The Other Elizabeth Taylor

What a delightful literary biography! I have only read E. Taylor's At Mrs. Lippincote's but will certainly look for more of her novels after reading this well-researched biography. I knew next to nothing about Taylor as a person, but Nicola Beauman has altered the situation for me and for many who may know this author's novels but not the woman herself. Of particular interest: the recounting of Taylor's early years, her relationships with Elizabeth Bowen and other writers of her time, and the biographer's access to so many of Taylor's letters which she quotes extensively. The revelations about Taylor that are so displeasing to her children may prove in time to be notable in light of her achievement as a novelist. Beauman's biography will serve to increase appreciation of Taylor, a complex and fascinating woman and a fine novelist. It also provides a good hard look at the British literary world of the 1950s and '60s of which Taylor was a part yet not a part.

Having discovered the books of Elizabeth Taylor several years ago, I have wanted to know who is this wonderful writer of fiction. Until Nicola Beauman's enlightening biography was published, it was hard to find the answer to this question. An article in 'The Atlantic' some time ago gave glimmers but it wasn't enough. Then came along this biography. I am glad that Mrs. Beauman made sure that the book was published with a spine that allow the book to stay open. I just could't put the book down. She shows us an Elizabeth Taylor as a woman ahead of her time, who has to make compromises in order to write the books she wanted to write. Mrs. Beauman gives us insights into the characters of the works of fiction using the life experiences of the author. I will be rereading several of the novels, with fresh eyes, thanks to this important biography