There's probably only one contemporary artist whose style can be instantly identified by a sizeable slice of the British population, and her name is Beryl Cook. For 40 years, her brashly coloured and generously fleshy guys and gals--and especially the ladies--have become part of national folklore. Eternally on the razzle and endearingly vulgar in their hedonism, they're a last-gasp throwback to the classic seaside postcard tradition, with all its affectionate tackiness--although that's to deny the mastery of Beryl Cook, a bold player with blocks of warm colour and the creator of an entirely novel--and convincing--British physique.

Cruising is the product of the five years since her last bestseller Happy Days . For Cook herself, it has been an eventful half-decade, which has seen her on a cruise (hence the title) and, more importantly, witnessed her leaving her beloved Plymouth in 1998 for the bright lights of Bristol, lovingly represented here with winter jazz at the Duke, summer jazz in the parks, the "beautiful" Elephant pub and the Quadrant in Clifton Village. Bristol's tourist office--and the local breweries--certainly owe one to Beryl Cook. But there are some unexpected images that give us Cook's more serene side--some studies of dogs, a touching St Francis and the birds, a joyful Jonah and the Whale, and a terrifying "Tally Ho!" female rider on a royal horse. The book ends with a surreally sexual sunflower, which should come as no surprise: as fan Dawn French points out in her foreword, Beryl Cook is "a sort of visual Prozac". Repeat prescriptions all round please. -- Alan Stewart --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.