The Crowded Street by Winifred Holtby

Emotionally affecting and occasionally exceptionally well-written, the story of a woman who finds her personality crushed by her family and the expectations imposed upon her. Shy, lacking confidence and beauty, Muriel goes from living in dread of being an embarrassment to her mother and failing to get married to gaining strength to understand, accept and assert herself. I found Muriel personally very relatable, to a degree that actually made me uncomfortable (which in this case is a good thing). Knowing a little about Winifred Holtby's life, I wonder how much of this novel is autobiographical, and some parts and characters read like caricatures serving authorial wish-fulfillment. The style is sometimes overstrained and becomes slightly melodramatic, but there are some truly brilliant moments. I had to take breaks from it because it felt too emotionally bleak at times (again, not a criticism).