Rosemary Manning's memoirs and novels have made her a major early figure in the British gay and lesbian community; this novel, originally published by FSG, reintroduces her in the U.S. Toni A. H. McNaron is a professor of English and women's studies at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. "Manning is a sensitive writer. She has not only a fine ear for prose but a fine eye for character. She has succeeded in creating through Rachel the world of the adolescent [searching for] 'an inner order behind a chaotic and unlovely existence."-New York Times Book Review Anthony Burgess (NYT Review) : "Manning. . . can paint the landscape within as suggestively as the one without. . . A very intelligent, sensitive and compelling book." This has been OP for 25 years, a lesbian classic. (Available in the UK: Virago)