Fictionalised biography of Henri James.

RELEASE NOTES:

Thank you, BookCrosser! What a nice way to come home from abroad, with such a generously sent book waiting on the doormat.

What a wonderfully subtle book. Great to read during my holidays on Corfu, in the shade, musing about life, inspired by Henry James' fictionalised reminiscences.

One quote:

Constance (Fenimoore Woolson) and Henry met when their paths crossed in Rome and then in Paris. They corresponded over the next few years and read each other's work. Sometimes, he was preoccupied with his own writing or with other correspondents, but often when he had written her a letter he discovered that his old enjoyment of her company had been stirred again; he found himself writing another letter to her before he received a reply. He feared that she was confused by this sudden interest after a long silence and he knew that she was wary. She had become his most intelligent reader and, after he had extracted a promise that she would destroy his letters, a most trusted and sharp-witted confidante. And when she came to London, as she did when they had known one another for more than three years, she became his steadfast and self-contained and secret best friend.

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

The book can be found on the marble book in the hands of an intriguing sculpture of a reading lady on the recent grave at the back of this beautiful, tranquil cemetery (where I spotted five turtles in the hour I spent there!). The gravestone reads: 'In loving memory of Jean Cinetta Acton, January 19th 1912, August 24th 2007'.
The statue looks as if Jean Acton would have liked Henry James and this fictionalised biography by Colm Toibin.

Dear finder, welcome to Bookcrossing! I hope you will enjoy this book.