Hester Lynch Piozzi (Mrs. Thrale)

Rating:
Summary: Beyond Johnson
Review: Hester Lynch lived a life of quiet determination, married to an older man who treated her with little respect or regard. She still managed to provide a home that attracted the great Samuel Johnson. And yet, during this time she lived in the shadow of those with whom she developed friendships until the death of her husband.
Then she traveled and met a young Italian whom she married. This union brought her reproach from those she considered her friends, including Johnson.
This book is a well edited presentation of Hester's own writing.
While Boswell's work about Johnson is better known, Lynch Piozzi's is every bit as insightful, perhaps more so from having spent much more time and been the recipient of many conversations of a personal nature.

A quick and intersting read from Clifford.