Ronald Firbank 
Odette / A Fairy Tale for Weary People 

This is a fairytale that more or less plays it straight, to use an inapt pun. It’s interesting to see how the writer could modulate his style, and that the more bizarre stuff is evidently no accident. 

First published in 1916, it is more of a short story than a novel, and revolves around a young protagonist named Odette, who lives in the lovely city of Tours, France. She is adamant that she will see the Virgin Mary for herself.