Lolly Willowes: Or, the Loving Huntsman

Laura "Lolly" Willowes is an unmarried, middle-aged woman in early-twentieth-century London--a spinster who has lived with, and in service of, her brother's overbearing family for the past twenty years. With her brother's children now grown and out of the house, Lolly shocks her family by making a choice for herself: to move, alone, to the English countryside.

Once she arrives, Lolly carves out a life in this lush and wild land, finding independence and peace that she has never before experienced. Unfortunately, the family can't quite let go of Lolly, and her nephew shows up unannounced to move in with her. So long ruled by her family's wishes, Lolly makes a rash decision, turning to the Devil himself to solve her problems. With a subversive wit, Sylvia Townsend Warner poses the question: What would a woman do to ensure her freedom?

The Modern Library Torchbearers series features women who wrote on their own terms, with boldness, creativity, and a spirit of resistance.