num_pages: 318
description: An immaculate portrait of adolescent love from one of our most beloved novelists.'One of the last century's greatest woman writers' GuardianWhen sixteen-year-old Portia is orphaned, she is plunged into the sophisticated and politely treacherous world of her wealthy half-brother's home. There she encounters the attractive cad Eddie. To him, Portia is at once child and woman, and he fears her gushing love. To her, Eddie is the only reason to be alive. But when Eddie follows Portia to a sea-side resort, the flash of a cigarette lighter in a darkened cinema illuminates a stunning romantic betrayal - and sets in motion one of the most moving and desperate flights of the heart in modern literature.'This is a stunning portrait of the human heart, a raw account of romantic betrayal and the pains of growing up' 
  Sunday Times **
One of the 50 best books of the past 100 years**
language: English
title: The Death of the Heart
titlecomplete: The Death of the Heart
characters: Mrs. Heccomb, Portia Quayne, Thomas Quayne, Anna Quayne, St. Quentin Miller, Daphne Heccomb, Eddie, Dickie Heccomb, Matchett
genres: 20th Century, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Novels, Irish Literature, Literature, Classics, British Literature, Romance, Fiction
ratings_count: 8062
places: London, England
publisher: Vintage