The Olivia Curtis Novels Series

In 1930s England, an encounter on a train leads to an illicit affair, in this novel of “spare, poetic prose” by the author of Invitation to the Waltz (Joyce Carol Oates).   Just ten years ago, Olivia Curtis attended her first dance. Now she is divorced and living with her cousin in London. When she gets a call notifying her that her father is gravely ill, she makes preparations to return to Tulverton, in the English countryside—and on the railway journey home, she runs into Rollo Spencer, her girlhood crush.   He and Olivia once shared a fleeting, magical moment on a moonlit terrace that she has never forgotten. Now, fate has thrown them together again, and in spite of the fact that Rollo is married, they embark on a clandestine affair.   The Weather in the Streets charts the tempestuous course of Olivia and Rollo’s forbidden relationship, from the first throes of passion through the toll of their deception on Olivia as she confronts the harsh reality of being the other woman. A novel ahead of its time that touched on a variety of taboo subjects, it is an enduring classic by an author who “has always written brilliantly of women in love” (Margaret Drabble).  

Ten years separate these two poignant novels featuring the same young woman, by the New York Times–bestselling “novelist in the grand tradition” (Anita Brookner).   British novelist Rosamond Lehmann “has always written brilliantly of women in love” (Margaret Drabble). In her pair of novels featuring Olivia Curtis—a shy, romantic, and hopeful seventeen-year-old looking forward to her first dance, and later, a sadder young woman in her twenties who still longs to capture lost passion—Lehmann creates “a completely compelling intimacy” that lingers long after the stories are over (Hermione Lee, The Guardian).   Invitation to the Waltz: Seventeen-year-old Olivia Curtis has been invited to her first dance. She is thrilled and terrified. In her diary, she confides her hopes, doubts, and fears—about her pretty, confident older sister, Kate; her precocious baby brother, James; her eccentric country neighbors; and of course, the upcoming party, which she is sure will be the crowning event of her life. Divided into three parts—Olivia’s birthday, the day leading up to the dance, and the event itself—Invitation to the Waltz beautifully captures the conflicting emotions of a teenager on the threshold of womanhood.   “Utterly charming and so desperately true that it almost hurts.” —The New York Times   The Weather in the Streets: Ten years older with a failed marriage behind her, Olivia runs into Rollo Spencer, her girlhood crush from the ball, on a train, and is swept up in a heated but clandestine affair, since Rollo is married. Lehmann’s “honest” and “powerful” novel charts the tempestuous course of Olivia and Rollo’s forbidden relationship, from the first throes of passion through the toll of their deception on Olivia as she confronts the harsh reality of being the other woman (Kirkus Reviews).   “A vividly realized, painfully convincing story of a love affair, written in Lehmann’s characteristic spare, poetic prose.” —Joyce Carol Oates

Rosamond Lehmann’s enduring classic, told from the point of view of its seventeen-year-old heroine, who has been invited to her first dance   Today is Olivia Curtis’s seventeenth birthday. In exactly one week, she will attend her first dance. She is thrilled . . . and terrified. Will Tony Heriot ask her to dance? Will he even remember that they once attended the same costume party? What will she wear? Something bright and beautiful—red silk? In the handsome diary she receives as a gift, Olivia shares her innermost doubts and fears—about her pretty, confident older sister, Kate, her precocious baby brother, James, her eccentric country neighbors, and of course, the upcoming party, which she is sure will be the crowning event of her young life.   Divided into three parts—Olivia’s birthday, the day leading up to the party, and the breathtaking event itself—Invitation to the Waltz masterfully captures the conflicting emotions of a teenager on the threshold of womanhood. Will this be the night when all of Olivia’s dreams come true?