A compelling novel about the requirement to be perfect, without losing sight of yourself – by the greatest feminist of the twentieth-century, Simone de Beauvoir.
One woman strives for perfection – it’s an old story. This is Simone de Beauvoir’s gripping version.
Laurence lives what appears to be an ideal existence. Her life features all the trappings of 1960s Parisian bourgeoisie- money, a handsome husband, two daughters and a lover. She also has a successful career as an advertising copywriter, though her mind unbidden writes copy whilst she’s at home, and dreams of domesticity in the office.
But Laurence is a woman whose happiness was relegated long ago by the expectation of perfection. Relentlessly torn by the competing needs of her family, it is only when her 10-year-old daughter, Catherine, starts to vocalise her despair about the unfairness of the world that Laurence resists.
TRANSLATED BY LAUREN ELKIN
Format: Hardback
Pages: 208
Imprint: Vintage Classics UK
Publication date: 29/04/2025
