First published 1999
When Billi's father dies, her world splits apart. She leaves the crumbling German château of her childhood for the French Riviera, where her beautiful but unreliable mother creates a whirlwind existence among artists and exiles. The arrangement proves temporary. Billi finds herself shipped off to England for proper schooling, but even there she cannot settle. She bounces from one short-lived tutor to another, filling her days with books, friends, and public lectures. Her restless nature mirrors her unconventional upbringing. When she returns to the Mediterranean coast, Billi continues her unorthodox education among the vibrant community of intellectuals and artists who have made the region their home. Through intellectual discoveries, emotional awakening, and sexual exploration, this community guides her toward a future in literature. Billi must navigate between the stability she craves and the bohemian world that shaped her, learning to forge her own path through the cultural richness and personal chaos of interwar Europe.
Genres: literary-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, coming-of-age, family-drama
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: French Riviera, Germany, England
Period: Interwar Period
368 pages · Paperback · Penguin Books Ltd