Drawing on never-before-seen interviews, a richly researched, sweeping examination of one of the most influential and mythologized literary figures of the 20th century and her partner’s emergence from the shadows after her death, in the decades-long fight to ensure her legacy.
The structure...allows its readers to understand something that usually goes unmentioned in literary biographies. A writer is not merely the sum total of known events that occurred to her between birth and death, she is also the network of readers created by her work during that period and afterward ... When Wade is confronted by writing she doesn’t understand, curiosity rather than resentment wins the day ... The superiority of Wade’s approach can be measured by the insights into Stein’s work that she gleans from it ... Thoughtful and thorough, with insightful interpretations of her work embedded in a compelling narrative of her and Toklas’s life, Wade’s biography makes a convincing case that, while her status as a cultural figure is secure, her writing remains, if anything, underrated.
Judicious ... The first half, a vivid but condensed account of her life, doesn’t break much new ground ... Wade’s measured sympathy for Toklas redeems her from pathos by treating her not as a casualty but as a stoic.
Impressive ... As an experiment in biography, it is strikingly accomplished; as a tale of literary intrigue, it is utterly compelling ... Wade is skilful at sifting through quantities of material and finding illumination in the ephemeral and the everyday ... Wade approaches such contradictions with openness, and the Stein that emerges for her is eccentric, flawed, vulnerable and funny ... Rich and moving.
