Winter Sonata

Arnold Nettle, a shy young telegraph clerk, arrives in an English village as summer fades, hoping that a season in the country will aid his frail disposition. Repulsed by the behavior of his working-class landlady and her brood, especially the bold and flirtatious Pauline, Nettle becomes enamored with Olivia Neran and her respectable middle-class family. But even this privileged home is not free from difficulty; Olivia is being suffocated by her role as a gentlewoman, while her sister Eleanor is confronted with the gender inequality that dominates her society. First published in 1928, this novel was celebrated especially for its unique device of structuring the work by imitating a musical form.