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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
marybethmoore2319's review
2.0
Honestly, this was one of the worst written biographies I've ever read. I'm not sure whether there was just a lack of background information for the author to use or if the author just gave up towards the end. In either case, it was not great, though the beginning was better than the middle and end. I did enjoy the many photographs and drawings. It simply felt, though, like the author threw some words in around the illustrations. Literally, you would read a few paragraphs on one page (particularly toward the end), have 10 pages of photos or drawings, and then read another paragraph that was in no way connected to the previous paragraph. So, on one page you have something like, "Edith visited her sister in London and enjoyed the London scene." On the next page (10 pages removed, though), you'd have, "Edith got married at age 39 and there is not much information available about the 10 years of her marriage before her tragic death by drowning."
I suppose, to look on the bright side, I can say that once I made myself finish reading it, the time went by quickly!
I suppose, to look on the bright side, I can say that once I made myself finish reading it, the time went by quickly!
bookwormmichelle's review
3.0
Well, I thought I'd really like this, but it was a little dull and there were lots of things the author didn't address. It may be that there was just no information available, but I at least hoped for speculation. How did she die? How did her brother Kenneth die? This was kind of a "surface only" sort of book. Its redeeming quality was the artwork and photographs reproduced in the pages. I had not known just how much art training Holden had had; she had attended art school in Birmingham since childhood and exhibited pictures regularly at exhibits there and at the Royal Academy in London; this was not just a typical upper class woman who happened to keep a nature journal. She was a trained artist. It makes my failure to make my nature journal look like hers a bit easier to swallow. :-)
zbmorgan's review
4.0
Short, sweet, and populated with some beautiful examples of Holden's work, as well as many photographs from her life. This woman had talent akin to Beatrix Potter's, but without quite as much need to self-market and a desire to teach as much as produce, she wasn't destined to become a household name to anyone except fans of her Nature Notes, which was published decades after she died. The family history is an interesting one, especially for those curious about the post Downton Abbey era. A lovely snapshot of a life too short.
lauralh05's review
3.0
Nice little biography of Edith Holden, author of Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady. There was clearly not always a lot of information for Ms. Taylor to go on, but I love Country Diary and this was an interesting closer look at Ms. Holden's life.
balancinghistorybooks's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
tabbycat_3's review against another edition
3.0
The presentation of this book is very much in keeping with the Country Diary’s brand of Edwardian nostalgia and is beautifully illustrated but as a biography it is very thin. The main problem is that, aside from being an artist, Edith Holden lived a relatively unremarkable life and I am left with the impression that even if more documentation had been available to the author, there would still be little to write about beyond basic information. I’m a fan of Edith’s artwork and I have a number of items from the franchise but this was a little disappointing.
bookwormmichelle's review against another edition
3.0
Well, I thought I'd really like this, but it was a little dull and there were lots of things the author didn't address. It may be that there was just no information available, but I at least hoped for speculation. How did she die? How did her brother Kenneth die? This was kind of a "surface only" sort of book. Its redeeming quality was the artwork and photographs reproduced in the pages. I had not known just how much art training Holden had had; she had attended art school in Birmingham since childhood and exhibited pictures regularly at exhibits there and at the Royal Academy in London; this was not just a typical upper class woman who happened to keep a nature journal. She was a trained artist. It makes my failure to make my nature journal look like hers a bit easier to swallow. :-)