Almost famous women

A collection of stories that explores the lives of talented, gutsy women throughout history. Now Megan Mayhew Bergman resurrects these women, lets them live in the reader's imagination, so we can explore their difficult choices. Nearly every story in this collection is based on a woman who attained some celebrity--she raced speed boats or was a conjoined twin in show business; a reclusive painter of renown; a member of the first all-female, integrated swing band. We see Lord Byron's illegitimate daughter, Allegra; Oscar Wilde's troubled niece, Dolly; "West With the Night" author Beryl Markham; Edna St. Vincent Millay's sister, Norma. These extraordinary stories travel the world, explore the past (and delve into the future), and portray fiercely independent women defined by their acts of bravery, creative impulses, and sometimes reckless decisions.