A Wreath of Roses (Virago Modern Classics) - Softcover

Taylor, Elizabeth

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1844087123 ISBN 13: 9781844087129

Publisher: Virago, 2011

Synopsis

INTRODUCED BY HELEN DUNMORE

Elizabeth Taylor's darkest novel . . . She writes with a sensuous richness of language that draws the reader down the most shadowy paths . . . Extremely beguiling. Taylor makes the living moment present, touchable, disturbing, enchanting - Helen Dunmore

Spending the holiday with friends, as she has for many years, Camilla finds that their private absorptions - Frances with her painting and Liz with her baby - seem to exclude her from the gossipy intimacies of previous summers. Anxious that she will remain encased in her solitary life as a school secretary, and perhaps to spite of her friends, Camilla steps into an unlikely liaison with Richard Elton, a handsome, assured - and dangerous - liar.

Elizabeth Taylor's darkest novel is a skillful exploration of the danger we'll go to to avoid loneliness. Taylor is increasingly recognised as one of the best writers of the twentieth century, and this little-known novel displays her range admirably.

About this title

About the Author

Elizabeth Taylor (1912-1975) is increasingly recognised as one of the best British writers of the twentieth century. She wrote her first book, At Mrs Lippincote's, during the war while her husband was in the Royal Air Force, and this was followed by eleven further novels and a children's book, Mossy Trotter. Her acclaimed short stories appeared in publications including Vogue, the New Yorker and Harper's Bazaar.

From the Back Cover

'Elizabeth Taylor's darkest novel . . . She writes with a sensuous richness of language that draws the reader down the most shadowy paths . . . Extremely beguiling. Taylor makes the living moment present, touchable, disturbing, enchanting' Helen Dunmore

Spending her annual holiday with friends, as she has for many years, Camilla finds that their private absorptions - Frances with her painting and Liz with her baby - exclude her from the gossipy intimacies of previous summers. Anxious that she will remain encased in her solitary life as a school secretary, Camilla steps into an unlikely liaison with Richard Elton who is handsome, assured - and dangerous liar.

'Taylor is a fearsome writer, ruthless in her examination of solitude, and a sparkling chronicler of ordinary lives' Daily Telegraph

'A marvellous, dark novel . . . The psychological damage wrought by the recent war subtly and convincingly underpins this account of three variously unhappy women . . . The writing is so perfectly pitched' Guardian

Edition details

• Publisher: Virago
• Publication date: 2011
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1844087123
• ISBN 13: 9781844087129
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 224