Dawn TrippRecensioni

This book was somewhat interesting and did not portray
stieglitz well. Georgia was a woman in need of control and she was portrayed as more 3-dimensional than Stieglitz. Of course it was upsetting to learn of the abuse she experienced. Many of the details did not add to the story.

I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/13155316

This story spans generations, but the protagonist is in the present. Is it Marne, the bitter young woman who has come home for a while? Or her mother Jane? It seems that Jane figures most in the actions, so I'll call it for her.

Marne has returned home from California and doesn't know what her next move will be. She is irritated by her mother, as she has been for years, and is again finding herself attracted to her brother Alex's best friend Ray. Resistant to anything too intimate, Marne nevertheless decides to try him on.

Meanwhile, Jane has been playing chess with Ray's grandmother Ada. Ada may have the key to a mystery Jane has been mulling over since she was a child: what happened to her father. Ada's father Luce had been seeing Ada on the sly when one day he disappeared. As the chess games continue, Jane pumps Ada.

This isn't a straightforward mystery, in which the characters clearly state what they want or what they want to know. They may not know. There are a few odd bits that had me wondering about the timeline. For example, Marne mentions being a teen "thirty years ago" in one place, and then later notes that she is in her thirties. Also, Ray is Ada's son while Marne is Luce's grandson. Possible of course, just a little confusing.

I found it absorbing but wished it hadn't jumped around quite so much, from character to character. I wanted to spend a bit more time with just one.

I know I would've enjoyed this better if I hadn't been under the strange misapprehension that this was a whodunit type murder mystery that hinged on a game of scrabble. Yes, there is an unsolved murder which is unraveled through the course of the book, but there is no real investigation, no questioning of suspects, and clues to try to keep track of (unless the reader does this him/herself).

Instead this is a beautifully written, character-driven novel that delves into the sad yet breath-takingly realistic relationships of a few families in a small New England town, using the game of scrabble as in inroad into the minds of the important central characters. If I had realized this from the get-go I would've enjoyed the novel much, much more, but such as it was, I kept waiting for more tension, more plot which never arrived, not realizing until halfway through that this wasn't that kind of book.

NB: The original review included pictures and can be found here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/297302#6607581

“I make forms that echo those early abstract forms I made when I was no one, and it occurs to me that art is a separate country, outside the body, outside time, like death or desire, an element beyond our physical selves we are traveling toward. My hand shakes. Small drops of paint have spilled. So human, so flawed and imprecise, and beautiful for that.”

I don’t know art. I don’t study it. I don’t always (usually?) get it. But I know what I like, and I like Georgia O’Keeffe. When I was a child, my mother received as a gift, a huge coffee table book of fifty O’Keeffe flower paintings, and I loved to page through it. I loved the colors and the shapes and what I now think of as a kind of motion in the paintings. A few years ago, I went to Santa Fe and happily abandoned my not-interested husband to visit the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum – it was amazing to see her work in person, and I spent a long time in that relatively small space. Earlier this week, I took in some of the galleries at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and came across two O’Keeffes. It inspired me to finally pick up this book, Georgia: A Novel of Georgia O’Keeffe by Dawn Tripp, and I immediately sank into it.

Tripp focuses on O’Keeffe’s relationship with the photographer Alfred Stieglitz, who mentored, seduced, loved, and manipulated her. He photographed her early on in their relationship, and his exhibition of her nude portraits was her introduction to the claustrophobic art world of New York.

When her paintings were finally exhibited, her art was often viewed through the lens provided by Stieglitz’s photos, and O’Keeffe resented it. She resented the gendered terms being used, the reduction of much of her work to sexual expressionism: “I feel heat rising into my face, burning. They are writing me down, this thrall of bow-tied men, straining me into awful, frivolous terms. Every observation they make about my art is linked back to the body of the woman in the photographs.”

O’Keeffe and Stieglitz had a complicated relationship – he wanted to marry, she did not. She wanted a child, he did not. They eventually married and had no children because he convinced her it would interfere with her art. Tripp includes a lot of yearning on O’Keeffe’s part to have a child and the sense of loss when she realizes she won’t. I wondered how much of this was based in the available evidence, to be honest. It seems like such a weirdly conventional and overtly feminine trait to attribute to a woman who rejected so many similar stereotypes for herself.

Tripp writes beautifully, of normal everyday things and of art and artistic inclinations, passions, and frustrations.

“Our mother was cool but not unkind. Her eyes luminous, austere, held a sort of distance we did not belong to, like the line at the end of the sky – that silent point of reference that held everything tethered, the line that seemed to meet the land but never did.”

“The shapes of the world out there are shadowy. Lean and contoured strokes, they glow. The moon shines and cuts the night open.”

Her portrait of a stormy relationship is sensitive and nicely-detailed; she includes small moments to illustrate the push and pull between O’Keeffe and Stieglitz and in so doing makes them very real and sympathetic to the reader. One is simultaneously frustrated and moved by them. In the end, O’Keeffe reclaims herself and her art, and the last sections of the book, where she is an old woman, are beautifully done.

“I will go back to New Mexico. I will walk out into the dry nothingness of the country that I love and paint: sharp-edged flowers, desert abstractions, cow skulls – images of Thanatos. I will title my work and that is what they will see: the subject that fills space and the words that define it. They will not notice that what I am really after – all I was ever really after – is that raw desire of the sky pouring through the windowed socket of a bone.”

Despite plenty of flaws, I really loved this book.

4.5 stars

“When I make a picture of a flower, I don’t paint it as I see it, but as its essence moves me. I eliminate every detail that’s extraneous. I paint it as I want it to be felt.”

“Day after day, it is the desolation of this country that enthralls me. How the wind sweeps the light and throws it into vibrant shifting patterns of color and shadow against the cliffs. I breathe. My mind loosens like a fist and empties. I do not think of him. I drive, I walk, I paint, and I am not the woman that he made.”

And this was fun – this is one of the paintings I saw at the Met on Monday.

“This will be my answer to the men who are always setting out to make the Great American Novel or the Great American Photograph. This will be my joke on them. Lines of red, white, and blue, and that mythic, imperfect cow skull – that piece of country – floating there through the center, the stripped cold strength of that bone that lasts and lasts, rising out of the blue like some crazy American dream. It will be unsalable – who would hang a thing like this? I don’t care. They may not like it, but they’ll notice. Whether they get it or not. They don’t make the country like I do. They don’t see that what is most magical and lush exists where you would never think to look. The bones are not what you imagine. I told Beck this once. Not death. But the life that is left over. When I finish the painting, I study it. It isn’t pretty, but it’s what I want it to be.”½

Georgia O'Keeffe is my mother's favorite artist so I grew up surrounded by her artwork and always loved it. I went to the same art show at the Whitney that inspired the author to write this novel. I didn't have much knowledge on Georgia O'Keeffe's life and her relationship with Alfred Stieglitz before reading this book, so I don't know how accurate it is, but it is fascinating, sometimes sexy, sometimes sad, but always compelling.

I tried but couldn't get past page 28. I would read a couple sentences and forget what they were talking about. The wording was just too much.

I actually did not finish the book. I tried but I think I am one of the few that was not impressed and was actually bored with the book. I was excited to see Georgia O'Keefe in a fictional setting but I hope she was more passionate in real life.

I read all her books. She knows how to shuck her shadow and then step back into it, as she would say. I enjoyed the take on O'keeffe's persona, but I especially enjoyed the take on Alfred Stieglitz. I also recommend her books, Moon Tide, and Open Water

I am a huge fan of Georgia - one of my favorite books from last year, This was ok - a bit too too, if you get me, a very thin story line and lots and lots of adjectives! Also, gratuitous Lesbian sex and a magical Negro, so yuck. BUT, I am still a Tripp fan and will readwhatever she writes next. i'm chalking this one up to an early novel.

I've always loved Georgia O'Keefe but didn't know anything about her other than the fact that I loved her art. This is fiction but is closely based on letters written between Georgia and Alfred Steiglitz. I had decided to skim a few pages and just return it to the library unread since I have so many new books of my own that I wanted to read. Well, one page lead to another and now the book is finished and that's all I accomplished on this rainy, nasty day! So, now I will return to the library tomorrow completed. The book starts in 1916 when Georgia, an unknown young art teacher goes to New York to meet Steiglitz, a famous photographer and art dealer who had discovered her early works. She is quickly pulled into his sophisticated world, as his protégé, mistress and muse. And, this is in 1916, can you imagine? It's just amazing that in those years, someone like Georgia O'Keeffe was able to do what she wanted and become the strong woman and artist we knew about. Now, I want to read more about her and will be looking for her memoirs as well as biographies.

i just don't know. i tend to really love historical fiction, and i don't mind at all when authors portray real life people or events in their novels. but this book really didn't work for me -- perhaps because, previously, i have read a lot about georgia o'keeffe, her life, her work, and her relationships? (love her!)

i found the scope of tripp's novel too narrow, and it felt way too romance-y for my own reading tastes.

My Bookpage review

http://bookpage.com/features/19533-women-who-made-their-mark#.VtW-E032YdU

Historical fiction based on written memoirs, biographies and the letters of artist, Georgia O'Keef. The basis of the story was her relationship with photographer, Al Steiglitz, who was her friend, her lover and then her husband. This was a light, but interesting read. I wonder what her life would be like if lived now, a century later.½

Out of all my books read in 2015, this one has my #1 favorite cover, so gorgeous, especially for an ARC. (The finished book actually comes out 3/29/16.) I could look at that beautiful flower all day. It's difficult at times, though, to read descriptions of colors and flowers and paintings, without having the finished artwork in front of you for reference. So I did a lot of Googling. I wonder if the finished book will include some of her pieces; I do think it would add so much. O'Keeffe was an amazingly talented artist. I'm not crazy about her skulls, but underneath those skulls and in her other paintings I see nature in all its glory.

Here we see what was beneath O'Keeffe's own surface, what made her become what she was. Much of it can be attributed to Alfred Stieglitz, who discovered her and became her mentor, lover, and husband. They shared their passion for each other and their art. Throughout their relationship, though, she fought to have others see her art for itself, for women as individuals and not as extensions of anyone else, not what Stieglitz or art critics wanted to read into it. The writing was superb and the storyline interesting, although it did feel at times repetitive as it recounted her yearly treks from NYC to Lake George and back again, until she and her art finally discovered the Taos area, where she was reborn and then spent half her time there painting in solitude.

Have been a fan of hers for a long time, so reading this ARC was a special gift. The final chapter was itself a lovely piece of art, a masterpiece, given us by the author and it almost brought me to tears. Much thanks to LibraryThing!½

This book follows the life of Georgia O’Keeffe and her relationship with Stieglitz, a famous photographer and discoverer of artists. After sending Stieglitz her work, and many letters later, Georgia travels to New York to visit him. She becomes firsts his mistress and later his wife. Their relationship is a bit stormy, as defined by their intense love-making and conflicts over the promotion of Georgia’s art.

This was a fascinating book. It was well written and very realistic. I felt like I knew Georgia, as her life spun from one direction to another. I look forward to reading more from this author. Overall, highly recommended.

This is my #1 favorite cover for my books read in 2015, so gorgeous, especially for an ARC. (The finished book actually comes out 3/29/16.) I could look at that beautiful flower all day. It's difficult at times, though, to read descriptions of colors and flowers and paintings, without having the finished artwork in front of you for reference. So I did a lot of Googling. I wonder if the finished book will include some of her pieces; I do think it would add so much. O'Keeffe was an amazingly talented artist. I'm not crazy about her skulls, but underneath those skulls and in her other paintings I see nature in all its glory.

Here we see what was beneath O'Keeffe's own surface, what made her become what she was. Much of it can be attributed to Alfred Stieglitz, who discovered her and became her mentor, lover, and husband. They shared their passion for each other and their art. Throughout their relationship, though, she fought to have others see her art for itself, for women as individuals and not as extensions of anyone else, not what Stieglitz or art critics wanted to read into it. The writing was superb and the storyline interesting, although it did feel at times repetitive as it recounted her yearly treks from NYC to Lake George and back again, until she and her art finally discovered the Taos area, where she was reborn and then spent half her time there painting in solitude.

Have been a fan of hers for a long time, so reading this ARC was a special gift. The final chapter was itself a lovely piece of art, a masterpiece, given us by the author and it almost brought me to tears. Much thanks to LibraryThing!½

Georgia, Dawn Tripp, author; Ann Marie Lee, narrator
When the book begins, there is a salacious sex scene which almost stopped me from continuing, but then I thought, this is about Georgia O’Keeffe, and I forged on. Also, because there were such excellent reviews of the book, I didn’t want to give up. Soon I learned that Georgia’s parents were dead and she was living with her youngest sister who was preparing to go off to college when she met Alfred Stieglitz who was smitten by her and her work. Then, for me, the book proceeded to go downhill as it got mired in scenes of passionate sex which added nothing to the narrative and offered only a distraction, perhaps to make up for the thinness of the information about her art.
Most readers would have understood that Georgia and Stieglitz fell in love without the explicit descriptions of their lovemaking. Most would probably assume that with a 25 year age difference, there had to be something like love drawing them together, especially since Georgia was aware that he was married at the time she began to pursue him, or that is how the author made it seem. The disparity in their ages became far more apparent when he was near 80, and she was in her 50’s, than when she kissed him at age 20 and he was 45. According to the author, she made the first approach to Stieglitz by surprising him with a passionate kiss when he saw her off at the train station after she visited him to discuss her art work. Georgia knew Stieglitz was famous; she knew he was married, so I had little sympathy for her later protestations when he was disloyal to her. She was guilty of breaking up his marriage, regardless of whether it was a happy one or not. Perhaps she saw an advantage to herself from a relationship with him, although later in life, she wondered if that relationship changed her career arc and the type of art she presented to the world.
Stieglitz is portrayed as a man with the typical excuse for a woman when he wants to cheat. He tells “the other woman” his marriage had ended years ago. However, at the time, they were still married. The author made it sound more like lust made their match and not so much true love. Also, one had to wonder if Georgia, a bright and fairly independent woman, even at that young age, was not aware of the influence he might have on her future success as an artist. Later on, it became obvious that Stieglitz was totally devoted to Georgia, but he was authoritarian, almost like a parent at times, and he had wayward ways and was unable to control his “small brain”. Why would a woman think that a man who would cheat with her would not cheat with others?
Also from the author’s depiction, Georgia seems selfish and driven by ego in later life. She seems a bit ungrateful for Stieglitz’s support and the author questions whether or not his relationship was good for her, in the end. Did he really make her famous or would she have become famous on her own? That is an unanswerable question. Georgia seems selfish and self-absorbed as time passes. Perhaps Stieglitz was too controlling, but somehow it felt that as she got more and more successful and needed him less, she also grew apart from him. Of course, his infidelity may have also played a part in that, but she was also someone with a roving eye.
In summary, I didn’t find much useful information in the book other than the fact that Stieglitz liked Georgia’s work and then they fell passionately or lustily in love. He directed her career. They had an affair that broke up his marriage. He wanted to marry her, but she resisted for years. Finally, when he was 62 and she was 37, they married. She traveled and tried different painting styles, many of which he rejected and she insisted upon. When she discovered Stieglitz was unfaithful, she began to distance herself from him more and more, although they still lived together, after a fashion. He controlled her career until she felt she no longer needed him, at which point, she asserted herself more strongly. After her nervous breakdown and eventual recovery, she grew even more apart from Stieglitz and they no longer lived together, but he continued to have great influence over her career. With his sudden death at the age of 82 (not so sudden at that age), she had some guilty feelings about having neglected him, refusing his last request for her to stay with him for just a little while. Did he know he was so sick? Suddenly, the tables turned, and she was now in charge of his work, not he in charge of hers. She continued to paint, but then, sadly, began to lose her sight until she was almost totally blind.
Perhaps the book would have appealed to me more if I had read the print version. The author’s overly lyrical and dramatic prose and the overly emotive narrator’s presentation in the audio version made it a chore, not a pleasure to listen. I was disappointed because my opinion of the artist changed. Previously, I had admired her for her work without a thought about her personal life. Now, I had negative feelings about a famous artist who had morphed into what seemed like a self-serving, narcissist with a short fuse who used those who could advance her career to her advantage.
Stieglitz, perhaps morally reprehensible, seemed more devoted to her than she was to him. Her morality was not even questionable since it seemed non-existent for that time period, and I had to wonder why she thought it was okay for her to cheat with another woman’s husband, but believed that it was not okay, or expected, for that already cheating husband to do it again.
In short, the reader over emotes, the author over dramatizes. For me, the only redeeming feature of the book was the information about O'Keeffe's artwork and Stieglitz's photography, although it seemed there was far too little emphasis on that and far too much on their sex lives. The book seemed more about Georgia’s sexual desires than her painting. At times, the book felt almost like a Harlequin novel with a half-dressed woman and man pictured on the cover.

Thank you to Random House for a free copy of this book. I absolutely loved this historical novel. Dawn Tripp did an amazing job researching Georgia O'Keeffe and telling the story of her complicated relationship with Steiglitz and her feelings about her art and how it was meant to be seen. As familiar as I am with O'Keeffe's work, I knew little about the person she was prior to reading this book. The author's writing is poetic and the descriptions of Georgia painting are so vivid and intense I felt like I was actually in the studio and could smell the paint. This book has led me to read another non-fiction book about Georgia O'Keeffe and has also made me pull out my paints!

This is a taut, nuanced portrayal of a beloved artist. There is just a raw feeling that is very realistic and gives the reader a glimpse into her life, both good and bad.

Free review copy.

A fictionalized biography that simmers with wry observations and introspection as Georgia O’Keeffe explores her relationship with Alfred Stieglitz in her quest for her personal and professional identity in a time where gender, class, and society provided expectations regardless of individuality.
While I had admired Georgia O’Keeffe’s paintings I knew very little about her life, so when I read the following in the author’s note – “Who was the woman, the artist, who made these works? And why was she not recognized for the sheer visionary power of these abstractions during her lifetime?” – I settled in to be immersed in Georgia’s world.

Based on her extensive research – the author writes the storyline in Georgia’s voice as she looks back over her life and decisions. I found myself underlying passages that I think will speak to many as they often look back on past events/situations making this a universal story yet also an intimate look at the essence of Georgia.

“A life is built of lies and magic, illusions bedded down with dreams. And in the end which haunts us most is the recollection of what we failed to see.”

“A bold glamour has begun to come into these small rooms. I’ve been here for less than a year, and already we are seen as an extraordinary couple – the two of us – the old photographer and is daring sibyl, his artist, his young muse, and I begin to see , too- as they can see – how in these deceptively simple images, he comes near to capturing some essence, some manifestations of a universal feminine.”

“There are those moments, always looking back on life, when you can see the points – fully lit in hindsight, real or imagined – where the path split, where you could have made a different choice and the cost of the choice you made.”

“Should I say that I am a landscape artist who has become famous for someone else’s portraits of me? That as my art hit the world it’s been instantaneously recast by those who see what they want, not what is there?”

“He once called our relationship a mixing of souls. But then again, he called it a love story. And it was far more – and less – than that.”

“Years from now, I will understand that this is the moment my life became wholly mine, more mine than it ever was before because I will never again let it be anything else.”

Overall, I savored this beautifully rendered well-crafted story filled with the incredibly raw, edgy emotions that enthralled me until the very last word. This is a wonderful addition to the fictionalized biography genre.

A wonderful novel based on the life of Georgia O’Keeffe, an American artist in the early to mid-1900s, known for her paintings of flowers and Southwest landscapes. The book focuses mainly on her involvement, both personal and professional, with photographer Alfred Stieglitz and how he shaped her life and her work. Using real-life letters and diary entries, the author does a good job of conveying their passionate, but complicated, relationship. As all good historical novels should, this book left me wanting to know more about the artist

From the first perfect sentence—I bought this house for the door.—author Dawn Tripp evokes a dark and solitary Georgia O’Keeffe for the reader. We meet a woman in pursuit of an ideal only she can perceive. Scenes of painting and drawing – descriptions of the light and how it falls, and of how the paint leaves the brush, – combined with a first-person present tense narrative, create an intimate portrait of the mysterious and elusive painter best known for her desert landscapes, skulls and bold flowers.

Most impressive was the tension of the battle for recognition as an artist, and not as a female artist. We are given a picture of Georgia O’Keeffe as a woman who, even as she speaks at a gathering of political women of the day and exhorts then to seek out “self-actualization” first, rejects being referred to as a feminist. Tripp uses the biases and mindsets of reviewers to create tension throughout the middle of the book, especially after O’Keeffe’s lover, photographer Alfred Stieglitz, puts nude photos he has taken of her on public display. And as her own fame grows O’Keeffe’s reviewers who have seen the photos cannot separate the imagined woman in Stieglitz’ work from the real woman. The nudes, however artistic and lovely, affect how she is perceived and thought of, and she grows to deeply resent it.

“I’m an artist, Stieglitz. All this nonsense about the eternal feminine and essential woman and cleaving and unbosoming. This bosh they smear on my work. It rips away the value of what I’ve tried to do. You tell me not to let talk like this interfere with my work. Well, it does interfere. It will. How could it not?

This conflict was skillfully wrought, and will resonate with any woman who has ever felt over-shadowed by her connection with a man. At times the relationship between the two main characters becomes claustrophobic feeling, especially during the stretches of time at Stieglitz’ family home at Lake George, where they live a kind of bohemian lifestyle during summers, inviting other artists to come to stay.
The nature of Steiglitz’ character is supportive, but the gifts of his influence come at a price. He is controlling, and scoffs at what he doesn’t understand, seeking to direct O’Keeffe’s efforts and trajectory. (A scene set during the young Georgia’s life, where she allows a male peer to draw over a picture she had made, ‘correcting the trees’, - and young Georgia’s realization that she will never allow anyone to ever do that again - perfectly highlights the central theme of the novel.) In her characterization of Steiglitz Tripp aptly captures an early twentieth century male’s assumption of authority as a given, and we see the man’s tendency toward manipulating O’Keeffe, and witness him being a bit of a puppet-master with the lives of those other writers and painters around him as well. We get a strong sense of the oppressive air of being in his presence, and of Georgia’s struggle to be free of his overwhelming influence, even as she recognizes his particular talents, and her love for him. When he feels his ego threatened he plays head-games on their houseguests. And then there is the constant flirting with other women right under O’Keeffe’s nose, which takes its toll on her tranquility and by extension, her creativity.

“He prints several photographs of me. Her [O’Keeffe refers to the woman in the photos in third person throughout] face has begun to change. There’s a line between her brows, her lips have tightened, a slight downturn has appeared at the corners of her mouth. She is not the same. Her gaze is fixed, Spartan, that quiet exultant glimmer in her eyes is gone, replaced by a stern hardness that could be misread as cruelty.”

By the end of the novel readers may not like either character much. But they will certainly be left with a feeling of having known them as real flesh and blood people, with faults and dreams, and broken hearts. I found myself feeling a tender sadness and empathy for them. And the author made me long to visit Taos and a museum with O’Keeffe’s art on its walls.

Georgia by Dawn Tripp fictionalizes the history of Georgia O'Keefe and Alfred Stieglitz. The book is about the relationship between these two individuals who were partners, lovers, spouses, and friends. It is about a relationship that lasts a lifetime even as Georgia O'Keefe finds her own voice as an individual and as an artist. The book does leave me wondering what draws her to him, and given some of his machinations and manipulations, what keeps her there?

Read my complete review at: http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2016/02/georgia.html

Reviewed for LibraryThing Early Reviewers program

Oh my! What a wonderful chance to experience Georgia O'Keefe. This novel paints a compelling and believable picture of the passionate, creative, complex person she was. The reader also gets a good picture of the historical context of the Great Depression, the Wars, etc. Alfred Stieglitz, the talented photographer, philanderer, selfish and controlling mentor/lover/husband of Georgia O'Keefe is portrayed accurately, as I understand it. The passion between the two is always present, even as Georgia allows her self to come into greater focus and to be the independent person she really is. This is a very well-researched and well-written novel that beautifully describes the people, the writing, the art world and the works of art that come together in the life one of the most famous American artists.

In Georgia: A Novel of Georgia O'Keeffe Dawn Tripp presents a wonderful glimpse into the life, love and art of O'Keeffe. The sensuality and passion that is displayed in her art comes through in the voice Tripp gives to her. Like any good story, based on facts or not, there are characters who are somewhat less than likable as well as questionable decisions. If this were simply a work of fiction I would credit Tripp with giving the protagonist a realistic voice. Because this is historical fiction, I believe it is even more difficult to make a character represent the real person while still being the voice of the novel, since a writer does not have totally free reign to make her sound however the situations might otherwise dictate.

For those wed to any view of O'Keeffe but particularly one which stands in opposition to her passion and sensuality, this may be a difficult read. Rest assured, I believe that there are no great exaggerations in portraying her, both the available primary sources as well as a wealth of secondary sources provided a strong foundation for a suitable likeness of the author, acknowledging that it is still a work of fiction.

I would recommend this book to both biography lovers as well as historical fiction/fictionalized biography lovers. I also think that readers who simply enjoy a beautifully written story regardless of any basis in reality will find the story a compelling read.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via LibraryThing.