Mary Lavelle: Virago Modern Classics

A superior type of romantic novel . . . quasi-intelligent and discursive, colourful and unorthodox
She writes with almost poetic intensity of the ecstasy and anguish of love
Its captivating account of a young Irish woman's year as a governess in Spain in 1922 bowled me over with its weave of flawless prose, in-depth casting and mesmerising plot, all in service of its heartbroken story of illicit love
With characteristic elegance and subtlety, Kate O'Brien, one of Ireland's most beloved writers, illuminates the anguish and ecstasies of a young woman at the heart of a family and a nation divided
There's some brilliant and powerful writing . . . a description of a bull-fight that rivals Hemingway . . . dramatic . . . smooth. It's a grand job. She deserves to be better known, as few are doing more significant work