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Lolly Willowes

By Sylvia Townsend Warner
Series: Little Clothbound Classics
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Lolly Willowes follows Laura Willowes, a woman who, after her father's death, feels stifled by her mundane life in London with her overbearing family. Seeking independence, she moves to a small village, where she finds liberation and self-identity in unexpected ways, amid elements of witchcraft and rebellion against societal norms. This enchanting narrative explores themes of autonomy and self-discovery.
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this enchanting tale if you appreciate stories about self-discovery and independence, as it follows a woman's journey to break free from societal constraints and find her true self in unexpected ways. It's a delightful read for those who love exploring themes of magic, mysticism, and feminism in an engaging and thought-provoking narrative.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

"In this early feminist classic, a London spinster breaks free from her controlling family and escapes to the countryside. She soon discovers that her new neighbors are a coven of bohemian witches and eventually encounters Satan himself, who is ready to make a pact"--

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

Introducing Little Clothbound Classics — irresistible, mini editions of short stories, novellas and essays from the world's greatest writers, designed by the award-winning Coralie Bickford-Smith.

Lolly Willowes, so gentle and accommodating, has depths no one suspects. When she suddenly announces that she is leaving London and moving, alone, to the depths of the countryside, her overbearing relatives are horrified. But Lolly has a greater, far darker calling than family — witchcraft.

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Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner is praised for its unexpected turn from a beautifully crafted family saga into a remarkable exploration of independence and individuality. The book is lauded for its act of defiance that resonates deeply and some readers consider it a comforting and soul-gladdening read.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780241573785

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 25 August 2022

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Penguin Classics

Audience: General / adult, Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 20.0mm

Width: 114.0mm

Height: 164.0mm

Weight: 220g

Pages: 208

Collections

Classic Fiction Classic General Fiction Education & Reference Fantasy Fiction General Fiction Humour Literary Fiction Penguin Books Penguin Classics Sci-Fi & Fantasy Series: Little Clothbound Classics Sylvia Townsend Warner

About the Author

Sylvia Townsend Warner (1893-1978) grew up in rural Devonshire before moving to London and writing her debut novel, Lolly Willowes (1926). With her partner Valentine Ackland, she was active in the Communist Party and served in the Red Cross during the Spanish Civil War. Her novels include Mr Fortune's Maggot, The True Heart, Summer Will Show, After the Death of Don Juan, The Corner That Held Them and The Flint Anchor.

Also by Sylvia Townsend Warner

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    The True Heart
    The True Heart is a love story set in Victorian England by one of the most original writers of the twentieth century. Leaving her orphanage at sixteen, Sukey Bond finds employment as a servant in the remote New Easter Farm, deep within the Essex Marshes. There she falls in love with simple, gentle Eric, the son of the rector's wife....
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    Summer Will Show
    Summer Will Show by Sylvia Townsend Warner is an extraordinary re-imagining of historical fiction. The novel explores the tale of a Victorian woman's love for her husband's mistress. The story follows a young English aristocrat who, cut adrift by tragedy, is led by her husband's former mistress deep into the fervour, chaos, and bloodshed of the French revolution. Summer Will...
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    The Flint Anchor
    A brilliant exploration of power and dysfunction in Victorian England Pillar of society and stern upholder of Victorian values, god-fearing Norfolk merchant John Barnard presides over a large and largely unhappy family. This is their story - his brandy-swilling wife, their hapless offspring and their changing fortunes - over the decades. Sylvia Townsend Warner's last novel, The Flint Anchor gloriously...
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    The Corner That Held Them
    A masterpiece of historical fiction, The Corner That Held Them depicts the lives of medieval nuns amid the turmoil of rebellion and the Black Death. Sylvia Townsend Warner's portrayal of a fourteenth-century nunnery is widely considered to be one of the greatest historical novels of all time. An often hilarious ode to community living, it is also a poignant, delicate...
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  • Winter in the Air
    One of our finest writers. - Neil Gaiman One of the most shamefully under-read great British authors of the past 100 years. - Sarah Waters Diminutive masterpieces ... Hand yourself over to be enchanted. - Guardian Extraordinary, lucid wildness. - Helen MacDonald Glinting perfection - The Times Decades after her divorce, a lady returns to the village of her tumultuous...
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  • Lolly Willowes
    Considered an early feminist classic, Sylvia Townsend Warner's Lolly Willowes; Or The Loving Huntsman is a fantastical comedy about a middle-aged witch and her search for peace that was selected as the first ever Book of the Month upon publication in 1926. When her father died, Laura Willowes went to live in London with her elder brother and his family....
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    After the Death of Don Juan
    A brilliant hybrid of myth, history and fantasy from Sylvia Townsend Warner, one of the twentieth century's great novelists. Don Juan, that notorious libertine, has disappeared. Has he been dragged down to hell by demons, as rumoured - or has he escaped? Dona Ana, the woman he tried to seduce, will stop at nothing to discover the truth. Set in...
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    Mr Fortune's Maggot
    One of Sylvia Townsend Warner's best-loved novels—a droll and deeply affecting story of love and disillusionment on a remote tropical island. After three years on the remote tropical island of Fanua, Timothy Fortune, a missionary from London, has made little headway. The islanders show very little interest in Christianity and he has only a single convert—a boy, Lueli. As Mr...
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