Dusty Answer: A Novel

Rosamond Lehmann’s first novel, now a classic of British literature, tells a luminous story of friendship, discovery, and forbidden love

This debut novel, set in the early 1900s, tells the story of Judith Earle, a solitary only child growing up in a sprawling house in the Thames Valley. From an early age, she is fascinated by the six cousins who live next door.

There’s boring, faithful Martin, of the red cheeks and perennially scabby knees; beautiful, aristocratic Charlie, whom Judith sec...