The Bottle Factory Outing: Shortlisted for the Booker Prize, 1974

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The cars return to London, where Freda's body is placed in an upstairs storage area in the factory: the occupants of the Mini now become aware of what has happened. The next day, Monday, Maria, a fellow labeller, cleans and prepares Freda's body, dressing her in a white nightgown. Everything is concealed from Mr Paganotti, but after he has left for the day a funeral supper takes place, with Italian confectionery and plastic tulips. A plan is hatched for disposing of the body. It will be placed in an empty sherry barrel, one of a consignment being returned to Spain: the barrel will be marked as defective, and Rossi knows that this means it will be disposed of by being thrown into the sea at Santander. By consolidating the manufacturing and printing processes in the one location, we reduce the carbon footprint normally associated with this business. We're also pleased to say that we've achieved an impressive 35% recycle rate whilst managing to maintain our exceptionally high standards of quality, something that's difficult to achieve in this industry. Peter Tinniswood in The Times writes "This is a superb novel. It is taut in construction, expansive in characterization, vibrant in atmosphere and profoundly comic". [7]

The story line revolves around an outing that Freda has engineered in an effort to spend more time with Vittorio. Brenda wants no part of the outing or Freda's plan but the ever optimistic and slightly bullying Freda lives by the following philosophy: Bainbridge tended to write autobiographical novels, often adding a murder into the mix to spice things up... this is no exception. But the outing itself goes on for too long- almost half of the book- and I found myself willing it to be over, which is not my usual response to Bainbridge's writing. It seemed to me inevitable who the victim would be, even how the body would be disposed of. I felt this novel was a good example of that. I found it hard to lose myself in the book because of a prevailing sense of disconnection that permeated the reading of it. On the flip side, it's very well written (despite the tremendous overuse of adverbs), and Bainbridge was obviously pushing some buttons at the time with her talent. One thing I found eye-opening in the novel was the abysmal treatment of women in the workplace in the 70s. The daily sexual/physical harassment suffered by female employees at the hands of the their male counterparts and superiors will make you shake your head in dismay. It's a decent little story, as well as a window into a world we would barely recognize today.To which Brenda did not reply. She looked and kept silent, watching Freda’s smooth white face and the shining feather of yellow hair that swung to the curve of her jaw. She had large blue eyes with curved lashes, a gentle rosy mouth, a nose perfectly formed. She was five foot ten in height, twenty-six years old, and she weighed sixteen stone. All her life she had cherished the hope that one day she would become part of a community, a family. She wanted to be adored and protected, she wanted to be called ‘little one’. Our 750ml sports bottle is ideal for the thirsty athletes amongst us. We find this bottle very popular with gyms, football/rugby/tennis/squash clubs and corporate banded sporting events.

The Bottle Factory Outing is the first book I’ve read by Beryl Bainbridge. I suspect this is not up there with her very best work, however it inspires me to want to read more of her books as as there is plenty to enjoy in this unusual tale. You are not flotsam washed up on the shore, without recourse to the sea,’ continued Freda. She was lifting one vast leg and polishing the toe of her boot on the hem of the curtains. ‘When we go on the Outing you bloody well better participate.’ Bainbridge's story is set in a small Italian-run factory somewhere in London which bottles wines and some spirits. Freda and Brenda are two members of the workforce , working alongside some middle aged Italians who clean and label the bottles for despatch. The pair share a workbench by day and a miserable bedsit room by night. They also share a bed though they build a wall of books to ensure there is a clear demarkation of space on the mattress. Provides two print areas for your artwork/logo; a band of 19.2cm x 1.2cm around the top of the bottle and a main print area of 19.2cm x 5.0cm.In the opening paragraphs, Brenda and Freda are watching the early stages of a funeral with the removal of a coffin from another flat in their building. As they speculate on the deceased – an old lady who lived with her cat – the differences between the two women become increasingly apparent.

However, it's the relationship between Freda and Brenda that is the heart and soul of the book. But I hesitate to call it a friendship - it reads and feels more like a kind of social and emotional marriage of convenience than a friendship. And from the outset, the odd feel to the book is rooted in this slightly bizarre pair. Their first meeting is odd - Freda virtually force-feeding Brenda into being adopted/taken under Freda's wing(not a terribly cosy or safe place to be!!), after a chance encounter in a shop as Brenda flees from a disastrous marriage, a seriously mad mother-in-law and a husband who is the village 'soak' essentially! The oddness is maintained in their everyday lives - for example, separated at night in the bed they share by a bolster of books of all things! The Bottle Factory has now been adopted into Southwark’s conservation area which will mean it stands the test of time while the area surrounds are being lost to residential redevelopment. New improvements have been sensitively considered; only selecting components that maintain the same industrial aesthetic and support the original details. Fabric improvements have been approached with the key principles of building conservation -– using materials and methods to match the existing. Any new materials or techniques were used sparingly to improve safety or prolong the life of the building.Freda is a girl with dreams. She comes up with a plan for the entire team to take off for a day out in country. It will, she hopes, give her the opportunity to capture the heart of the manager, Vittorio. Brenda has more pressing concerns - how to avoid the amorous intentions of her fellow worker, the lecherous Rossi. Maybe today,’ Freda said, ‘Vittorio will ask me out for a drink.’ She looked at Brenda who was lying down exhausted on the big double bed. ‘You look terrible. I’ve told you, you should take Vitamin B.’ We have four different size bottles to choose from, as such you can tailor the bottle size and shape specifically to suit your needs. You can choose from several different colours (5 colours available) of sports bottles. You also have the option to choose the colour of the cap (7 colours available), and with our fantastic printing facilities you can have your own artwork or logo printed on them to perfectly promote your business/school/club. It put me in mind of my hazy recollections of Play For Today (1970s BBC adult drama TV programme), or the more playful work of Mike Leigh and Ken Loach. It is quintessentially English, and also makes some very astute observations about culture, class, desire, difference, gender differences and human relationships.