Review by New York Times Review
Bergman's decision to structure these stories around the real lives of once on-the-verge-of-eminent, now mostly forgotten women might appear at first didactic, as if the end-goal of every story can only be the work of ideologically impelled historical revisionism (let us remember not only Oscar Wilde, but also his firebrand niece, Dolly; not only Byron but his illegitimate daughter, Allegra) - an important aim, to be sure, but one that could potentially marginalize literary inventiveness and sensitivity to characters. Fortunately, Bergman always historicizes and never idealizes. These stories feel both specific and flexible, depicting characters whose complexity and variability hinder the making of any one unifying "point." Some of the stories, too, are told from the perspective not of one of the almost-famous women of the collection's title but of one of her associates. Lovers, employees, siblings, friends: By including these lesser-known women, Bergman emphasizes the charisma of their better-known contemporaries; and by assiduously depicting their intimacy and power struggles, she allows for a close examination of the multiplicity of women's experiences. "There is no one in the world like you," one conjoined twin in the book's opening story thinks to herself - a statement true for each of the characters depicted in this collection.
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [January 25, 2015]
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
This collection of short stories takes actual women from history and weaves imaginative narratives around them. All of these characters are historical figures "lost to popular memory"-conjoined twins who aspire to show business, a painter who has not put hand to canvas in 40 years, and survivors of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp whose jutting clavicles and hollow eyes are known in haunting photographs. The scope of the book is ambitious, with multiple settings and secondary characters serving as narrators; as a result, the stories in the audio edition are increasingly hard to differentiate. Reader Lockford does a fine job with the range of emotions, from wry detachment to despair to joy. However, she is less skilled at the many accents required by this diverse collection, whose stories require fluidity with German, Kenyan, Eastern European, Bahamian, and many other inflections. Most of these accents do not sound natural or believable. A Scribner hardcover. (Jan.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
Bergman's (Birds of a Lesser Paradise) fictionalized stories about unusual women throughout history are told with empathy and telling detail. The characters and their exploits come alive through narrator Lesa Lockford's pacing and accents. A variety of women are profiled, including conjoined twins, artists, and members of the first female integrated swing band. Some names may be familiar: Lord Byron's illegitimate daughter, Allegra; West with the Night author Beryl Markham; and Edna St. Vincent -Millay's sister, Norma. Bergman does an expert job of illuminating secondary characters as well as the protagonists. These secondary characters often are the storytellers, giving life and color to the main players as well as to themselves. -Verdict Recommended for public libraries and fans of historical fiction. ["With brilliant cadence and economy, empathetic Bergman is an impressionist who uses her stunning palette to illuminate facets of the lives of these brave and creative lesser-known strivers," read the starred review of the Scribner hc, LJ 1/15.]-Cynthia Jensen, Gladys Harrington Lib., Plano, TX © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
In her second story collection, Bergman tells the forgotten tales of women hovering on the edges of history.From Allegra Byron, the poet's illegitimate daughter, to Dolly Wilde, Oscar's niece, this book collects notable women whose lives have been forgotten. As the protagonist of "Who Killed Dolly Wilde?" muses, "[m]aybe the world had been bad to its great and unusual women"and Bergman seeks to rectify this by bringing their glories and sorrows sharply to life. The tales focus on the characters' changed lives after near-fame and are often narrated by ancillary characters, creating uniquely observant perspectives. In various settingslavish but morgue-quiet bedrooms, cheerless Italian convents, remote islandsthe women deal with their trials large and small. In "The Autobiography of Allegra Byron," a nun struggles as 4-year-old Allegra pines for her famous father, who never visits the convent where she lives despite her constant letters and worsening illness. "The Siege at Whale Cay" finds Joe Carstairs, the fastest woman on water, lording over her own private island but suffering from post-traumatic stress after serving as an ambulance driver in World War II. And Romaine Brooks, a formerly famous artist who hasn't painted in 40 years, spits constant, bitter orders at her servant, Mariountil he turns the tables in the final, mesmerizing paragraphs of "Romaine Remains." "The Internees," though more snapshot than story, provides a vivid and moving account of the women of Bergen-Belsen accepting boxes of expired lipstick during their camp's liberation: "We had pink wax on our rotten teeth. We were human again. We were women." Though some stories seem to reveal more about their fictional narrators than about the women themselves, this gives the collection a unified feel and helps readers see how little the public has understood about these women and their genius. Only "The Lottery, Redux," a spinoff of the Shirley Jackson tale, seems obviously symbolic and mars this otherwise original and surprising collection. A collection of stories as beautiful and strange as the women who inspired them. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
