Invitation to the Waltz

by Rosamond Lehmann

Book Overview

A diary for her innermost thoughts, a china ornament, a ten-shilling note, and a roll of flame-coloured silk for her first evening dress: these are the gifts Olivia Curtis receives for her seventeenth birthday. She anticipates her first dance, the greatest yet most terrifying event of her restricted social life, with tremulous uncertainty and excitement. For her pretty, charming elder sister Kate, the dance is certain to be a triumph, but what will it be for shy, awkward Olivia? Exploring the daydreams and miseries attendant upon even the most innocent of social events, Rosamond Lehmann perfectly captures the emotions of a girl standing poised on the threshold of womanhood.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1844083055
• ISBN13: 9781844083053
• Release Date: March 2006
• Publisher: Virago Press (UK)
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.5" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

Sometimes Good Is Good Enough

As other reviewers have observed, this is not a great book, but it's a good one, and I enjoyed it. The tale is told through the viewpoint of Olivia Curtis, who lives with her parents and sister Kate in rural England. The Curtis sisters have been invited to a ball at the home of wealthy but kind neighbors. Lovely, self-assured Kate anticipates the event eagerly, but Olivia, less sure of herself, broods about all the things that could go wrong. To assure themselves of at least one partner, the girls take the rather drastic step of inviting a friend-of-a-friend, sight unseen, to be a houseguest and accompany them to the ball. Of course, nothing turns out as planned. Both girls make it through the evening, experiencing a mixture of successes and minor disasters. A long-held dream of Kate's comes true, while Olivia learns that the most socially "desirable" people are not always the best company. Fairly lightweight but not dull, this book is a good choice when you just feel like reading.