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Good Reading : July 2005
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goodreading 37 biography word of mouth Perdita: The Life of Mary Robinson Paula Byrne Mary Robinson found her fame treading the boards of the London tage, but crowned it as a poet, novel- st and femi- nist thinker. Of surpassing beauty, verve and intelli- gence, her life was marked by extremes. From debtors’ prison with her husband to Parisian fêtes with the Duke of Chartres; from being the Prince of Wales’ lover in her youth to a cherished friend of Coleridge in her decline, Mary was a figure of fascination in her own time and beyond. Perdita paints the picture of a woman who refashioned conceptions of femininity by simultaneously court- ing and challenging the beau monde. Certainly, a highlight of the book is its portrayal of London’s polite society. The capital’s masquerades, decadent fashion, carriage circuits, society artists, love affairs and voracious press are all vibrantly depicted. One rag, for instance, most salaciously ‘reported’ a reputed con- frontation between Robinson and a rival: ‘[F]or some time they contented them- selves with exchanging looks of fiery indignation as their carriages passed each other; but now, their glasses are let down as soon as the enemy is seen approach- ing, and they mutually exchange repeat- ed broadsides of grinnings and spittings’. It puts NW to shame! Although at times slow-paced and repetitive, Paula Byrne has written an affectionate biography which valorises its subject. Perdita, like Mary herself, will compel anyone interested in theatre, literature, political scandal or social intrigue. ★★★★ HarperCollins $32.95 Reviewed by Michelle Kelly The Memory Book Neil Curtis The Memory Book is an intensely personal story, full of sadness and pain yet it’s absolutely mesmerising. Artist and illustrator Neil Curtis originally painted these scenes of his childhood in London as a way of help- ing him deal with his grief following the death of his mother. The paintings cover the first seven years of his life, years that weren’t always happy ones he was an only child and he and his rents lived in a small house with ve other people, including his grand- arents. Life in post war London was retty grim, lots of bombed out build- ngs and not a lot of food. A solitary, onely child, Neil was frightened of his father, who he felt didn’t like him. Neither did his grandmother it would seem. Though his mother is curiously ent from these paintings there is love in the for m of his grandfather to whom Curtis has dedicated the book. This is a beautiful little book, inspiring and moving and quite unforgettable. ★★★★★ Allen & Unwin $19.95 Reviewed by Ann Kendall My Life So Far Jane Fonda Oh, Ms Fonda! From Barbarella to Hanoi Jane; from wife of anti-war activist Tom Hayden to wife of media mogul Ted Tur ner what on earth was she about, this extraordinary bundle of contradictions? Well, this autobiography reveals quite a bit about her motivations, not least her troubled relationship with her famous dad Henry and her reaction to the suicide of her mother when she was 12 (she only found out about the method of her death via a magazine article). She is incredibly candid in this riveting story of her amazing life, about everything from her breast implants and her convoluted sex life with Roger Vadim to that photograph on the anti- aircraft gun in North Vietnam. Her life has encompassed so much more than simply being a Hollywood film star; even so, reading the book is a reminder of some of the more memora- ble films she’s been in: They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?, Klute, Coming Home, Nine to Five, and my own favourite, the lovely telemovie The Dollmaker. My Life So Far is beautifully written. You really do feel as though an articulate, intelligent, funny and self-deprecating friend is sitting there talking to you, being utterly frank about herself and her failings as well as her achievements. One of the best autobiographies I’ve ever read. ★★★★★ Ebury Press 49.95 Reviewed by Alison Pressley Tasting Life Twice Ramona Koval Ramona Koval, who covers books and writing for Radio National, has spent many years interviewing some of the best-known writers from all over the world.This wonderful collection of interviews ranges from NewYork in 1998 (Joseph Heller, in fine fettle before he died the following year) to several years of the Edinburgh Writers’ Festival (Norman Mailer in 2000, GoreVidal, Michael Ondaatje and David Malouf in 2001, Edna O’Brien and Harold Pinter in 2002, John Mortimer and Susan Sontag in 2003,Amoz Oz and Toni Morrison in 2004), to Sydney (Fay Weldon in 2002) and Canberra (Judith Wright in 1999) and Adelaide (Malcolm Bradbury in 1996). Every interview is a gem: multi-faceted, brightly polished, and shining with wisdom and insight.There’s humour – lots of ‘[Laughter]’ asides; lovely old Sir John Mortimer in his wheelchair, drinking from his customary bottle of champagne which he begins at 6 a.m. every day – and philosophy and deep seriousness.The collection is made more poignant, and even more valuable, by the fact that so many authors featured have since died, some very recently. Tasting Life Twice is a perfect book for book lovers to dip into and pull out a plum, every time. ★★★★★ RG ABC Books $34.95 Reviewed by Alison Pressley
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