Thanks to the excellent Sam Jordison I was sent a review copy of this year’s hot LGBT history book, the biography of the Victorian cross-dressers, Fanny Park and Stella Boulton, written by Neil McKenna. While I could have posted it here, I felt the review would get more eyeballs over at Lambda Literary, and I’m delighted to say that they have agreed to run with it. Most reviews of the book I have seen have treated the book as a tale about two gay men. As you might expect, I have looked more closely at the gender identities of the two young persons concerned. Regardless of how you see them, however, Fanny & Stella are delightfully outrageous, and McKenna’s book is a lot of fun to read.
You can read my review here, and if you are interested in the book I see that the publishers have it on sale: Fanny & Stella: The Young Men Who Shocked Victorian England. Non-UK readers, there are ebooks available.
Dear Cheryl,
Just a note to say how much I appreciated your very thoughtful, well-written and fair review. You have obviously picked up every nuance of the book. It came at an especially good time as I had just been bruised by a terrible, foul review in the London Review of Books which was so full of hatred, quite against what, I know not. So thank you for your fairnes and you timing! All good wishes, Neil PS: Isn’t Sam Jordison wonderful!
And thank you for a lovely book.
Also you are right about Sam. 🙂