No More than Human by Maura Laverty Part 1

No more Than Human is a novel by Maura Laverty, set in Spain, in the 1920s. Delia Scully, the heroine is based on Maura herself who also went to Spain as a girl to be a governess. It was quite common for middle class Irish girls at that time, to go to Spain which was a Catholic country, and they could earn a living. Delias grandmother, who brought her up, tried to give her a good education but Delia was not academic, and when her grandmother died she was only 17 and there was no money. Her friends arranged a job in Spain and she set out looking for adventure. Delia is a warm friendly girl who throws herself into life but she soon finds that being a governess in Spain is not much fun. SHe likes the children and gets on with the servants but realises that governesses are usually looked down on by their Spanish employers and also by the English colony who have jobs in Spain. There were many English engineers and the like in the country, but they and their wives looked down on Irish girls and they were Protestants. Delia soon made friends with other women in similar jobs but she soon became fed up with her domineering employer and then she moved to another job. However, that job ended when she dressed in a flamboyant bathing suit. Delia realises that she hates the servitude of governessing, and decides to hire herself out as a part time chaperone and English tutor. However, she finds it very hard to make even a bare living at this job. She likes living in lodgings and makes friends with various English and Spanish people including Luis, a Theosophist and Liberal.