num_pages: 418
description: The Death of the Heart is perhaps Elizabeth Bowen's best-known book. As she deftly and delicately exposes the cruelty that lurks behind the polished surfaces of conventional society, Bowen reveals herself as a masterful novelist who combines a sense of humor with a devastating gift for divining human motivations.In this piercing story of innocence betrayed set in the thirties, the orphaned Portia is stranded in the sophisticated and politely treacherous world of her wealthy half-brother's home in London. There she encounters the attractive, carefree 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.
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: Anchor Books