Life had been distinctly lacking in possibilities - until The Visit. But, ever afterwards, just remembering the smell of the Lancings’ house would enrapture her, taking her back to that very first day when Lucy and Gerald had picked her up from the station …

On the eve of an unusual voyage, a young woman reviews her life. Her story begins with a ‘beautiful visit’ to friends in the country which serves as an awakening experience. What follows is an account of her struggle to retain the mood of her visit.

All the longing, excitement and poignant comedy of adolescence are captured in Elizabeth Jane Howard’s first novel about a young girl growing up in the years around the First World War.