Revenge of the Middle-Aged Woman

For Lindy

Living well is the best revenge

Old Spanish proverb

I took information on the Yanomami from The Times and on Rome from The National Geographic Traveller. I would like to thank Janet Buck’s ladies for their information (they know who they are), Bernadette Forcey for the joke and Pamela Norris for her constant support. Also my brilliant editor, Louise Moore, and the team at Penguin, Clare Ledingham, my agent Mark Lucas and, as always, Hazel Orme, Keith Taylor and Stephen Ryan. This is not to forget my family and other friends.