Scan barcode
alicereadwrites's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
bowienerd_82's review
4.0
Eminently readable; an interesting and engaging look at five woman writers who all happened to live in the same Bloomsbury neighborhood square for at least some time between the two World Wars, including: the poet HD (Hilda Doolittle), mystery novelist Dorothy Sayers, classicist Jane Harrison, economic historian Eileen Power, and writer Virginia Woolf.
This is not (nor does it try to be) an authoritative biography on any of the women; in fact there are times when I could have used a little more information (the section on Eileen Power was probably the weakest, and I knew nothing of her previously, but it seems a lot of her personal papers and correspondence had been destroyed, so I imagine the author had less to go on in that case).
The author explores the overall themes of the struggles these women faced in making their own lives on their own terms, the hurdles they faced when it came to being taken seriously in each of their various fields, the encroachment of both World Wars, but also the communities they found and formed.
A particularly enjoyable read for anyone with an interest in any of the five subjects (Dorothy Sayers was my particular hook).
This is not (nor does it try to be) an authoritative biography on any of the women; in fact there are times when I could have used a little more information (the section on Eileen Power was probably the weakest, and I knew nothing of her previously, but it seems a lot of her personal papers and correspondence had been destroyed, so I imagine the author had less to go on in that case).
The author explores the overall themes of the struggles these women faced in making their own lives on their own terms, the hurdles they faced when it came to being taken seriously in each of their various fields, the encroachment of both World Wars, but also the communities they found and formed.
A particularly enjoyable read for anyone with an interest in any of the five subjects (Dorothy Sayers was my particular hook).
emmkayt's review
4.0
An absorbing, thoughtful group biography of sorts, though the subjects had only glancing interaction or overlap and each gets her own chapter. The writers H.D. (Hilda Doolittle), Dorothy Sayers, and Virginia Woolf, as well as the classicist Jane Harrison and the historian Eileen Power all happened to live for some portion of time during and between the wars in Mecklenburgh Square in Bloomsbury. This linkage proves the impetus for Wade to explore how each woman grappled with the tensions and challenges of pursuing her work and forming relationships in the face of patriarchal societal structures.
I especially enjoyed the chapters on Dorothy Sayers and Eileen Power, as well as the sometimes tenuous, often insightful and sensitive connections that the author made. Beautifully researched with a good index (so few books seem to have these lately) and lovely endnotes too (though I would have liked some indication within the text that a point was endnoted). If I had a particular wish, it would be for a more diverse lens - I was very interested in Power’s work to destabilize Eurocentrism, she was quite amazing, and there was some interesting exploration of Woolf’s rather weird attitude to servants - but I did really feel the fact that I was reading about a very narrow, very apparently white milieu of a certain class.
I especially enjoyed the chapters on Dorothy Sayers and Eileen Power, as well as the sometimes tenuous, often insightful and sensitive connections that the author made. Beautifully researched with a good index (so few books seem to have these lately) and lovely endnotes too (though I would have liked some indication within the text that a point was endnoted). If I had a particular wish, it would be for a more diverse lens - I was very interested in Power’s work to destabilize Eurocentrism, she was quite amazing, and there was some interesting exploration of Woolf’s rather weird attitude to servants - but I did really feel the fact that I was reading about a very narrow, very apparently white milieu of a certain class.