This was the quintessential autumnal #spinsterseptember read with a supernatural feminist twist: a woman escapes family obligations and relocates to a small village in the Chiltern Hills and becomes a witch! 🧙♀️
Lolly Willowes is a gem of a novel by Sylvia Townsend Warner; first published in 1926 it has an absurd, surrealist take on spinsterhood that’s anchored in one woman’s spiritual journey.
After first living dutifully with her father, then her brother’s family, Laura decides to move to Great Mop and start afresh in this quaint, quiet village. Her family are perturbed, but she’s adamant she needs to go.
Once her fragile peace is disturbed in Great Mop, she finds herself going go to great lengths to keep her independence.
A touching and engaging story of one woman’s escape from genteel spinsterhood. Her story is also a beautiful description of the joys of them solitary life.
Despite the witchy elements, the books feels very honest and grounded in reality. I loved the descriptions of the tiring, shut-up, endless London days juxtaposed with the wild, exhausting, poignant, and often imperfect moments in the Chilterns.
Beautiful, atmospheric nature writing and prose plays off the book’s glittering surface and funny quips. Satirical in a gentle way, this is a great feminist take that’s intelligible as well as enjoyable.
One word: bracing.
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