coming-of-age

Coming of age classics

Is there a story that has a permanent place in your heart?

 

Is there a story that you would wish to pass on to the next generation, and would yourself happily read again now?

Following on from our much-loved limited-edition hardbacks of favourites such as Excellent Women, Valley of the Dolls, The Enchanted April and The Dud Avocado, we're very excited to have created a unique new set of hardbacks – six modern classic coming-of-age stories, for adult and young adult readers alike, with stunning interconnecting artwork by New York illustrator Mira Nameth. We hope that these beautiful, special books will be collected, enjoyed, cherished and pressed into the hands of other readers, whatever their age. Each has been selected for its striking depiction of a time, a place and a young woman on the cusp of adulthood.

Invitation to the Waltz and My Brilliant Career are perennial, much-loved Virago Modern Classics. Slammerkin, Tipping the Velvet and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings are proudly published by Virago Press and, amazingly, it’s the first time the latter two have been available in hardback in this country. And with the little gem that is The River, we’re thrilled to launch our publishing of Rumer Godden, a new addition to the Virago Modern Classics.

If you have read and loved one or more of these novels in the past and would like to tell us and other readers why, when or where you enjoyed them, we’d be delighted to hear from you.  Or indeed, if you have another favourite coming-of-age classic, from Virago or any other publisher, share that with us too. We always love to hear your comments and suggestions. Visit our facebook and twitter pages.


The six titles, publishing in August, are:

Slammerkin by Emma Donoghue

Mary, daughter of a poor seamstress, longs for fine clothes as her neighbours hunger for food and warmth. For the love of a gorgeous red ribbon, she is seduced into a life on the cold, murky streets of late 1700s London.

Invitation to the Waltz by Rosamond Lehmann

On her seventeenth birthday, Olivia Curtis receives: a diary for her innermost thoughts, a ten-shilling note and a roll of flame-coloured silk for her first ballgown. For her pretty sister Kate, the dance is sure to be a triumph, but what will it be for shy, awkward Olivia?

My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin

Trapped on her parents' farm in the hardscrabble Australian outback, Sybylla Melvyn longs for a refined lifestyle, but most of all she longs to achieve great things. Soon she finds herself choosing between the conventional path and her plans for a 'brilliant career'.

Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters

A multi-layered historical romance set in the 'roaring' 1890s, Sarah Waters’ bestselling debut novel follows the glittering career of Nan King from Whitstable oyster-girl to star of the music hall to cross-dressing rentboy to East End 'tom'.

The River by Rumer Godden

Harriet is caught between two worlds, and the comforting rhythm of her Indian childhood – the sounds of the jute factory, the colourful festivals and the eternal ebb and flow of the river on its journey to the Bay of Bengal – is about to be shattered by a tragic event.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

In the celebrated first volume of her autobiography, Maya Angelou evokes her childhood in the American South of the 1930s. As a black woman, Maya Angelou has known discrimination and extreme poverty, but also hope and joy, celebration and achievement.

Virago

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings

By Maya Angelou
A powerful modern classic, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is made available in a beautiful hardback in the VMC set for adult and young adult readers.In this, the celebrated, bestselling first volume of her autobiography, Maya Angelou beautifully evokes her childhood with her grandmother in the American South of the 1930s. She learns the power of the white folks at the other end of town and suffers the terrible trauma of rape by her mother's lover. As a black woman, Maya Angelou has known discrimination and extreme poverty, but also hope and joy, celebration and achievement; loving the world, she also knows its cruelty.The collection has been expertly put together to remind the reader that while the way we describe things has changed, the feelings behind them certainly haven't. Bold, beautiful ... everyone's appetites will be satisfied.Born in 1928 in Missouri, Maya Angelou has been a waitress, singer, actress, dancer, activist, filmmaker, writer and mother. As well as her autobiography she has written several volumes of poetry, including 'On the Pulse of Morning' for the inauguration of President Clinton. She has a lifetime appointment as Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University in North Carolina.Beautiful, collectible hardback, part of the VMC set of 6 coming-of-age classics for adult and young adult readers.Will be much admired and coveted by booksellers and readers as previous VMC hardback series have been.A true modern classic, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings has sold over half a million copies.
Virago

Slammerkin

By Emma Donoghue
Emma Donoghue's gripping novel in a beautiful new hardback edition as part of the VMC set for adult and young adult readers.'Strangers might remember a trip to see a girl hang, but who would spare a thought for the whos and hows and whys?'

At thirteen, Mary, the daughter of a poor seamstress, longs for fine clothes as her neighbours hunger for food and warmth. For the love of a gorgeous red ribbon she finds herself seduced into a life on the cold, dangerous streets of late 1700s London. Her saviour is Doll, a gaudy young woman who takes her under her wing. But Mary soon discovers that she can't escape her past and that people like her pay must pay dearly for yearnings not fitting to their class . . .The collection has been expertly put together to remind the reader that while the way we describe things has changed, the feelings behind them certainly haven't. Bold, beautiful ... everyone's appetites will be satisfied.Emma Donoghue is an Irish novelist, playwright and historian who lives in Canada. Her books include The Woman Who Gave Birth to Rabbits, Touchy Subjects and Life Mask. Her critically acclaimed and internationally bestselling novel Room was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2010.Beautiful, collectible hardback edition as part of the VMC Generation set of 6 coming-of-age classics for adult and young adult readers.Will be much admired and coveted by booksellers and readers as previous VMC hardback series have been.Emma Donoghue's Man Booker-shortlisted novel Room has sold over half a million copies.
Virago

The River

By Rumer Godden
The classic tale of an Indian childhood, made available in a beautiful hardback edition as part of the VMC set for adult and young adult readers.'You can't stop days or rivers . . . '

Harriet's older sister is no longer a playmate, her brother is still a little boy. And the comforting rhythm of her Indian childhood - the noise from the jute works, the colourful festivals that accompany each season and the eternal ebb and flow of the river on its journey to the Bay of Bengal - is about to be shattered by a tragic event. Intense, vivid and with a dark undertow, The River is Rumer Godden's compelling portrait of three siblings on the cusp of adulthood.The collection has been expertly put together to remind the reader that while the way we describe things has changed, the feelings behind them certainly haven't. Bold, beautiful ... everyone's appetites will be satisfied.Not only Rumer Godden's best book but a small masterpiece, a near perfect account of how childhood has to come to an end and the serpent must enter the garden.Rumer Godden (1907-98) was the acclaimed author of over sixty works of fiction and non-fiction for adults and children. Born in England, she and her siblings grew up in Narayanganj, India, and she later spent many years living in Calcutta and Kashmir. Several of her novels were made into films, including Black Narcissus, The Greengage Summer and The River, which was filmed by Jean Renoir. She was appointed OBE in 1993.Beautiful, collectible hardback edition as part of the VMC set of 6 coming-of-age classics for adult and young adult readers.Will be much admired and coveted by booksellers and readers as previous VMC hardback series have been.Launches our publishing of Rumer Godden, a major new author on the Virago Modern Classics list.Virago Modern Classics will publish 10 Rumer Godden titles in paperback beginning in 2013-14, including the much-acclaimed Black Narcissus, Kingfishers Catch Fire and Breakfast with the Nikolides.
Virago

My Brilliant Career

By Miles Franklin
An irresistible classic, made available in a beautiful hardback as part of the VMC set for adult and young adult readers.Trapped on her parents' farm in the hardscrabble Australian outback, sixteen-year-old Sybylla Melvyn loves the bush but not the toil it brings. She longs for refinement, and most of all she longs to achieve great things.

Suddenly she falls under the gaze of wealthy, handsome Harry Beecham . . . and finds herself choosing between the conventional path of marriage and her plans for a 'brilliant career'.The collection has been expertly put together to remind the reader that while the way we describe things has changed, the feelings behind them certainly haven't. Bold, beautiful ... everyone's appetites will be satisfied.Miles Franklin (1879-1954) was born into a pioneering family settled in New South Wales, Australia. She wrote My Brilliant Career when she was only sixteen. Publication in 1901 brought instant fame and a notoriety that was so unwelcome that she forbade its republication until ten years after her death. Miles Franklin travelled to America, where she worked for the Women's Trade Union League, and later during WWI to London and Salonika, where she did war work. In 1933 she returned to Australia, where she spent the rest of her life. My Career Goes Bung, the sequel to My Brilliant Career, was published in 1946, and her autobiography, Childhood at Brindabella, posthumously in 1963.Beautiful new hardback edition as part of the VMC set of 6 coming-of-age classics for adult and young adult readers.Will be much admired and coveted by booksellers and readers as other VMC hardback series have been.A perennial favourite on the Virago Modern Classics list.
Virago

Invitation To The Waltz

By Rosamond Lehmann
The classic coming-of-age novel is made available in a covetable hardback in the VMC set for adult and young adult readers.On her seventeenth birthday, Olivia Curtis receives: a diary for her innermost thoughts, a china ornament, a ten-shilling note and a roll of flame-coloured silk for her first ball dress. She anticipates the dance, the greatest and most terrifying event of her life so far, with uncertainty and excitement. For her pretty sister Kate, it is sure to be a triumph, but what will it be for shy, awkward Olivia?

Rosamond Lehmann, one of the best-loved writers of the twentieth century, perfectly captures the emotions of a girl poised on the threshold of womanhood.The collection has been expertly put together to remind the reader that while the way we describe things has changed, the feelings behind them certainly haven't. Bold, beautiful ... everyone's appetites will be satisfied.Rosamond Lehmann (1901-90) was educated at Girton College, Cambridge and wrote the bestselling Dusty Answer in her twenties. She is one of the most distinguished novelists of the last century and was awarded a CBE in 1982.Beautiful, collectible hardback, part of the VMC set of 6 coming-of-age classics for adult and young adult readers.Will be much admired and coveted by booksellers and readers as previous VMC hardback series have been.A perennial favourite on the VMC list from one of the best-loved writers of the twentieth century.
Virago

Tipping The Velvet

By Sarah Waters
An exhilarating modern classic, now available in a beautiful new hardback edition as part of the VMC set for adult and young adult readers.'Piercing the shadows of the naked stage was a single shaft of rosy limelight, and in the centre of this was a girl: the most marvellous girl - I knew it at once! - that I had ever seen.'

A saucy, sensuous and multi-layered historical romance set in the 'roaring' 1890s, Tipping the Velvet follows the glittering career of Nan King on her journey from Whitstable oyster-girl to music-hall star to cross-dressing rentboy to East End 'tom'.The collection has been expertly put together to remind the reader that while the way we describe things has changed, the feelings behind them certainly haven't. Bold, beautiful ... everyone's appetites will be satisfied.Sarah Waters was born in Wales. She has won a Betty Trask Award and the Somerset Maugham Award, and her books have been shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize and the Orange Prize. Tipping the Velvet, Affinity, Fingersmith and The Night Watch have been adapted for television. Sarah Waters has been named Author of the Year four times: by the British Book Awards, the Booksellers' Association, Waterstone's Booksellers and the Stonewall Awards. She lives in London.Beautiful, collectible hardback as part of the VMC Generation set of 6 coming-of-age classics for adult and young adult readers.Will be much admired and coveted by booksellers and readers as previous VMC hardback series have been.All of Sarah Waters' novels have been Sunday Times bestsellers and over half a million copies of her books have been sold in the UK.A cult classic, filmed for the BBC.www.sarahwaters.com