'A great shout of life and individuality ... an act of defiance that gladdens the soul' Guardian

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.

'The book I'll be pressing into people's hands forever . . . It tells the story of a woman who rejects the life that society has fixed for her in favour of freedom ... tips suddenly into extraordinary, lucid wildness' Helen Macdonald

'Witty, eerie, tender ... her prose, in its simple, abrupt evocations, has something preternatural about it' John Updike

Townsend Warner's best-loved and most famous novel, telling the story of a middle-aged woman who gloriously becomes a witch.

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.

Reviews
A great shout of life and individuality. -- Justine Jordan * Guardian *
The book I'll be pressing into people's hands forever is Lolly Willowes [. . .] Starting as a straightforward, albeit beautifully written family saga, it tips suddenly into extraordinary, lucid wildness -- Helen Macdonald * The New York Times Book Review *
Sylvia Townsend Warner moves with sombre confidence into the realm of the supernatural, and her prose, in its simple, abrupt evocations, has something preternatural about it -- John Updike
My comfort read -- Tracey Thorn



Book Information
ISBN 9780241454886
Author Sylvia Townsend Warner
Format Paperback
Page Count 176
Imprint Penguin Classics
Publisher Penguin Books Ltd
Weight(grams) 134g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 9mm