Description
Arnold Nettle, a shy young telegraph clerk, arrives in an English village as summer fades, hoping that a season in the country will aid his frail disposition. Repulsed by the behaviour of his working-class landlady and her brood, especially the bold and flirtatious Pauline, Nettle becomes enamoured with Olivia Neran and her respectable middle-class family. But even this privileged home is not free from difficulty; Olivia is being suffocated by her role as a gentlewoman, while her sister Eleanor is confronted with the gender inequality that dominates her society.
First published in 1928 and well received by author David Garnett and his circle, this novel sees Dorothy Edwards delineate class and gender boundaries with a deft hand, using the unique device of structuring the work by imitating a musical form.
