July 22, 1840 My Dear Maclise, Kate has a girl stopping here, for whom I have conceived a horrible aversion, and whom I must fly. Shall we dine together today in some sequestered pothouse….?…If nay, whither can I turn from this fearful female! She is the Ancient Mariner of young ladies. She ‘holds me with [...]
Continue Reading →Every year in Britain around this time, the battle for Christmas-song-of-the-year rages. For some of us here in the United States, the battle is familiar only through the hilarious song “Christmas is All Around” promoted by an aging alcoholic rock star (played by Bill Nighy) in the movie Love Actually. The song that is sure [...]
Continue Reading →Dancing with Mrs. Dalloway, by Celia Blue Johnson is explained by its subtitle: “Stories of Inspiration Behind Great Works of Literature”. Blue Johnson takes us into the years, weeks, or moments before a great writer put pen to paper and explains how characters, plots, and backgrounds come from personal experiences — everything from being in [...]
Continue Reading →A Book of Secrets by Michael Holyrod tells the true stories of women of means but not of certain parentage, power, or steady money; in varying degrees of success, these women forged lives and loves, and wrote tons of letters (luckily for all of us). Holyrod turns those lives, loves, and letters into a delightful [...]
Continue Reading →Years ago, I found a trove of old letters. Like something out of a novel, I found the letters in a broken-down steamer trunk buried under moldy blankets in a dilapidated shed attached to a decrepit row house. The house was on West 78th Street in New York City and I’d just become its owner, [...]
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