Alone! Alone!: Lives of Some Outsider Women (New York Review Collections) [Hardcover]

Rosemary Dinnage (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2004 | Series: New York Review Collections

In the 30 years she has spent writing about psychology, child development, biography, and fiction, Rosemary Dinnage has examined a variety of odd and accomplished women, all of whom in one way or another lived their lives apart from their contemporaries. Here are solitary figures like Gwen John, Simone Weil, and Barbara Pym; muses and partners of dominant men, like Clementine Churchill and Giuseppina Verdi; survivors such as Isak Dinesen, Doris Lessing, and Rebecca West; and other extraordinary talents including writers Katherine Mansfield, Iris Murdoch, and Anita Brookner. These portraits of extraordinary women who lived on the edges of their societies will appeal to anyone interested in the lives of fascinating and often forgotten women.

Editorial Reviews

Review

" . . . neatly combines the immediacy of a first response with reflection achieved during the course of years." -- The Columbus Dispatch

"In these nuanced biographical pieces, Dinnage adeptly characterizes the solitary essence of a wide-ranging group of women..." -- New York Times Book Review, July 11, 2004

"Rosemary Dinnage captures the spirits of such unforgettable figures as Isak Dinesen and Simone Weil." -- Vogue, June 2004

Product Details

• Hardcover: 296 pages
• Publisher: New York Review of Books; 1st Prinitng April 2004 edition (April 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590170695
• ISBN-13: 978-1590170694
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,649,739 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A long overdue collection, June 25, 2004

By 

Linda M. Smith (Baltimore, MD) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Alone! Alone!: Lives of Some Outsider Women (New York Review Collections) (Hardcover)

While men who don't follow the beaten path have been celebrated and written about for some time now, it is rare that oddball women are given the same attention. Though the word 'outsider' may have negative connotations for some, it can also be used as another word for 'independent spirit'. All of the women written about in "Alone! Alone!" were certainly independent but suffered for it far more than they would have if they'd been born men. The book is highly readable and the author makes many interesting observations. My only criticism has do with the chapter on the painter Gwen John (whose self portrait appears on the cover), sister of the more well known painter Augustus John. Rather than delving more deeply into the life of Gwen, the author chooses for some reason to spend much of the essay on an analysis of her brother. (For more information on Gwen John, I'd suggest reading the biography recently published about her.) There are also several other 'outsider' women who might have been added to the book such as Canadian painter Emily Carr, British poet Charlotte Mew, New England trancendentalist Margaret Fuller, and German singer/songwriter Nico.
In any case, this book is a great introduction to some interesting, inspiring, and extraordinary lives!

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars The upside is that my book group bonded in hating it., April 14, 2005

By 

M. Vetter (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Alone! Alone!: Lives of Some Outsider Women (New York Review Collections) (Hardcover)

I was thoroughly disappointed in this book. It looked like a really interesting idea and topic. It was painful to read--it felt like the author lacked affection for any of these "outsider" women, which made it difficult to care as a reader unfamiliar with many of the women included.
We did, however have a good time laughing as we attempted to come up with witty comments to post here, like: "This book would have been great if it were written by someone else."

13 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars disappointing, December 26, 2004

By 

L. Campbell "adventure reader" (Ferndale, MT, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Alone! Alone!: Lives of Some Outsider Women (New York Review Collections) (Hardcover)

I had totally different expectations of what this book would be like. I thought it would be mini biographies of strong independant women. Instead, I found it very much a victim minded book. The author seemed to go off on tangents often about the men in these women's lives instead of concentrating on the women themselves.