A Virago Modern classic

MIddle-aged spinster Miss Mole is engaged by a pompous clergyman as governess for his two motherless daughters and tackles the job with shrewdness, wit, and love.

Together and Apart" by Margaret Kennedy, a 1937 novel, explores Betsy Canning's dissatisfaction with her life and marriage, leading her to seek a divorce and grapple with the complexities of social conventions and personal freedom. Here's a more detailed overview: Plot: Betsy Canning, a middle-aged housewife in 1920s Britain, feels unfulfilled and seeks a divorce from her husband, Alec. Themes: The novel explores themes of marriage, divorce, freedom, and personal reconstruction, while also acting as a satire of English high society and a critique of social conventions. Betsy's Journey: Betsy, feeling neglected by her husband and oppressed by her social circle, decides to take control of her destiny by seeking a divorce. Interference: The interference of various people, particularly her mother-in-law, ironically complicates her plans for a civilised divorce and reconciliation. Unusual Love Story: "Together and Apart" is described as a love story of the most unusual kind, reflecting Margaret Kennedy's talent for accurate and humorous observation. Critique of Society: The book offers a captivating perspective on the road to personal emancipation, challenging the norms and expectations of the time. Events Out of Control: The novel highlights how events can quickly spiral out of control, as Betsy's pursuit of freedom leads to unexpected consequences.

From GOODREADS: "In her first novel written after the Great War, the death of her husband, and her embarkation on a rather unconventional new life, E H Young tells the story of four Misses Mallett. There are two sisters in late middle age, Caroline and Sophia Mallett. They live in a large, beautiful and comfortable home that had been left to them by their father, the Colonel; together with their much younger half-sister, Rose Mallet, the child of the Colonel’s second marriage. Caroline is delighted with their situation, and she explains to their niece: ‘The Malletts don’t marry, Henrietta. Look at us, as happy as the day is long, with all the fun and none of the trouble. We’ve been terrible flirts, Sophia and I. Rose is different, but at least she hasn’t married. The three Miss Malletts of Nelson Lodge! Now there are four of us, and you must keep up our reputation.’ Henrietta was the fourth Miss Mallett, the daughter of the Colonel’s disinherited son, who had come to live with her aunts after her mother’s death. She had lived a very different life, she had an independent spirit, and she wanted to make her own decisions and not be told that she must follow a particular traditions. She would learn that things were not quite as simple and straightforward as Caroline suggested."

"The Three Sisters" is a study in female frustration, as the three sisters of the title try to come to terms with an isolated existence in a remote spot on the moors. It's Sinclair's first psychological novel, drawing upon her interest in the work of Sigmund Freud. It an early example of the transition from classic realism to modernism, Influenced by Imagism, and structured around epiphanies, images and symbols. It's also considered a precursor to her later novels "Mary Oliver" and "Harriet Frean," using knowledge of psychoanalysis and acknowledging the importance of the character's internal reality.

Taking up where Invitation to the Waltz left off, The Weather in the Streets shows us Olivia Curtis ten years older, a failed marriage behind her, thinner, sadder, and apparently not much wiser. A chance encounter on a train with a man who enchanted her as a teenager leads to a forbidden love affair and a new world of secret meetings, brief phone calls, and snatched liaisons in anonymous hotel rooms. Years ahead of its time when first published, this subtle and powerful novel shocked even the most stalwart Lehmann fans with its searing honesty and passionate portrayal of clandestine love.

Nanda Gray, the daughter of a Catholic convert, is nine when she is sent to the Convent of Five Wounds. Quick-witted, resilient, and eager to please, she adapts to this cloistered world, learning rigid conformity and subjection to authority. Passionate friendships are the only deviation from her total obedience. Convent life is perfectly captured by Antonia White.