Kate Chisholm was born and brought up in the vicarages of north London. After graduating in History from Edinburgh University she worked in publishing and literary journalism and is now Assistant Literary Editor of the Sunday Telegraph.
Burney lived for 88 years, from the age of Johnson until the age of
Dickens...At eight, she was "a dunce"; at 15, her father remarried
and Fanny declared she would "never be happy". Yet at 26, her first
and most successful novel, Evelina, was published and achieved an
enormous triumph...Chisholm does a fine job of recreating her
world...we are offered a selection of insights from [Fanny
Burney's] journal that stand out for their clarity and
distinction.
*Sunday Times*
Fascinating...Elopements, marital breakdowns, incest, illegitimacy,
eating disorders and hysterical illnesses...One of the many
strengths of Chisholm's scrupulous biography is that, rather than
cash in on the voguishness of this material, she demonstrates how
many of these troubles were exacerbated by the values of their
time.
*Guardian*
A book warmed by affection and understanding of [Kate Chisholm's]
subhect, and fuelled by impressive research...Burney is worth
remembering, worth reviving, as a compex and idiosyncratic figure
of her times, a rich source of information and indeed a writer of
genius.
*Sunday Telegraph*
Kate Chisholm gives reportage that is every bit as gripping, witty
and incisive as her heroine.
*Evening Standard*
Persuades us of Burney's value as a writer and will send readers to
her work with an anticipation of pleasure, which is exactly what a
literary biography should.
*The Times*
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