All Passion Spent. Illustrated

A masterpiece of quiet reflection and inner strength, All Passion Spent by Vita Sackville-West tells the story of Lady Slane, an elderly widow who, after a lifetime of duty and decorum, finally claims the freedom to live on her own terms.

As she retreats from the expectations of her aristocratic family, Lady Slane rediscovers independence, memory, and the passions long subdued by convention. With delicate irony and deep compassion, Sackville-West explores the themes of aging, identity, and the enduring human desire for autonomy and meaning.

First published in 1931, All Passion Spent remains one of Sackville-West’s most beloved works — a luminous meditation on life’s second bloom and the quiet triumph of the soul.