Home › Bestsellers › The Transit of Venus

The Transit of Venus

by Shirley Hazzard

Two sisters across changing lives and places

Regular price $17.10 USD
Regular price $28.51 USD Sale price $17.10 USD
Save 40%

Paperback New English

Delivery to your door
In stock·Dispatches in 1–2 business days
Standard shipping* from $4.35
Standard shipping transit* 5–8 business days after dispatch

Faster options are available.

Rates and delivery estimates depend on your destination and item quantity. Estimates are informational only; the final shipping method and rate are selected at checkout.

Secure checkout
American Express Apple Pay DiscoverGoogle Pay Mastercard PayPalVisa
30-day eligible returns Returns & refunds policy

Awards & Recognition

  • Bestseller

    New York Times bestseller

    Described in the supplied metadata as a New York Times bestselling book.

  • Critical praise

    Praised by The Paris Review as one of the great English-language novels of the twentieth century

    The novel is described as “one of the great English-language novels of the twentieth century,” attributed to The...

AlbakiReads Editorial

Two sisters across changing lives and places

Caroline and Grace Bell leave Sydney for post-war England, and their lives extend across London, New York, and Stockholm from the 1950s to the 1980s. Their story brings family ties into contact with love, marriage, abandonment, widowhood, and betrayal, while the title’s planetary image frames the book’s concern with fate and human lives shaped by forces beyond individual choice. The movement across decades and cities gives the novel a broad scope, linking intimate relationships with the dislocations of modern life.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Readers interested in literary fiction centered on sisters and family relationships.
  • Readers who enjoy novels spanning multiple decades and cities.
  • Readers drawn to themes of fate, love, marriage, and loss.

Themes

Sisterhood and familyFate and choiceLove and betrayalDisplacement and modern life

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

The award-winning, New York Times bestselling literary masterpiece of Shirley Hazzard--the story of two beautiful orphan sisters whose fates are as moving and wonderful, and yet as predestined, as the transits of the planets themselves

A Penguin Classic

Considered "one of the great English-language novels of the twentieth century" (The Paris Review), The Transit of Venus follows Caroline and Grace Bell as they leave Australia to begin a new life in post-war England. From Sydney to London, New York, and Stockholm, and from the 1950s to the 1980s, the two sisters experience seduction and abandonment, marriage and widowhood, love and betrayal.

With exquisite, breathtaking prose, Australian novelist Shirley Hazzard tells the story of the displacements and absurdities of modern life. The result is at once an intricately plotted Greek tragedy, a sweeping family saga, and a desperate love story.
Shipping & returnsShipping options, delivery timing, and our return policy.

In-stock items normally dispatch within 1–2 business days. The ZIP-code estimator on this page is informational only; the final shipping method, price, and availability are confirmed at checkout for your full order.

For the initial delivery estimate we use these transit windows after dispatch: Standard 5–8 business days, Expedited 2–4 business days, and Priority 1–2 business days. Holiday delays are not included.

Eligible items can be returned within 30 days in accordance with our return policy.

Customer reviews