The Novels of Barbara Pym
The Novels of Barbara Pym 2013 is the 100th anniversary of the birth of one of my favorite British authors Barbara Pym. So by way of celebration, I reread a […]
The Viceroy’s Daughters
The Viceroy’s Daughters: The Lives of the Curzon Sisters by Anne de Courcy The aristocratic Curzon sisters were the daughters of Lord Curzon, confidants of royalty, and friends, lovers, and […]
A VoyageAround the Queen
A Voyage Around the Queen by Craig Brown Craig Brown’s unconventional biography of Queen Elizabeth II was a disappointment. By all accounts, QEII never said (publicly at least) anything interesting, […]
The Sisters
The Sisters: The Saga of the Mitford Family by Mary S. Lovell I think I have written about the Mitfords before, but I cannot discuss sister biographies without reference to […]
The Secret History of Wonder Woman
The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore When my friend Ginna gave me this book (non-fiction), I was a bit mystified. Not having read comic books as a […]
The Ride of Her Life
The Ride of Her Life: The True Story of A Woman, Her Horse, and Their Last-Chance Journey Across America by Elizabeth Letts In 1954, twice divorced sixty-three-year-old Annie Wilkins was […]
The Girls of Atomic City
The Girls of Atomic City, The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II by Denise Kiernan What are the odds today of the Federal government funding, […]
The Churchill Sisters
The Churchill Sisters by Rachel Trethewey Without question, Winston Churchill was one of the great statesmen of the 20thC, but as a parent, less great. This is somewhat understandable as […]
The Bolter
The Bolter by Frances Osborne A bolter, as readers of the novels of Nancy Mitford know, refers not to a horse, but rather an unconventional (or wicked) woman who leaves […]
The Barbizon
The Barbizon: The Hotel That Set Women Free by Paulina Bren When I moved to New York City in 1983, I had a thrilling new job but no place to […]
Sisters of Fortune
Sisters of Fortune by Jehanne Wake Decades before the “Dollar Princesses” like Consuela Vanderbilt stormed British society, there were the Caton sisters of Maryland. The Caton sisters were descendants of […]
Still Here
Still Here, The Madcap, Nervy, Singular Life of Elaine Stritch by Alexandra Jacobs The talented Broadway singer, actress, and comedian Elaine Stritch was the definition of her own worst enemy. […]
Spain in Our Hearts
Spain in Our Hearts, Americans in the Spanish Civil War, 1936-39 by Adam Hochschild Sum total of my knowledge of the Spanish Civil War: 1-Guernica (the painting not the city) […]
Shy
Shy, the Alarmingly Outspoken Memoir of Mary Rodgers by Mary Rodgers and Jesse Green Mary Rodgers (1931-2014) was the composer of the musical Once Upon a Mattress, which launched the […]
My Life on the Road
My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem Gloria Steinem just goes. Whenever asked and wherever to. She is the last of a breed that believes to make a difference […]