Batgrl: Bookish Hooha

I may have entered into a very risky territory. Ok, we all know I'm constantly mentioning (think of it as trying to remind myself) my TBR list, right? Well, I've been so good lately and nearly have three large paper books off my list - and what do I do?

I joined Netgallery.

Yes, I know this seems foolish. I could excuse this by claiming I'll buy fewer books, but I suspect that won't be the case.

Here's what sunk me - there's currently a biography on Gluck.

wikipedia: Gluck

Netgallery book: Gluck, Her Biography by Diana Souhami

In the past all of the books I've tried to find on Gluck were art books, or just gave brief accounts of her life with little detail. Or gave her story alongside other artists and women of her time period. So I really did jump at the chance to read this one.

Around 1900s-1940s (and later) there were a handful of women who had wealthy families (or some way of having enough money to live on) and could be somewhat independent and live their lives as they chose. (Another example: author Natalie Barney.) Many of these women were lesbians, who lived as such without apology. In that day in time, a woman living alone and creating art (even without being a lesbian) was doing something courageous - going against every rule their culture had set for young women. Since reading about them in general history books of the period I've made an effort to seek out individual biographies.

I should add that often these women were not the...let's say easiest of people to live with. (Actually I regularly note that about most artists' and authors' biographies - it seems a common description.) Her wikipedia page doesn't have many stories - this glbtq encyclopedia bio is more more extensive, with many troubled relationships and depression. Still I find her life and art fascinating. (I'm leaving out a lot here on her importance in art, saving that for the review.)

Short version: REALLY psyched to read this book.