The Purple Swamp Hen Summary
Penelope Lively

The Purple Swamp Hen Overview

Penelope Lively's The Purple Swamp Hen is a collection of 15 short stories. Each tale takes on a completely different narrative perspective, with varying time periods, characters, settings, and styles of writing. The stories’ subjects include the eruption at Pompeii, an elderly spy grocery shopping, and a young couple bickering privately in their newly purchased home. Each story shares a message that converges into the collection's select themes including ageism, apathy in marriage, and questioning what constitutes a person's identity.