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Previously unpublished in the UK, this is Simone de Beauvoir's captivating novel about long-term relationships, getting older and how to live a good life.A captivating novella by one of the most important thinkers, writers and feminists of the twentieth century, Simone de Beauvoir.Nicole and Andre, a retired French couple, take a summer holiday to Russia. It is the 1960s and Russia is a beautiful, complicated place. Their guide is Macha, Andre's daughter from a previous relationship - a woman they both love. Adventure, inspiration, good food and good vodka are promised.Once thrilled by their romance, Nicole and Andre have now become too used to each other. Both harbour a growing feeling of not being fully understood - of being alone. Father and daughter engage in the grand debates of East-West relations, nationalism and socialism. But getting older, long-term relationships and how to enjoy life turn out to be the more pressing issues.