The extraordinary life of Rebecca West
(Book)

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Numerous biographies have been published about the England-born author, journalist, and critic Cicely Isabel Fairfield (1892-1983), otherwise known as Rebecca West. But Gibb offers a fresh look at a writer who was ahead of her time in the early 20th century. West ("The Return of the Soldier") had many successes but also experienced heartache and struggle. While she lived an accomplished career, had many love affairs, including one with H.G. Wells that produced an illegitimate son, and was wed for over three decades to banker Henry Maxwell Andrews, she also encountered a challenging childhood, a strained relationship with her son, and issues in her marriage. Gibb's passion for her subject is illustrated in the writing's rich detail; readers feel like they're witnessing the described accounts firsthand. Using West's correspondences and personal papers, media interviews, and conversations with the writer's friends and employees, the author captures West's point of view and describes how this complicated individual interpreted her relationships and experiences.