Wednesday, May 05, 2010

Wishful Wednesday: Tomalin on Dickens and Ternan



This meme hosted by The Bluestocking Guide.

Last night I was reading a bit of Nick Hornby's Polysyllabic Spree and was drawn in by his discussion of Claire Tomalin's The Invisible Woman: The Story of Nelly Ternan and Charles Dickens. Since I am consumed by the Victorians these days, enjoy literary biographies, and think Tomalin is a first-rate biographer, this is definitely now on my wish list.



The blurb on Amazon is only fueling my desire to get my hands on this book:
This is the story of someone who - almost - wasn't there; who vanished into thin air. Her names, dates, family and experiences very nearly disappeared from the record for good. 'Claire Tomalin's multi-award-winning story of the life of Nelly Ternan and Charles Dickens is a remarkable work of biography and historical revisionism. It not only returns the neglected actress to her rightful place in history, but provides a compelling and truthful portrait of the great Victorian novelist.' A biography of high scholarship and compelling detective work.'

6 comments:

  1. I have never heard of this one! Thanks foe participating!!

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  2. Oh whoa, tell me when you're reading it so I can read with! It looks juicy and amazing!

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  3. I enjoyed Claire Tomalin's bio of Jane Austen, and I think I need to read about Dickens' life to try to get into his books (I haven't managed to get past the first few pages of Great Expectations), so I'll certainly look out for this one - thanks!

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  4. This is my first time on your blog and I've read some of your posts and love them. It's definitely the kind of blog that suits my taste of books and I'm happy to follow it! :)

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  5. Kals - thanks for dropping by. I've started following you as well--seem we have similar taste.

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  6. Ooh ... this is definitely on my list. I've only ever read fictionalized accounts of their relationship. Great find!

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