Customer Reviews

Invitation to the Waltz (LARGE PRINT Edition)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the kind of novel that might be called slight. It's short, light in tone and content, but readable and atmospheric.

The book is written from the point of view of the girl herself, a quiet, thoughtful home-loving character who is socially overshadowed by her attractive and more wordly sister. It tells the story of a young girl going to her first formal dance. The action takes place in middle-class England somewhere in the early part of the twentieth century. It vaguely recalls the world described by Jane Austen, writing about a similar social scene 100 years earlier. The writing also has some of the delicate observation of Austen but lacks Austen's ironic touch.

One of the merits of the book is the author's carefully-observed and convincing characterisation. Another - as with P G Wodehouse - is the evocation of a time gone by. No masterpiece, but an enjoyable piece of writing for a rainy Sunday afternoon in front of a log fire.

As other reviewers have observed, this is not a great book, but it's a good one, and I enjoyed it.

The tale is told through the viewpoint of Olivia Curtis, who lives with her parents and sister Kate in rural England. The Curtis sisters have been invited to a ball at the home of wealthy but kind neighbors. Lovely, self-assured Kate anticipates the event eagerly, but Olivia, less sure of herself, broods about all the things that could go wrong. To assure themselves of at least one partner, the girls take the rather drastic step of inviting a friend-of-a-friend, sight unseen, to be a houseguest and accompany them to the ball.

Of course, nothing turns out as planned. Both girls make it through the evening, experiencing a mixture of successes and minor disasters. A long-held dream of Kate's comes true, while Olivia learns that the most socially "desirable" people are not always the best company. Fairly lightweight but not dull, this book is a good choice when you just feel like reading.

I came across this book due to comparisons with I Capture the Castle, another wonderful coming-of-age book and a favorite of mine.

Invitation to the Waltz is told from the POV of Olivia, 17 year old protagonist, who has been invited to her first dance. The first half covers the morning of her birthday, and the preparations for the dance. The second half is the dance itself. This book is definitely not for those who like plot-driven, action-packed or fast-paced novels. In fact, plot-wise hardly anything happens. So why the 5 stars? The characters, that's why. They are the most vibtant and memorable set of characters I have come across in any book. Though this book is mostly from Olivia's POV, we are also given a glimpse into Kate's - Olivia's beautiful older sister - POV as well. I loved Olivia! Overshadowed by her sister, Olivia often lacks confidence, is sometimes naive, and sometines extraordinarily mature for her age. The authors gives her readers a chance to see the world from Olivia's eyes. We experience her hopes, fears, sadness. I loved how Olivia is so awkward and scared about her first dance. She is often childish and then admonishes herself for being so. There are no end to the humourous moments. The experiences of our lovable heroine before and after the dance, and her often awkward encounters with different people are laced with hilarious moments. The author's beautiful prose makes these encounters and the people come alive.

The best part of the book is the dance itself. We get to see each new acquaintance through Olivia's eyes. Each meeting is described in detail, and each person leaves something to ponder upon, both for Olivia as well as the readers. Maurice, who is so kind; Archie, who is so charming yet snubs her; Peter, the overly sensitive poet; the handsome, enigmatic Rollo Spencer and so on. At the end of the dance, Olivia looks upon everything with a new maturity and insight. The naive young girl grows up.

The ending is a hopeful yet sad one, as Olivia realizes that one dance has changed everthing. Kate is no longer the same, and neither is she. One night has changed the dynamics of their relationship completely.

Invitation to the Waltz is a deeply satisfying read, recommended for fans of Jane Austen, Dodie Smith and Nancy Mitford.

Invitation to the Waltz is one of those coming-of-age-stories. Unlike, for example, The Crowded Street, which focuses on a young woman's entire coming-of-age experience, Invitation to the Waltz focuses on just one moment in seventeen-year-old Olivia Curtis's life: a coming-out ball, the seminal moment in the life of any girl of the period (approximately the 1920s). Olivia is neither the most beautiful nor the most vivacious girl at the party, and she's apprehensive about the evening and all it entails. This is not one of those "high action" books, but it gives a lot of insight into the thoughts and feelings of a girl making the leap into adulthood.

I think if I had read this book ten years ago, I would have completely identified with Olivia--she's shy and retiring, and unsure of herself. Her dress is all wrong, she has no dance partners, and at one point in the evening she ends up with a smear of dust all over her face from leaning against a statue. Olivia experiences a large amount of anxiety over the evening, but there's a dash of hope there as well. Olivia teenage plight is even rather touching at times, but Lehmann writes with humor as well. Since this novel takes place over the course of a single day and evening, there's obviously not a lot of character development, but Rosamond Lehmann is skilled at getting into the head of her protagonist.

And yet Lehmann's style of writing is a bit confusing; I found myself getting lost at several points while reading this novel. There are lots of short, choppy sentences that I had to read several times in order to funny understand. In essence, therefore, this isn't a particularly easy book to read. Still, I love her descriptions, her characters, and the way that the tone of this novel made me feel: nostalgic. I look forward to reading the follow-up to this book, The Weather in the Streets (a novel about Olivia, ten years on).