Invitation to the Waltz by Rosamond Lehmann

Invitation to the Waltz by Rosamond Lehmann

Not to be confused with the Zelda Fitzgerald novel, Invitation to Waltz! (Once I’ve read that one, I will do ‘waltz’ special review) I finished this novel on a train to and from London. It centers on Olivia Curtis’s first dance and introduction into society. So much happens yet the whole novel takes place in about twenty-four hours. I don’t think I’ve done a review on Dusty Answer, my friend is devouring my copy but when I eventually prize it out of her grasp I’ll do a review. Although it will effectively say “read all of her novels.” “Gush, gush, gush.” (etc.)

I was on my way to an interview, which I thought was appropriate reading about another girl who was on her way to stepping out from the comfort of her family and into womanhood. You can almost feel the sweat of the dance; able to see her leaning against a dusty wall. It is as if you are standing beside her. The terror when she gets her dress the wrong way round and is convinced that she looks awful, then her awkward encounters with drunken folk is all too familiar to those of us who do not enjoy long nights out. The expectation on the girls is reminiscent of any song centered around partying, with the adverts for alcohol portraying beautiful people having beautiful, none sweaty fun in clubs. But Lehmann rips the façade away and shows the sweat, tears and humiliation thanks to unattainable social expectations placed on the sisters. And she does it in a way that made me want to step in and join them for hot cocoa at the end of the dance.