazines, and literary editor before publishing her first novel in 1957. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1961), considered her masterpiece, was made into a stage play, a TV series, and a film. Spark became a Dame of the British Empire in 1993.

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4 out of 5 stars
474 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book engaging and well-written. They appreciate the concise yet fluid writing style and great characterisation. The premise is intriguing and the plot twists keep readers hooked.

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ReadabilityWriting qualitySuspensefulPacing
19 customers mention ‘Readability’15 positive4 negative

Customers find the book engaging and well-written. They describe it as a gripping read with unexpected twists. The quality is excellent and the delivery is prompt.

"Muriel Spark’s ‘The Driver’s Seat’ is an exceptional piece of literature. I read it in a day...." Read more

"...look at the human condition on the brink of itself, this is a superb work; but one that most readers aren't going to find themselves altogether..." Read more

"...book caught me completely off guard and I daresay is an absolute must-read for anyone, regardless what you think you like or what you expect...." Read more

"Amazingly concise yet fluid writing. Probably one of Spark's finest works yet somehow overlooked...." Read more

8 customers mention ‘Writing quality’8 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the writing quality. They find it concise yet fluid, with a well-plotted storyline and engaging characters.

"Great price, as described easy to use" Read more

"...If you want to know how to write a crisp, well-plotted novella this is one of the best examples out there...." Read more

"...It's humorous, dark, and for being so short and using such deceptively simple language there was so much to think about: identity, rape-myths,..." Read more

"...Read straight through, amazing read and twist, spellbinding" Read more

7 customers mention ‘Suspenseful’6 positive1 negative

Customers enjoy the book's suspenseful premise and insightful writing style. They appreciate the plot twists and how the suspense keeps building throughout the story.

"...The plot twists make the story - I must admit I thought I saw one coming but there is no audience cheat here. The suspense just keeps on building...." Read more

"...you have over your actions...(I could go on), along with a good dash of metafiction...." Read more

"Never read a book by this author before but was intrigued by the précis. Read straight through, amazing read and twist, spellbinding" Read more

"...Spark's fascinating and horrifying depiction of a pre-ordained final journey reminded me of J G Ballard." Read more

3 customers mention ‘Pacing’3 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's pacing. They say it's a dark, twisty read that keeps them hooked until the end.

"...It's humorous, dark, and for being so short and using such deceptively simple language there was so much to think about: identity, rape-myths,..." Read more

"...Its dark and funny in parts." Read more

"A dark, twisted and ultimately gripping read." Read more

The Drivers Seat : a Stiletto piercing straight to the Heart
5 out of 5 stars
The Drivers Seat : a Stiletto piercing straight to the Heart
A macabre thriller described by John Self as a Stiletto piercing straight to the Heart .Will the Murderee find her Murderer ??Who is in The Driver's Seat ?? Him or Her ??Devilish + Dark . Not PC at all .Described by The New Yorker as a spiny and treacherous masterpiece , The Drivers Seat will keep U guessing right up to the last page .
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Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • Tyrone Marsh
    5.0 out of 5 stars Stranger Danger!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 April 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Muriel Spark’s ‘The Driver’s Seat’ is an exceptional piece of literature. I read it in a day.

    From the very start of the novel I was kept on edge, eager to comprehend as to why Lise disliked stainless dresses. Such emphasis on the mundane, a dress that distinct in colour, drives us to think about the mundane in reality. However, Spark draws us into Lise’s reality; and that is the metaphysical aspect of the novel. We do not see her death coming, but we do. Spark informs us of her narrative death, fragmenting the text and the text’s temporality. In doing so, I believe she is commenting on the illusionary power of the mundane. What is the significance of a distinctly colorful dress? What is the significance of a paper-knife? Why and how did Lise convince a man, previously convicted of murder, to kill her? The answer is made clear throughout. Lise wanted her dress to stain. She wanted to make her death known; planting evidence herself, with us, as readers, not even aware due to Spark’s smart use of language - we are not only manipulated by the protagonist, but also, in turn, by the author itself.

    We become part of The Driver’s Seat, falling victim to Lise’s illusory reality. We become part of the text; aware yet unaware, suspicious yet not suspicious. Perhaps Spark is doing this to critique how one can become manipulated by reality, by strangers. The novel basically becomes an adult way of saying ‘Stranger Danger’, as the stranger in the text, (paradoxically the protagonist Lise who is not a stranger to us), ends up becoming psychotic. Did we expect it? Yes and no (you have to read the text to understand how it can be both yes and no... trust me)!

    Highly recommend this text. Got me thinking...
    6 people found this helpful
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  • Mr. D Burin
    4.0 out of 5 stars Insightful and innovative; but not a pleasant read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 25 November 2010
    Verified Purchase
    Though known better for her subtly subversive, insightful and often tragic novels, such as 'The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie' and 'The Girl's of Slender Means', Muriel Spark's 'The Driver's Seat' is perhaps her most innovative, and definitely her most provoking novel. The short, staccato novel tells the tale of Lise, an office worker, stifled by her mundane and uniform existence, who goes abroad in an attempt to find 'the one' in the form of a man. Spark's cruel, and quickly apparent twist, appears to be that 'the one' will be a man whom she wants to invoke some form of sexual crime or severe sexual deviancy upon her, whilst she is forced to subjugate to him, and this realisation gives the novel a sense of horror from the very early stages. Set around a vapid, soulless expanse of shopping malls, traffic jams and faceless hotels, Spark's novel gives a very powerful evocation of the sense of an absence of humanity and connectedness in the mid-late 20th century of her writing.

    In Lise, Spark has a heroine who is a sort of diametric opposite of characters such as Jean Brodie. Terse, antagonistic and clearly in the throes of mental dissipation; the outlandishly dressed Lise forces the novel to unravel in a purposefully hectic style, as Lise appears to become more convinced of her plans, and equally further away from her sanity. Hugely troubling and genuinely startling, even for the contemporary reader; the only thing the novel falls down on is Spark's purposeful but sometimes maddeningly repetitive implications of what is wrong with this modern world in which Lise exists. Equally, though the technique of making the reader feel a sense of alienation by making Lise so other, and not giving her the qualities with which one would traditionally empathise, makes the novel especially hard to connect with, as superbly written as most of it is. For those looking for a gripping and challenging look at the human condition on the brink of itself, this is a superb work; but one that most readers aren't going to find themselves altogether enjoying the experience of.
    20 people found this helpful
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  • Ak
    5.0 out of 5 stars Thedrivrs seat
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 March 2025
    Verified Purchase
    Great price, as described easy to use
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  • John
    3.0 out of 5 stars A bit ordinary
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 November 2018
    Verified Purchase
    After all the hype on radio 4 ... I expected better than this
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  • Leon
    5.0 out of 5 stars Superbly Written
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 18 January 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Firstly, the book itself arrived promptly and in a great condition. I have no complaints and only praise about that.

    As for the novel, it is part of my university reading list and I wasn't expecting too much from it because of its short length, and because I am not one to normally read romance-thriller-mystery novels too often.

    How wrong I was. This book caught me completely off guard and I daresay is an absolute must-read for anyone, regardless what you think you like or what you expect. I won't say anything more to avoid spoiling it, but I think it is one of my favourite books to date.

    Of course, this is something we should expect from Muriel Spark's work, but this is something I only know now after studying her at university and reading some of her work.

    I can't recommend this book enough to you regardless of if you like reading or not. This is one of those books everyone will enjoy, and it really is something you should read.
    8 people found this helpful
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  • K K Scott
    4.0 out of 5 stars Grueling Drive through the Labyrinth
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 April 2009
    Verified Purchase
    Amazingly concise yet fluid writing. Probably one of Spark's finest works yet somehow overlooked. If you want to know how to write a crisp, well-plotted novella this is one of the best examples out there. The plot twists make the story - I must admit I thought I saw one coming but there is no audience cheat here. The suspense just keeps on building. I won't give away plot points. No spoilers here. Just read it.
    9 people found this helpful
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  • mintymoor
    1.0 out of 5 stars Weird, boring
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 December 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Boring and weird at the same time. I was surprised to hate it so much. None of the characters remotely convincing. Bizarre
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  • Otto
    4.0 out of 5 stars Breve ma intenso!
    Reviewed in Italy on 9 December 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Il libro è arrivato un po' ammaccato. Si tratta di un thriller al contrario: seguiamo una donna che sappiamo che verrà uccisa il giorno dopo che la storia ha luogo e, camminando con lei lungo il percorso che la condurrà alla morte, dobbiamo cercare di capire chi è il suo assassino e perché l'ha uccisa. Il finale vi sconvolgerà! In un'unione di generi, dal thriller al post-modernismo, questo romanzo cerca di decostruire il rapporto tra autore e opera narrativa, mentre Lise, la protagonista, cerca di determinare il suo destino in un mondo predeterminato. Una lettura davvero interessante! Consigliato!
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    Otto
    4.0 out of 5 stars
    Breve ma intenso!

    Reviewed in Italy on 9 December 2021
    Il libro è arrivato un po' ammaccato. Si tratta di un thriller al contrario: seguiamo una donna che sappiamo che verrà uccisa il giorno dopo che la storia ha luogo e, camminando con lei lungo il percorso che la condurrà alla morte, dobbiamo cercare di capire chi è il suo assassino e perché l'ha uccisa. Il finale vi sconvolgerà! In un'unione di generi, dal thriller al post-modernismo, questo romanzo cerca di decostruire il rapporto tra autore e opera narrativa, mentre Lise, la protagonista, cerca di determinare il suo destino in un mondo predeterminato. Una lettura davvero interessante! Consigliato!
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  • Michelline Palmeira
    5.0 out of 5 stars Leitura gostosa e rápida
    Reviewed in Brazil on 24 October 2018
    Verified Purchase
    História super bem escrita e rápida de ler (acredito que escoceses já nascem contadores de histórias).
    Report
  • Simpson from Oz
    1.0 out of 5 stars Not her best by a long shot
    Reviewed in Australia on 12 November 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Has not held up well over time.
    Report
  • Anne E H
    4.0 out of 5 stars Bizarre story
    Reviewed in the United States on 29 April 2016
    Verified Purchase
    This is a really weird book. It's kind of the opposite of a murder mystery. The main character Lise travels to Europe to die. She spends the day walking around the city with an elderly woman and enjoying the day all the while looking for the man who will carry out the deed. I have a feeling I will be returning to this book.
    Report
  • Carmen
    5.0 out of 5 stars Eveything OK
    Reviewed in Spain on 18 October 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Perfect transaction... book in very good condtions... no damage... recommended seller

    received in stimated time... eveything ok

    I don't know what else to say, I need to complete this section to give my opinion about the purchase :)
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