Consequences, by Penelope Lively

Lively's novel begins in London in 1935 and takes you in slowly, spiraling into a tale of generations of women. Molly, the first daughter, works in a library and requests that the trustees (who are appointed for ten years) provide a program on D.H. Lawrence's new book, Lady Chatterley's Lover. The director is horrified, and Molly is unemployed. Lively's characters seem to float in space while she describes their actions.