A gentle, quiet and amusing book exploring the hidden life yearned for within the mind of a beautiful woman who looks to have it all yet wants none of it. I enjoy the fact that sackville-west explores how much women have to sacrifice in marriage and their wants are overlooked, however lady Sloane is no great visionary, she dreamed of being a painter with no actual talent ever being shown- she is a dutiful woman keeping up the status quo until her husband passed away. Freed from the gilded cage she found herself in I found great joy reading about her contemplative life in a cottage she chose- finally she has a room of one’s own. I also read this shortly after my own grandma passed away and it really made me reassess how I view aging, death - lady Sloane being so matter of fact about the process and ensuring her last months were on her terms was a fantastic narrative to meander through.