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. '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 Virginia Woolf, Agatha Christie and Sylvia Plath are three of our most famous authors. For the first time this book tells in full 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. Too often in the past Virginia, Agatha and Sylvia have been defined by their lovers – Mothers of the Mind redresses the balance by charting the complex, often contradictory, bond between mother and daughter. Drawing on previously unpublished sources from archives around the world and accounts from family and friends of the women, this book offers a new perspective on these iconic authors.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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9781803998350

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‘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 ‘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 '... each chapter offers an engrossing read.'– BEST OF BRITISH

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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