A moving, Booker-shortlisted story of a girl's coming of age

'A meticulously observed modern classic' Independent

During one glorious summer between the wars, the realities of life and the sexual ritual dance of the adult world creep into the life of young Margaret Marsh. Her father, preaching the doctrine of the unsavoury Primal Saints; her mother, bitterly nostalgic for what might have been; Charles and Binkie, anchored in the past and a game of words; dying Mrs Frayling and Lydia the maid, given to the vulgar enjoyment of life; all contribute to Margaret's shattering moment of truth. And when the storm breaks, it is not only God who is on the rocks as the summer hurtles towards drama, tragedy, and a touch of farce.

'Tantalising, funny, sharp' Daily Telegraph

'So charming a novel that you don't want to give away a single one of the many twists of its plot' New York Times

'Jane Gardam has a spectacular gift' Times Literary Supplement