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A review by unabridgedchick
I Used to Live Here Once: The Haunted Life of Jean Rhys by Miranda Seymour
dark
sad
medium-paced
4.0
I haven't read any other Rhys bio, so I can't compare this to others, but I found this one readable and empathetic. Seymour doesn't minimize Rhys' terrible moods and rages and I'm impressed with the number of people who tolerated Rhys despite her behavior.
I love gossipy biographies; and this is not that kind of bio. Seymour handles the possibly salacious elements of Rhys' life with nonjudgment and plain description, and rarely inserts herself into the narrative (although when she does, it's welcome, such as her time in Domenica, searching for the places Rhys loved).
Any other enthusiasm for Rhys has been tempered by Seymour's light acknowledgment of Rhys' anti-Semitism -- in this moment, it feels irresponsible to handwave away bigotry, however 'casual' it might be.
I love gossipy biographies; and this is not that kind of bio. Seymour handles the possibly salacious elements of Rhys' life with nonjudgment and plain description, and rarely inserts herself into the narrative (although when she does, it's welcome, such as her time in Domenica, searching for the places Rhys loved).
Any other enthusiasm for Rhys has been tempered by Seymour's light acknowledgment of Rhys' anti-Semitism -- in this moment, it feels irresponsible to handwave away bigotry, however 'casual' it might be.