Katherine’s Wish reviewed in Hong Kong
Linda Lappin’s literary historical novel revolving around the last four years in the life of Katherine Mansfield was recently reviews in the Hong Kong newspaper, The South China Morning Post. An excerpt is included below:
“American author Linda Lappin has undertaken a daunting task in her novel about Mansfield. The trouble with fictional biographies of real people is readers often know the outlines of the story and are not given new insights into the characters: in this case, Mansfield’s friend D.H. Lawrence is, as expected, both colourful and cussed while, again as expected, her handsome husband, literary critic Middleton Murry, is indecisive and lacklustre.
But Lappin, wearing 15 years of research into Mansfield lightly, rises to the challenges.
Instead of trying to trace Mansfield’s whole life Lappin focuses on the last four years, when she was trying to write as much as possible before her likely death from consumption. Her contradictory Mansfield, both irritable and sensitive, is convincingly complex…Lappin’s intensely imagined novel will satisfy readers unfamiliar with Mansfield as well as those already intrigued by her.”
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