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About the Book

Told by one of the foremost feminists of the twentieth century, this is a gripping coming-of-age novel from Simone de Beauvoir, closely modelled on events of her own life. Two young women, Sylvie and Andree, battle with their families, their religion and the deeply held conventions of society in early twentieth-century Paris. A deep and abiding friendship sustains them in an increasingly desperate struggle to find happiness and independence.

From the backcover

When Andrée joins her school, Sylvie is immediately fascinated. Andrée is small for her age, but walks with the confidence of an adult. Under her red coat, she hides terrible burn scars. And when she imagines beautiful things, she gets goosebumps... Secretly Sylvie believes that Andrée is a prodigy about whom books will be written.

The girls become close. They talk for hours about equality, justice, war and religion; they lose respect for their teachers; they build a world of their own. But they can't stay like this forever.

Written in 1954, five years after The Second Sex, the novel was never published in Simone de Beauvoir's lifetime. This first English edition includes an afterword by her adopted daughter, who discovered the manuscript hidden in a drawer, and photographs of the real-life friendship which inspired and tormented the author.

All Editions

9781784877002
Paperback, 3rd Edition
ISBN13: 9781784877002
Vintage Classics, 2021
Paperback
Vintage Classics, 2021

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