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Wild Mary Patrick Marnham

Wild Mary By Patrick Marnham

Wild Mary by Patrick Marnham


$40.99
Condition - Very Good
6 in stock

Summary

Mary Wesley was a pen-name, derived from the family name of Wellesley. She was born Mary Farmar, descended from the Duke of Wellington, and grew up a rebel who believed that she was her mother's least-favourite child. This biography discusses her experiences in MI 5 and her many wartime love affairs.

Wild Mary Summary

Wild Mary: The Life Of Mary Wesley by Patrick Marnham

Mary Wesley published her first novel when she was 70 - and went on to write 9 more bestsellers before her death in 2002 at the age of 89. Wesley was a pen-name, derived from the family name of Wellesley. She was born Mary Farmar, descended from the Duke of Wellington, and grew up a rebel who believed that she was her mother's least-favourite child. Like many girls of her background, she married for escape; but her first marriage (to Lord Swinfen) was conventional. Her second husband, Eric Siepmann, a writer who never managed to make any money at all, was feckless and bohemian. In between Swinfen and Siepmann, she had a love affair with Czech war-hero, Heinz Ziegler - and possibly with his brother at the same time; and in her later years enjoyed a torrid relationship with Robert Bolt. At the outbreak of the Second World War she was, as she put it, 'roped into intelligence', where she worked on breaking codes. Her experiences in MI 5 and her many wartime love affairs, which form the core of this biography, also formed the cores of her novels. She wrote about the atmosphere of the home front, and how war dislocates families, and how a sense of the imminence of death loosens the inhibitions - her novels are sexy and witty. She also drew on her love and knowledge of Cornwall.

About Patrick Marnham

Mary Wesley herself selected Patrick Marnham as her biographer. She gave him numerous interviews before her death in 2002, and also passed him her diaries and private papers, and authorised her relations and friends to talk openly to him. Patrick Marnham lives in Oxfordshire and France. His most recent book, about the French resistance, was described by the Telegraph as 'a brilliant mix of political thriller and wartime history'. He is the biographer of Georges Simenon and Diego Rivera; his books have won the Thomas Cook Travel Prize and the the Marsh Biography Award; and he has written for Private Eye, the Independent and the Spectator. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

Additional information

GOR000990947
9780701179915
0701179910
Wild Mary: The Life Of Mary Wesley by Patrick Marnham
Used - Very Good
Hardback
Vintage Publishing
20060601
304
N/A
Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
This is a used book - there is no escaping the fact it has been read by someone else and it will show signs of wear and previous use. Overall we expect it to be in very good condition, but if you are not entirely satisfied please get in touch with us

Customer Reviews - Wild Mary