First published in 1926, 'Lolly Willowes or the Loving Huntsman' is an amusing and witty novel by Sylvia Townsend Warner, an English novelist, poet, and musicologist.
In this, Lolly Willowes revolutionaries against coercion to be the perfect 'maiden aunt'. Always so gentle and accommodating, not curious about men or the hustled life of London, suddenly announces that she is moving, alone, or rather compelled to move there from her cherished countryside after the death of her father. To her overbearing family in London, it is a disturbing and inexplicable act of defiance. Finally, she crashes out for the countryside on her own, selling her soul to a friendly but rather simpleminded demon. This book is opportunely and delightful.
"The story of a woman who rejects the life that society has fixed for her in favor of freedom and the most unexpected of alliances."
-The New York Times Book Review