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alice_harp's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
informative
sad
fast-paced
4.0
This is a fascinating book - Joe Carstairs' life was so original I imagine it was a dream for Kate Summerscale to document - if it were a story or a film you'd say it was a bit far fetched.
I enjoyed the writing style - I think the author doesn't overly insert her opinion and when she does it is thoughtfully done. Joe Carstairs is both pioneering and part of the establishment/a product of her wealth and her time. To have no commentary on this would feel weird to a modern reader, so I think Summerscale balances it well.
This is a speedy, entertaining yet thought provoking read, would recommend!
I enjoyed the writing style - I think the author doesn't overly insert her opinion and when she does it is thoughtfully done. Joe Carstairs is both pioneering and part of the establishment/a product of her wealth and her time. To have no commentary on this would feel weird to a modern reader, so I think Summerscale balances it well.
This is a speedy, entertaining yet thought provoking read, would recommend!
oliviasbookshop's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
nuthatch's review against another edition
4.0
This is a biography of one of the most interesting women I had never heard of. Joe Carstairs was a speedboat racer, heiress, owner and ruler of her own island in the Bahamas, and lesbian.
_lilbey_'s review against another edition
4.0
4.5: I think this is Summerscale's first book, so her writing wasn't quite as engaging as in her later books, but still good. Joe Carstairs- wow- what a person. Problematic and troubled hero, challenging and reinforcing status quo. But what a life. Fascinating from start to finish.
addiestanley's review against another edition
4.0
I don't usually have the patience for biographies; I generally get bored and rarely finish. Joe Carstairs, however, is such a singular person that this was an easy and captivating read. At times I felt it was a bit heavy on the "psychoanalyzing," as though Joe were a piece of literature to be parsed as a college essay. Then again, Joe seems to have been a person of such willful contradiction and enigma that she lends herself handily to analysis, and Summerscale does a good job of it. Overall, a well-written (and, blessedly, fairly short) glimpse of a fascinating person who thankfully hasn't yet been totally lost to history.
schnauzermum's review against another edition
4.0
What an incredible life. Marion Barbara ‘Joe’ Carstairs would have graced a novel by Evelyn Waugh.
kasiabrenna's review against another edition
3.0
This woman definitely had a fascinating life! It's a great story. The book is marred somewhat by not great writing, and the super annoying tendency for the author to attribute trite psychological motivation to her subject without any evidence, but I'd still recommend it based on the subject matter alone.