Overview

Virginia Woolf, Agatha Christie, and Sylvia Plath are three of our most famous authors – for the first time this book tells the story of the remarkable mothers who shaped them. Virginia Woolf, Agatha Christie, and Sylvia Plath are three of our most famous authors, for the first time this book tells the story of the remarkable mothers, who shaped them. Julia Stephen, Clara Miller, and Aurelia Plath were fascinating women in their own rights, and their relationships with their daughters were exceptional; they profoundly influenced the writers' lives, literature, and attitude to feminism. This book charts the complex, often contradictory, bond between these mothers and daughters. Too often in the past Virginia, Agatha and Sylvia have been defined by their lovers, this book redresses the balance by focussing on their formative affinity with their mothers. Drawing on previously unpublished original sources from archives around the world and talking to family and friends of the women this book offers a new perspective on these iconic authors. AUTHOR: Rachel Trethewey read History at St Edmund Hall, Oxford, where she won the Philip Geddes Prize for student journalism. During her journalistic career she wrote features for the Daily Mail and Daily Express, and subsequently reviewed history books for The Independent. She is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and has previously written THE CHURCHILL GIRLS (2021) about Winston's daughters. She lives in Devon. 32 b/w illustrations

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9781803991894

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"""Enjoyable and informative...[Diana, Sarah, and Mary] deserve to have their full stories told as well. Trethewey gives them, and us, this long-overdue gift inThe Churchill Sisters."" --The Washington Examiner on The Churchill Sisters""Trethewey sheds new and fascinating light on the drama, passion and tragedy surrounding Diana, Sarah, Marigold and Mary, and the pivotal role each played in their father's illustrious political career...[a] richly drawn, gorgeously written group biography."" -Shelf Awareness(starred) on The Churchill Sisters ""[Trethewey] sets a brisk pace and succeeds in depicting a trio of intriguing women at a perilous moment in world affairs."" -Publishers Weekly on The Churchill Sisters ""This remarkable, sometimes tragic story of the daughters who supported their brilliant historical giant of a father will appeal to a broad range of readers...an engrossing and intelligent group biography. --Kirkus Reviews on The Churchill Sisters"

‘The relationship between my grandmother and her mother was very important and indeed crucial to her childhood and the very early days of her writing … So, to have more insight into this particular aspect of my grandmother’s early life is very valuable.’ MATHEW PRICHARD, Agatha Christie’s grandson ‘There have been multiple attempts to investigate the true character of Agatha, but it was a first for the Christie Archive Trust to assist research focused solely on Agatha and her mother’s relationship. Thanks to Rachel’s thorough curation of the evidence this is one particular puzzle we can now consider solved.’ JOE KEOGH, Christie Archive Trust ‘This triple biography includes a remarkable and nuanced summation of Aurelia Plath’s life and influence, the first of any consequence that will see print … The author uncovers Aurelia’s early years and reveals the dedication and teamwork required to launch Sylvia Plath’s career.’ CATHERINE RANKOVIC, Aurelia Plath scholar and founder at AureliaPlath.info ‘Rachel Trethewey’s meticulous examination of maternal influences on the literary achievements of Virginia Woolf, Agatha Christie and Sylvia Plath culminates in fresh insights about the complex mother–daughter dynamic between Sylvia and Aurelia Plath.’ RICHARD J. LARSCHAN, English Professor Emeritus at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth 'These three portraits beautifully capture the variety and complexity of mother-daughter relationships.' -- The Lady * The Lady * ‘Trethewey’s group biography is a revealing study of the vital significance of these mothers for their daughters, and of their vexed relationships.’ – Helen Tyson, Times Literary Supplement

‘The relationship between my grandmother and her mother was very important and indeed crucial to her childhood and the very early days of her writing … So, to have more insight into this particular aspect of my grandmother’s early life is very valuable.’ MATHEW PRICHARD, Agatha Christie’s grandson ‘There have been multiple attempts to investigate the true character of Agatha, but it was a first for the Christie Archive Trust to assist research focused solely on Agatha and her mother’s relationship. Thanks to Rachel’s thorough curation of the evidence this is one particular puzzle we can now consider solved.’ JOE KEOGH, Christie Archive Trust ‘This triple biography includes a remarkable and nuanced summation of Aurelia Plath’s life and influence, the first of any consequence that will see print … The author uncovers Aurelia’s early years and reveals the dedication and teamwork required to launch Sylvia Plath’s career.’ CATHERINE RANKOVIC, Aurelia Plath scholar and founder at AureliaPlath.info ‘Rachel Trethewey’s meticulous examination of maternal influences on the literary achievements of Virginia Woolf, Agatha Christie and Sylvia Plath culminates in fresh insights about the complex mother–daughter dynamic between Sylvia and Aurelia Plath.’ RICHARD J. LARSCHAN, English Professor Emeritus at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth

‘The relationship between my grandmother and her mother was very important and indeed crucial to her childhood and the very early days of her writing … So, to have more insight into this particular aspect of my grandmother’s early life is very valuable.’ MATHEW PRICHARD, Agatha Christie’s grandson ‘There have been multiple attempts to investigate the true character of Agatha, but it was a first for the Christie Archive Trust to assist research focused solely on Agatha and her mother’s relationship. Thanks to Rachel’s thorough curation of the evidence this is one particular puzzle we can now consider solved.’ JOE KEOGH, Christie Archive Trust ‘This triple biography includes a remarkable and nuanced summation of Aurelia Plath’s life and influence, the first of any consequence that will see print … The author uncovers Aurelia’s early years and reveals the dedication and teamwork required to launch Sylvia Plath’s career.’ CATHERINE RANKOVIC, Aurelia Plath scholar and founder at AureliaPlath.info ‘Rachel Trethewey’s meticulous examination of maternal influences on the literary achievements of Virginia Woolf, Agatha Christie and Sylvia Plath culminates in fresh insights about the complex mother–daughter dynamic between Sylvia and Aurelia Plath.’ RICHARD J. LARSCHAN, English Professor Emeritus at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth 'These three portraits beautifully capture the variety and complexity of mother-daughter relationships.' -- The Lady * The Lady *

Author Information

RACHEL TRETHEWEY read History at St Edmund Hall, Oxford, where she won the Philip Geddes Prize for student journalism. During her journalistic career she wrote features for the Daily Mail and Daily Express, and subsequently reviewed history books for The Independent. She is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and has previously written THE CHURCHILL GIRLS (2021) about Winston's daughters. She lives in Devon.

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