Lolly Willowes: Or, The Loving Huntsman (Modern Library Torchbearers)

By: Sylvia Townsend Warner

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Synopsis: A satirical feminist classic about a woman who leaves her stifling place in her brother&’s London home for the wilds of the English countryside, where she meets and makes a deal with the devil himself—with an introduction by Mona Awad, author of Bunny&“Lolly Willowes calls for &‘a life of one&’s own&’ three years before Virginia Woolf&’s impassioned cry for a room. . . . An elegantly enchanting tale that transcends its era.&”—The GuardianLaura &“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.