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Invitation to the Waltz

By Rosamond Lehmann
Series: Virago Modern Classics
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Brief Description
ONE OF THE MOST REMARKABLE BRITISH WRITERS OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY 'The first writer to filter her stories through a woman's feelings and perceptions' – ANITA BROOKNER 'Every emotional ripple is beautifully observed: the hideous anticipation' – GUARDIAN 'Lehmann has always written brilliantly of women in... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$2799
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A classic coming of age novel from one of the best-loved writers of the twentieth century.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

ONE OF THE MOST REMARKABLE BRITISH WRITERS OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY

'The first writer to filter her stories through a woman's feelings and perceptions' – ANITA BROOKNER

'Every emotional ripple is beautifully observed: the hideous anticipation' – GUARDIAN

'Lehmann has always written brilliantly of women in love, of mothers, of daughters' – MARGARET DRABBLE

A diary for her innermost thoughts, a china ornament, a ten-shilling note, and a roll of flame-coloured silk for her first evening dress: these are the gifts Olivia Curtis receives for her seventeenth birthday. She anticipates her first dance, the greatest yet most terrifying event of her restricted social life, with tremulous uncertainty and excitement. For her pretty, charming elder sister Kate, the dance is certain to be a triumph, but what will it be for shy, awkward Olivia?

Exploring the daydreams and miseries attendant upon even the most innocent of social events, Rosamond Lehmann perfectly captures the emotions of a girl standing poised on the threshold of womanhood in Invitation to the Waltz.

Series: Virago Modern Classics

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780349018041

Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 11 June 2026

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Virago Press Ltd

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 22.0mm

Width: 124.0mm

Height: 196.0mm

Weight: 200g

Pages: 256

Collections

Fiction General Fiction Literary Fiction Pre-order Books Pre-order General Fiction Pre-orders Pre-orders by Release Date Rosamond Lehmann Series: Virago Modern Classics

About the Author

Rosamond Lehmann (1901-1990) was born on the day of Queen Victoria's funeral, in Buckinghamshire, England, the second of four children. In 1927, a few years after graduating from the University of Cambridge, she published her first novel, Dusty Answer, to critical acclaim and instantaneous celebrity. Lehmann continued to write and publish between 1930 and 1976, penning works including The Weather in the Streets, The Ballad and the Source, and the short memoir The Swan in the Evening. Lehmann was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1982 and remains one of the most distinguished novelists of the twentieth century.

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