The sentinel

the long version

"Rebecca West's previously unknown novel, The Sentinel (1909-1911), discovered by Kathryn Laing, is published here for the first time. Written when West was in her late teens, it predates her earliest known published work of fiction, The Return of the Soldier, by almost ten years and foreshadows the author's prolific and often embattled career as a novelist, front-line journalist, dedicated feminist and political commentator engaged with the major cultural and political debates of the twentieth century." "The Sentinel displays the same confidence and verve that characterize West's later work. Drawing on her own involvement in the suffragette movement, West traces her heroine Adela's sexual and political awakening during a crucial period in feminist and literary history. The descriptions of riots, the hunger strike and force feeding in prison are among the most compelling of their time."--BOOK JACKET.