I'm mad about gardening. I have an allotment on the other side of Hampstead Heath, and I keep three hens in my garden.

Men take much more notice of older women in France, so I might move there. I think I'm a good bet.

Independence is fun, especially when there's a beloved waiting in the wings, and freedom makes you a more interesting person. Having separate lives brings fresh air into a relationship.

All I want is for people, when they read my books, to feel companioned, to feel they're not alone in the world.

'Tulip Fever' did change my life. It did that thing that sometimes happens when a book takes off - it opened doors on to whole other worlds.

I've had a very lucky life because I'm of this generation where everything was possible.