Between the Sheets: The Literary Liaisons of Ine 20th-Century Women Writers

Literature & Fiction

McDowell, Lesley

History & Criticism

Gerald Duckworth Co Ltd

**The spellbinding, bold new retelling of the story of Lord Byron and the Shelleys, from the perspective of Claire Clairmont, the incredible woman that history tried to forget.** 'Beautifully written, Clairmont tells the sensuous hidden story of an influential historic woman.' Sara Sheridan, author of The Fair Botanists Waterstones Scottish Book of the Year 'An absorbing, intoxicating page-turner about a woman who deserves to be remembered.' Jennifer Saint, author of Ariadne and Atalanta 'An intimate and enlightening tale of one of Romanticism's forsaken muses - an artfully told story that lingers in the mind far beyond the last page' Susan Stokes-Chapman, author of Pandora 1816. A massive volcanic eruption has caused the worst storms that Europe has seen in decades, yet Percy and Mary Shelley have chosen to visit the infamous Lord Byron at his villa on Lake Geneva. It wasn't their idea: Mary's eighteen year old step-sister, Claire Clairmont, insisted. But the reason for Claire's visit is more pressing than a summer escape with the most famous writers in the world. She's pregnant with Byron's child - a child Byron doesn't want, and scarcely believes is his own. Claire has the world in her grasp. This trip should have given her everything she ever dreamed of. But within days, her life will be in ruins. History has all but forgotten her story - but she will not be silenced.

Clairmont

Genre Fiction

Wildfire

'A fascinating, forensic deep-dive' DENISE MINA 'Beautifully written, richly evoked and utterly gripping' EVA DOLAN 'A seductive tale of sex and death' SARA SHERIDAN *** 1857, Glasgow. A young socialite named Madeleine Smith stands accused of murdering her lover. Thousands wait outside the court to hear the result. The scandalous nature of the affair, detailed explicitly in letters published in newspapers across the world, has made her case a worldwide sensation. But when the jury find themselves unable to decide whether she is guilty, they render a verdict of 'Not Proven' - and Madeleine is freed. 1927, New York. Harry Townsend, a handsome Hollywood film scout believes he has found the woman once known as Madeleine Smith. He wants to tell her story on film for the new 'talkie' generation. Since her trial she has lived under many names, as a glamourous society hostess in bohemian Bloomsbury to the likes of Dante Gabriel Rossetti, George Bernard Shaw and William Morris. Until suddenly, in 1890, when she disappeared off the face of the earth. Could this quiet, secretive widow of an Irish labourer be the same Madeleine Smith who once stood trial for murder and escaped? She has one last secret to reveal. Will Harry persuade her to tell it? *** More praise for Lesley McDowell: 'Riveting - a clever portrait of a fascinating, flawed heroine.' THE TIMES 'An intimate and enlightening tale of one of Romanticism's forsaken muses.' SUSAN STOKES-CHAPMAN 'An absorbing, intoxicating page-turner about a woman who deserves to be remembered.' JENNIFER SAINT 'A must-read. McDowell brings to vivid, embodied life; a flirtatious, flawed woman fighting for her place in a man's world.' THE HERALD

Love and Other Poisons: a gripping historical tale of scandal and murder, based on a true story

Between the Sheets: Nine 20th Century Women Writers and Their Famous Literary Partnerships

Why did a gifted writer like Sylvia Plath stumble into a marriage that drove her to suicide? Why did Hilda Doolittle want to marry Ezra Pound when she was attracted to women? Why did Simone De Beauvoir pimp for Jean-Paul Sartre? The list of the damages done in each of these sexual relationships between female writers and their male literary partners is long, but each relationship provokes the same question: would these women have become the writers they were without these literary relationship? Focusing on the diaries, letters, and journals of each woman, Between the Sheets explores nine famous literary liaisons of the twentieth century. Lesley McDowell examines the extent to which each woman was prepared to put artistic ambition before personal happiness, and how dependent on their male writing partners these women felt themselves to be. She probes the consequences of the women's codependence and reveals how in many instances, their partnerships liberated unspoken desires, encouraged artistic innovations, and even shored up literary reputations. Fascinating and innovative, Between the Sheets is an invaluable addition to libraries of literary criticism and feminism.

Biographies & Memoirs

Community & Culture

Abrams Press

Why did Simone de Beauvoir pimp for Jean-Paul Sartre? The list of the damages done in each of these sexual relationships is long, but each provokes the same question: would these women have become the writers they became without these literary relationships? Incorporating research using diaries, letters, and journals, Lesley McDowell examines the extent to which each woman was prepared to put artistic ambition before personal happiness, and how dependent on their male writing partners they felt themselves to be. Fascinating and insightful, Between the Sheets is a marvelous read and an invaluable addition to the literature of feminism.

Arts & Literature

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