Frost in May

By Antonia White

Book Overview

'Frost in May is the unsurpassed novel of convent school life. This story of a clash between a determined young girl and an authoritarian regime is both perceptive and painfully emotional, convincing in every detail' - Hermione Lee, Observer

With a new introduction by Tessa Hadley

Nanda Gray, the daughter of a Catholic convert, is nine when she is sent to the Convent of Five Wounds. Quick-witted, resilient and eager to please, she accepts this closed world where, with all the enthusiasm of the outsider, her desires and passions become only those the school permits. Her only deviation from total obedience is the passionate friendships she makes.

Convent life is perfectly captured - the smell of beeswax and incense; the petty cruelties of the nuns; the eccentricities of Nanda's school friends.

Books in the VMC 40th anniversary series include: Frost in May by Antonia White; The Collected Stories of Grace Paley; Fire from Heaven by Mary Renault; The Magic Toyshop by Angela Carter; The Weather in the Streets by Rosamond Lehmann; Deep Water by Patricia Highsmith; The Return of the Soldier by Rebecca West; Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston; Heartburn by Nora Ephron; The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy; Memento Mori by Muriel Spark; A View of the Harbour by Elizabeth Taylor and Faces in the Water by Janet Frame

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0349010285
• ISBN13: 9780349010281
• Release Date: April 2019
• Publisher: Virago Press (UK)
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.69 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.1" x 7.7"

Customer Reviews

wonderful!

this book was recommended to me a few years ago, and i'm so thankful for the suggestion! i just read it, and what a marvelous book!it tells the story of a young girl who is sent to a catholic school in england in 1908. it's fascinating to read about her conversion and eventual questioning of catholicism. i haven't read such frightening sermons since james joyce's portrait of an artist as a young man. the book is fluid, suspenseful and utterly readable. antonia white's narration is gutwrenchingly believable. the book is the first in series of white's 4 semi-autobiographical novels. i cannot wait to read the others.i strongly suggest you read this book; i think you'll be delighted!

A 20th century classic yet little known

If you have not read "Frost in May" you are in for a real delight; this semi-autobiographical novel tells the story of young Fernanda (Nanda) who is sent to a convent boarding school in the years just before WWI. She is "unpicked and remade" in the mold of a well-bred, well-educated Catholic young lady. However, Nanda is never quite one of the group; her father is a convert to the faith and middle-class. Most of the students are daughters of old Catholic gentry and Nanda feels the subtle discrimintation. Yet Nanda loves the hermetic routine, her companions and the age-old routine of the school. She begins to feel very at home, and excels her studies when she makes a terrible mistake.The sensitive treatment of a young girl's feelings and attitudes, the recreation of the rarified atmosphere of a convent in pre-war England make this book a fine piece of literature. Antonia White wrote 3 more novels, all semi-biographical and then a few other short works. She was afflicted by writer's block and her output is slim, which is a shame. She was a tremendously talented writer, and every word is crafted perfectly.

Frost In May - Antonia White

Since I first read this book at the age of twelve, it has continued to both delight me and reduce me to tears each of the many times I have picked it up. It appeals to people of all ages and truly allows the reader to enter into the mind of Nanda. It is a must for anyone who can empathise with Nanda's oppression, to whatever degree, and I see no reason why anyone should fail to enjoy this beautifully structured, smoothly flowing 'calm amd factual record of the slow death of a soul', to use the words of Selina Hastings. It only disappoints me that this novel remains so little-known.

A beautifully-written glimpse at life in a convent school.

I was really surprised by the one-star review. Of course there's a lot of detail about Catholic life. The book is set in the intense, often brutal world of a convent school. Those details, and some very well-drawn characters, make it real. I found Nanda's adjustment to her new life fascinating. A lovely, sad, escapist read.