A Proper Education for Girls
  • Published: 1 September 2010
  • ISBN: 9781407051741
  • Imprint: Vintage Digital
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 352

A Proper Education for Girls

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'Flashman for girls'. A rollicking story of twin sisters and their fight for freedom, set in 1857.

Lilian and Alice are the bright young twin daughters of the eccentric Mr Talbot, who resides in a huge mansion stuffed full of fossils, inventions, suits of armour, botanical specimens and other specimens of his sprawling collection of curiosities.

When Lilian rebels against Victorian standards of morality she is packed off to India as the bride of a dreary missionary, leaving Alice alone and in danger of falling victim to her father's bizarre and hair-raising schemes.

This lively and entertaining novel follows the two girls on their very different paths to freedom and is set against the tumultuous backdrop of the Indian Mutiny.

Shortlisted for the Saltire First Book prize, the Scottish Arts Council First Book Award and the Guildford Literary Festival First Book Award.
  • Published: 1 September 2010
  • ISBN: 9781407051741
  • Imprint: Vintage Digital
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 352
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About the author

Elaine di Rollo

Elaine di Rollo comes from Lancashire and now lives in Scotland. She has a PhD from Edinburgh University in the social history of medicine, and is currently a lecturer at Napier University. The building she works in used to be a hydropathic. This is her second novel. Her first, The Peachgrowers' Almanac/A Proper Education for Girls, which was shortlisted for the Saltire First Book prize, the Scottish Arts Council First Book Award and the Guildford Literary Festival First Book Award, was set in 1857 between England and India.

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Praise for A Proper Education for Girls

[An] assured, very funny debut; one of the best I've read this year

Scotland on Sunday

A generous, rollicking read... it harks back to the loving pastiche of Angela Carter and, more recently, the camp Victoriana of Susanna Clarke and Michel Faber

Scotland on Sunday

A novel to shock and delight

Katherine McMahon

Beautifully written and an absolute joy to read... Elaine di Rollo's debut should be read and it should be rewarded too

Scotsman

Entertaining... Fun and farcical

Financial Times

Plenty of tongue-in-cheek fun to be had

Daily Mail