Enticements and Taking Stock

It's been almost three weeks in the U.S. since the biography and stories came out. Next week they come out in the UK.   In advance of the UK publication, W.W. Norton UK has put up an excerpt of the biography. You can read the prologue and get a sense of the book. (The links there are for UK readers to purchase the…

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Happy Birthday Connie!

Constance Fenimore Woolson was born on this day in 1840. I can't imagine a better birthday present for her than her picture on the cover of The New York Times Book Review!   Although she was squeamish during her life about her picture appearing in print, I think she would be happy to know now that she is being remembered. The full review…

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A Lady’s Vindication: Writing a Woman’s Biography

Today my review of Lady Byron and Her Daughters, by Julia Markus, appeared at the Los Angeles Review of Books. In it I address what it means to write the biography of a woman overshadowed by a famous man. "Writers of such biographies face the challenge of convincing readers that their subjects deserve biographical treatment for their own sake, not simply because they were the…

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Books You Should Read in February

The BBC has 10 books it would like you to consider reading this month. I couldn't be more thrilled that one of them is mine: http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20160129-ten-books-to-read-in-february. It was a happy night last night when I opened my Facebook and Twitter accounts to see a flurry of posts and tweets spreading the news, courtesy of the article's author, Jane Ciabattari. Constance Fenimore Woolson: Portrait of a Lady Novelist will…

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News You Can Hopefully Use

I recently sent out my fifth newsletter, The Woolson and Alcott Chronicles. As I sat down to begin writing, I couldn't think of much "news." I had maybe two items of interest. Then gradually more came to me, including the first two reviews of Constance Fenimore Woolson: Portrait of a Lady Novelist, scheduled giveaways on Goodreads, and a reveal of the publisher for my…

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Italian Memories, Pt. III

Today I will revisit Rome, the final stop on my 2013 trip to walk in Woolson's footsteps in England and Italy. I visited the Forum, saw the Coliseum, and battled with the crowds at the Vatican. (I gave up when I leaned my head back to look up at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and got whacked in the head by another…

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Italian Memories, Part II

I've been reliving my trip to England and Italy to follow in Woolson's footsteps almost exactly 3 years ago. It was late October, early November, and the weather was cold and rainy pretty much nonstop. I had to buy extra layers to stay warm, but I was still freezing and wet most of the time. When I arrived in Florence, I discovered the…

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Italian Memories, Part I

I'm revisiting my trip of three years ago (almost exactly) to the sites in England and Italy where Woolson lived. You can see my first two posts about England here and here. I've been back to England again since, but Italy still haunts me. My first stop was Venice, the city that Woolson thought of as her Xanadu. Once I saw it in person, I…

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More English Memories

I am revisiting my trip to follow in Constance Fenimore Woolson's footsteps almost exactly three years ago. My first stops were Salisbury and Wells, England, which I discussed in  my last post. From Wells, via Bath, I visited Cheltenham, the spa town in which Woolson lived for about two years in 1890 and 1891. She was never happy there, so I didn't stay…

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