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Olivia Paperback – 1 August 2008

by Dorothy Strachey (Author)

91 ratings

Edition: 1^st

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A rediscovered gem from The Hogarth Press, back in print for the first time in years. 'A classic of lesbian literature and the most emotionally accessible work that can be associated with the Bloomsbury group' Regina Marler

'Perfectly captures the breathless excitement of adolescent passion' Sarah Waters

When Olivia turns sixteen she is sent to a Parisian finishing school to broaden her education. Soon after her arrival, she finds herself falling under the spell of her beautiful and charismatic teacher. But Madamoiselle Julie's life is not as straightforward as Olivia imagines and the school year is destined to end abruptly in tragedy.

'A remarkable novel which is unique in its presentation of the female mind and emotions in teachers and pupils at a girls' school. It has a strange combination of strength and delicacy.' The Times

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Review

Perfectly captures the breathless excitement of adolescent passion ― Sarah Waters

A remarkable novel which is unique in its presentation of the female mind and emotions in teachers and pupils at a girls' school. It has a strange combination of strength and delicacy ― The Times

It is the story of an overheated emotional glasshouse, of an awakening and febrile yearnings, of the anguished decoding of tiny signals of intention from the beloved, of fervid alliances and bitter jealousies between two factions of girls, and the falling out of the two teachers they adore, with a shattering conclusion ― Guardian

The chapter from Dorothy Strachey's Olivia, which deals with the well-worn topic of a schoolgirl's love for her teacher, seems fresh and beautifully done -- Julie Burchill ― Sunday Times

A narrative of sheer emotion... Olivia achieves the purity of classic tragedy ― New York Times Book Review

Extraordinary...as accomplished and perfect as possible in its feeling, its decorum and tact, its secret lyricism...in its quality at the same time of modesty and candour -- André Gide

Book Description

A rediscovered gem from The Hogarth Press, back in print for the first time in years. 'A classic of lesbian literature and the most emotionally accessible work that can be associated with the Bloomsbury group' Regina Marler

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ VINTAGE ARROW - MASS MARKET
Publication date ‏ : ‎ 1 August 2008
Edition ‏ : ‎ 1st
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Print length ‏ : ‎ 112 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0099511886
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0099511885
Item weight ‏ : ‎ 87 g
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 12.83 x 0.64 x 19.69 cm

Best Sellers Rank: 252,985 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 109 in Tragic Dramas & Plays (Books)
- 884 in Fiction Classics for Young Adults
- 2,317 in Lesbian Fiction

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sally tarbox
"This stab in my heart, this rapture"
Reviewed in Australia on 20 November 2016
Format: Kindle

A short (107p) read, following young Olivia and her year at a finishing school in Victorian Paris. Here she falls under the spell of lovely Mlle Julie, co-principal. But despite Julie's apparent affection for her, there are other players in the story: her jealous assistant, Mlle Cara - and two other teachers, waiting in the wings for power or love.
The author does a convincing job of portraying that sudden adolescent awareness of life:

"I awoke to a new world - a world of excitement - a world in which everything was fierce and piercing, everything charged with strange emotions, clothed with extraordinary mysteries, and in which I myself seemed to exist only as an inner core of palpitating fire."

Not a massively memorable work, but kept me reading it in one sitting.

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drfiddler1
Read this!
Reviewed in the United States on 22 August 2006
Verified Purchase

This novel by Dorothy Strachey, sister of famous biographer and eccentric, Lytton Strachey, is a little jewel of a well-written novel. Probably based on Dorothy's experiences in a girl's school, it describes a English teenager's crush on a school mistress in late 19th century France. This novel is not about sex or being a lesbian. It is about anticipation and the overwhelming need for affection and approval. It is a classic, "coming of age" novel with (for once!) a young girl instead of a young boy. Quick, enthralling read!

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Maria K
Must read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 August 2014
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
I really enjoyed reading this book. Dorothy Strachey was a very honest story teller. I must admit that i hated the personality of Olivia, but fell drown with the character of the teacher, Mrs Julie. It is deep and intriguing, you can't miss a line of this thick writing. Vivid and realistic characters. A lesbian classic.

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SusannahB
A Rather Intense Tale of Adolescent Longing (3.5 Stars)
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 31 August 2017
Verified Purchase
Olivia looks back on her year at a finishing school in Paris, as she relates to the reader in a confessional mood, her infatuation with Mademoiselle Julie, the beautiful, charismatic co-principal of the school, who takes the innocent young girl under her wing. Visits to Mlle Julie's study for literary education and trips to Paris art galleries follow; Mlle Julie even begins to visit Olivia in her bedroom to wish her goodnight and soon the young girl is professing her love for her teacher. However, Mlle Julie's preference for Olivia does not go unnoticed by the other members of the staff, particularly by Mlle Cara, the neurotic and overly-sensitive co-principal of the school, who becomes increasingly jealous of the hold Julie has over the young girl. Also working at the school is Frau Riesener, a duplicitous and controlling woman, who does her best to aggravate the situation further and cause insuperable difficulties between Mlle Julie and Mlle Cara. There is more, of course, but as this is such a short novel, to say more would spoil the story, so I shall leave the remainder for those who have yet to read it.

Dorothy Strachey was the sister of Lytton Strachey and this novella (which is partly autobiographical and was originally published anonymously) was dedicated to Virginia Woolf and is one that I have been meaning to read for some time. Well written and full of the intense longings of a youthful infatuation, this brief novel is best enjoyed in a single sitting. However, if I am being entirely honest, I have to say that it was all just a little too intense for my taste, but I did feel the author conveyed the fiercely passionate longings of the young Olivia well, and despite this novella not impressing me quite as much as I had expected it to, I enjoyed aspects of the story and found it worked well as an engaging and effortless downtime read.

3.5 Stars.

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Susan M.
True to Life
Reviewed in the United States on 3 May 2014
Verified Purchase
This short novel written by Dorothy Strachey (her only novel) in the 1940s captures the thrill of first adolescent love. There is nothing salacious or tasteless about Olivia's intense feelings for the young woman who is her teacher. What is left unsaid, is whether the feelings are reciprocal.

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Nilay Dervish
A must-read, especially for the LGBTQ audience
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 5 April 2017
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
You feel every bit of this book under your skin. Despite that the purpose of this book was not fiction writing, I wish Strachey wrote other novels. Her style and depictions are immaculate.

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