A party of English people are aboard the Euphrosyne, bound for South America. Among them is Rachel Vinrace, innocent and wholly ignorant of the world of politics and society, sex, love and marriage. This is an exploration of a young woman's mind, signalling the beginning of her fascination with capturing the mysteries and complexities of life.

'A strange, tragic, inspired book ... It is absolutely unafraid' E. M. Forster

A party of English people are aboard the Euphrosyne, bound for South America. Among them is a young girl, Rachel Vinrace, innocent and wholly ignorant of the world of politics and society, books, sex, love and marriage. She is a free spirit half-caught, momentarily and passionately, by Terence Hewet, an aspiring writer, but her greatest discovery will be her own self. Virginia Woolf's first novel, published in 1915, is a haunting exploration of a young woman's mind, signalling the beginning of her fascination with capturing the mysteries and complexities of the inner life.

Edited with an Introduction and Notes by Jane Wheare