Name: Elämänhurman häipyessä by Rosamond Lehmann
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.3 (10 reviews)
Author: Lehmann, Rosamond, 1901-1990

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Elämänhurman häipyessä by Rosamond Lehmann

(10 User reviews) 1487

By Theodore Hoffmann Posted on Mar 30, 2026

In Category - Comedy Writing

Authors: Lehmann, Rosamond, 1901-1990 Published By : Lehmann, Rosamond, 1901-1990

Book Language: Finnish

Hey, I just finished this book that's been haunting me in the best way. It's called 'Elämänhurman häipyessä' (I think the English title is 'The Weather in the Streets'), and it's by Rosamond Lehmann. You know how sometimes you read about a character and you just want to shake them and hug them at the same time? That's this book. It follows Olivia, a young woman in 1930s England who gets tangled up in a passionate, secret affair with a married man from her past. It's not a simple love story—it's about the quiet, desperate choices women had to make, the lies they told themselves to survive, and the heavy cost of living outside society's rules. The writing is so sharp and observant; it feels less like reading and more like overhearing someone's most private thoughts. If you've ever felt trapped by what's expected of you, or wondered about the roads not taken, this one will stick with you. It's a slow burn, but it gets under your skin.

File: Elämänhurman häipyessä by Rosamond Lehmann

First published in 1936, Rosamond Lehmann's novel feels startlingly modern. It picks up the story of Olivia Curtis, who we first met as a teenager in Lehmann's earlier book, Invitation to the Waltz. Ten years later, Olivia is divorced, living a somewhat bohemian life in London, and feeling a bit lost. Then, by chance, she runs into Rollo Spencer, the charming older brother of her childhood friend. Rollo is now a married man.

The Story

What starts as a nostalgic reunion quickly turns into an intense, clandestine love affair. Olivia and Rollo meet in borrowed flats and quiet country hotels, building a whole secret world. Lehmann doesn't give us dramatic confrontations or soap opera twists. Instead, she shows the grinding reality of the situation: the constant waiting for a phone call, the invented excuses, the loneliness of holidays spent apart, and the painful gap between passionate moments and daily life. The story follows Olivia as she navigates the emotional chaos—the dizzying highs of stolen time and the crushing lows of being a secret. The central question isn't just 'Will they be together?' but 'What is this doing to her?'

Why You Should Read It

Lehmann writes about female experience with a honesty that was radical for her time and still resonates. Olivia isn't a perfect heroine; she's often passive, hopeful to a fault, and complicit in her own pain. But you understand her completely. The book brilliantly captures the social pressure of the era, where a woman's reputation was everything, and the terrifying risk of pregnancy could change a life forever. It's a deep, unflinching look at the psychology of an affair—not from a moralizing angle, but from the inside out. You feel the claustrophobia, the hope, and the slow dawning of reality alongside Olivia.

Final Verdict

This is a book for readers who love character-driven stories that explore complex emotions. If you enjoyed novels like The Age of Innocence for their social tension, or Sally Rooney's books for their sharp focus on relationships and personal turmoil, you'll find a kindred spirit in Lehmann. It's perfect for anyone interested in the inner lives of women in historical fiction, or for those who appreciate prose that's elegant, precise, and emotionally powerful. Just be prepared: it's a beautiful, heartbreaking read that doesn't offer easy answers.