An exploration of the second generation of the iconic Bloomsbury Group who inspired their elders to new heights of creativity and passion while also pushing the boundaries of sexual freedom and gender norms in 1920s England.
Colorful ... The interactions among these writers, artists, scholars and sensual adventurers made for a cauldron of contradictions — loving and heartbreaking, productive and chaotic, gossipy and protective, open-minded and cliquish. The group was astonishingly inventive and fiercely devoted to intellect, beauty and fun ... Nino Strachey puts Bloomsbury’s orgiastic side in useful context ... It is in such concisely explained, well-researched details that Young Bloomsbury flourishes. Its cinematic specifics and pace make the reader feel the bravery and solidarity among these nonconformists ... Young Bloomsbury wears its political and personal intentions proudly ... [A] lively account.
Ms. Strachey underpins her narrative with concerns from her own time, writing in her introduction that, 'as the mother of a child who identifies as gender-fluid and queer,' she feels especially attuned to the discrimination and suppression endured by those members of Young Bloomsbury whose sexuality was nontraditional, and commends them for their courage ... These sections are the most affecting parts of the book ... While useful as a catalog of satellite figures for Bloomsbury completists, Young Bloomsbury does not make its case that any of these personalities 'redefined' self-expression in the 1920s, as the book’s subtitle claims. Their charisma died when they did, as is charisma’s way.
[Strachey's] prose is deft and engaging ... Young Bloomsbury's biggest flaw is that it introduces a fascinating array of characters and a convincing thesis from an inside source but moves too swiftly to blossom into a portrait worthy of its subject.
