Frost in May

This largely autobiographical novel, published in 1933, is set in a convent school in the south of England in the years immediately preceding the First World War. The central character, Fernanda Grey, is the daughter of a zealous convert to Roman Catholicism. He sends her, aged 9, to the convent school at Lippington in expectation that she will be able to learn the Catholic way of life. For several years she receives recognition for exemplary behaviour and her faith grows stronger. Her literary pursuits, however, eventually lead to her forced removal from the school.

The author, Antonia White (née Eirene Botting, born 1 March 1899), grew up in London. She was educated at the Sacred Heart convent in Roehampton. She was expelled for writing what was considered an improper novel for a 15-year-old schoolgirl — it had in fact been intended as a gift for her father as she aimed to show the power of Catholicism to transform sinful lives. After an unsuccessful spell in another school, she began training in acting. When this did not lead to a career, she returned to writing, at first chiefly working as a copywriter in advertising. Her first published novel (this one) appeared in 1933; her second, however, was not published until 1950. She went on to write two further novels, a collection of short stories and two works of memoir.

In the convent community of nuns and pupils are several people from continental Europe. The central character, Nanda, discusses the prospect of war along with her aristocratic friend Léonie:
“If there were a war with Germany,” said Nanda suddenly, “you would be an enemy, wouldn't you, Léo?”
“I'm not sure,” mused Léonie. “It depends whether I went in with my German relations or my French ones. In the Franco-Prussian war I had a great-uncle on each side.”
“Your father's German, anyhow," persisted Clare.
“Hoch der Kaiser. Nationality is all rot, anyhow,” said Léonie.
“How can you say that?” flamed Rosario. “I would rather be dead than be anything but Spanish.”