
A determined young woman returns to her suburban home, ready to confront the expectations that have long held her back. On a crisp September afternoon she resolves that the moment to speak her mind to her father has finally arrived, and the novel opens with her poised on the edge of a personal crisis. Her inner resolve is matched by the vivid world around her—a mix of tidy villas, bustling shops, and the quiet rhythm of a railway town that frames her struggle for independence.
As Ann wrestles with the weight of family duty and the pull of her own ambitions, she encounters the everyday details that both constrain and inspire her—like the shy, blushing post‑office clerk who briefly catches her eye. The story follows her attempts to carve out a life of her own making, balancing education, work, and the lingering expectations of a society that still tells women how to behave. It’s a lively portrait of a woman daring to redefine her place in a world on the brink of change.
Language
en
Duration
~9 hours (544K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Charles Keller and David Widger
Release date
2006-03-18
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1866–1946
Best known for imagining time travel, alien invasion, and invisible men, this pioneering English writer helped shape modern science fiction. His stories are thrilling on the surface, but they also question class, power, progress, and the future of humanity.
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