Olivia, aged 16, is sent abroad to a French finishing school to complete her education. Very soon she has fallen under the spell of her teacher, Mlle Julie, who accepts her as a teacher's pet, arousing the jealousy of Mlle Clara. Like Claire at Paperback reader, the setting was extremely reminiscent of the Collette books. There is not a good deal of plot, beyond the development of the relationship between Olivia and Mlle Julie and its journey towards its conclusion, but it is another good "coming of age" story, which will enjoyably pass an afternoon or so.
As far as I am aware, Virago have only published this once, with this cover, a beautiful painting by Klimt. And I was lucky enough to get a copy of this in an ebay bundle to replace the Penguin copy I'd bought after reading Simon's review. If anyone would like my Penguin copy, then do let me know - I'd definitely recommend this book.
