Wild Heart, a Life: Natalie Clifford Barney's Journey from Victorian America to the Literary Salons of Paris

Rating:
Summary: Ahh but the Amazon was not supposed to be generous...
Review: If you wanted a tale of a heroic and generous female you should have gone and read about the saints, for Natalie Barney is no where near heroic. I do admitt, the author seems to look up to Natalie and that is reflected in the writing, but as any writer must realize, a bit of the writer is almsot always unconsciously put into their work.

This account of Natalie's life is fairly flawless, with the ammount of research done the author had little chance of making a mistake. If you're looking for a good secondary source to other works on lesbians, literature, and the late 1800s/early 1900s this is a good source. It's also a fun read. Being a fast reader, I took my time with this book and found it highly knowledgeable and amusing. I would also reccommend reading this and then reading "The Well of Loneliness" by Radclyffe Hall, you'll know why once you've read both.

Rating:
Summary: Ahh but the Amazon was not supposed to be generous...
Review: If you wanted a tale of a heroic and generous female you should have gone and read about the saints, for Natalie Barney is no where near heroic. I do admitt, the author seems to look up to Natalie and that is reflected in the writing, but as any writer must realize, a bit of the writer is almsot always unconsciously put into their work.

This account of Natalie's life is fairly flawless, with the ammount of research done the author had little chance of making a mistake. If you're looking for a good secondary source to other works on lesbians, literature, and the late 1800s/early 1900s this is a good source. It's also a fun read. Being a fast reader, I took my time with this book and found it highly knowledgeable and amusing. I would also reccommend reading this and then reading "The Well of Loneliness" by Radclyffe Hall, you'll know why once you've read both.

Rating:
Summary: We both loved it...
Review: My wife has been a Natalie Barney fan for years, and when she began reading Wild Heart she simply disappeared from my life for a few days. She couldn't put that book down. When she finally allowed me to read it, I understood why. Barney's life was fascinating in and of itself, but I also liked the historical backdrop. I particularly enjoyed reading about the Belle Époque and what it was like to be in Paris during World War I. The discussion about Barney's inexplicable anti-semitism was honest. According to my wife, other writers have kept that part of Barney hidden. In our home this book has received a solid two thumbs up.

Rating:
Summary: Curl Up With It
Review: Suzanne Rodriguez brings 1920s Pairs to life in the pages of Wild Heart; A Life. If you like biographies, European history, Paris, or are Natalie Barney fan, this is the book for you. To be honest, even if you have never heard of Natalie Barney, it's still a great read. As a writer, I found the accounts of Ms. Barney's famous "Fridays" (her Paris salon) very intriguing. Oh, what a treat it would be to go back in time and attend just one!! Ms. Rodriguez makes you feel like you are there, with vivid descriptions about the interpersonal interactions of some of the more famous (and infamous) Friday attendees.

Ms. Rodriguez is a first-rate biographer, as she lets her subject's life gracefully unfold, rather than pushing it on the reader. She also interjects interesting historical tid-bits and she has a way of subtly adding her own personality to the tome.

Buy it, curl up and escape! It's a great read.

Rating:
Summary: Good at first, then deteriorates
Review: This is not a bad read but, for me, to finish it meant reading the first line of many paragraphs and then skipping to the next -- something, as a rather slow reader, I rarely do.

Some of the writing is embarrassing (like listening to a bad singer) -- 'By the way,...' one sentence begins and then ends as a random author's thought. Phrases like 'it was not her thing' or Yiddishisms that seem anachronistic. 'Enthuse' as a verb used over and over again is annoying.

Finally, there is an overview lacking. Perhaps this is my own prejudice but I found the presentation of this tremendously self-absorbed, ungenerous woman's life lacking in a critical perspective. She lived through 2 world wars in complete luxury and comfort and never seems to have extended herself (except, as the author points out to particular individuals and friends) to those who were suffering. A single, rich and privileged woman with a continual staff of servants who never extended herself beyond her dilletantish borders deserves a little more critique than this polite biography offers.

First half was quite interesting in terms of the cultural milieu and historical bios presented. Second half reads as if it were written in a rush.

Rating:
Summary: Good at first, then deteriorates
Review: This terrific bio of American/French writer and salon queen Natalie Barney is a non-stop read, equal parts bio, literary research and juicy gossip. I read it over the course of three days and was so disappointed when it was over... The literary standard is high and so is the research. If you like the Belle Epoque or the Americans in Paris period, you'll love this book.

I'm sorry that some very obvious "hack attacks" have been aimed at "Wild Heart." Whoever you are, slamming this book (and inaccurately too!)isn't going to destroy the author's career or revive yours. This kind of petty stuff will just keep you in the rut you're already in. Get with the program.

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating insights into the Belle Epoque
Review: What a disappointing experience this book this turns out to be. Written in the breathless, credulous style usually reserved for bad "young adult" novels, this biography of Natalie Barney serves neither her interesting memory not the reader's desire for deeper knowledge. The author appears to be incapable of distinguishing fact from rumor; she presents long-accepted cliches of Barney's life as newly "discovered" by her "research," she seems not to have read Barney in French ( Barney lived most of her life in French and many of her most interesting works are untranslated), and she represents the whole fascinating culture of women artists in Paris in only the most rudimentary terms.

The Amazon of Letters, the first biography of Natalie Barney, comes much closer to depicting Barney's substance and spirit, and the recent American biographies of Dolly Wilde (Barney's long-time lover) and Colette (Barney's life-long-friend) deliver far more expert and much better written portraits of Natalie Barney than does this book. This book is simply nowhere near up to its subject.