Thirty years after the smashing success of Zelda, Nancy Milford returns with a stunning second act. Savage Beauty is the portrait of a passionate, fearless woman who obsessed American ever as she tormented herself. If F. Scott Fitzgerald was the hero of the Jazz Age, Edna St. Vincent Millay, as flamboyant in her love affairs as she was in her art, was its heroine. The first woman ever to … heroine. The first woman ever to win the Pulitzer Prize, Millay was dazzling in the performance of herself. Her voice was likened to an instrument of seduction and her impact on crowds, and on men, was legendary. Yet beneath her studied act, all was not well. Milford calls her book “a family romance”—for the love between the three Millay sisters and their mother was so deep as to be dangerous. As a family, they were like real-life Little Women, with a touch of Mommie Dearest.
Nancy Milford was given exclusive access to Millay’s papers, and what she found was an extraordinary treasure. Boxes and boxes of letter flew back and forth among the three sisters and their mother—and Millay kept the most intimate diary, one whose ruthless honesty brings to mind Sylvia Plath. Written with passion and flair, Savage Beauty is an iconic portrait of a woman’s life.
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Nancy Milford has done it again. One seldom sees this level of brilliant, hands-on research in contemporary literary biography. The result is this compelling, keenly perceptive life of Edna St. Vincent Milay — with its own ‘savage beauty.’
SAVAGE BEAUTY is irresistible, Nancy Milford gives us not only the life of Edna St. Vincent Millay, but also her heart, her times, and the sparkling essence of her poetry.
Millay lives! And she casts a spell over the reader as mesmerizing as her poetry. Nancy Milford has done it again — and ZELDA has met her equal.
What an interesting read about Edna St. Vincent Millay, one of the most underrated poets you probably have never have heard of, although she was world famous at the beginning of the 20th century. As an English major, I never learned about “Vincent” which is a disservice to her because she was an amazing talent who must not be forgotten.
Unfortunately, I was forced to stop reading when I fell asleep. This is a boring account of a very interesting poet. eh
Love Millay, but this biography was too too plodding that it became boring and I never finished the book (I rarely do NOT finish a book, so it had to be really slow).
Wonderful, well-written biography.
I liked her poetry so I bought the book. I was rewarded with the life of a woman who was so much more than her poetry. Read it!
Well written bio on the life of Edna St. Vincent Millay. An extraordinary woman far advanced in her views of life and the world. Nancy Milford does an excellent job of allowing the reader to experience the complications and intriguing life of ESM.
Thought provoking work.
This book became monotonous, too long.
SO many things I never knew about Vincent- she was certainly a character! I did find the different fonts that appears on my Kindle distracting, but knowing this was a compilation of letters between her and many people, as well as input from her sister, the story outweighed the reading difficulty. Worth the read!
Interesting info on the life of this poet. Learned a lot I never knew about her.
I’ve already rated this book
I found this book ponderous. I didn’t finish it…yet. I may return to the book at some point.
While the book is extensively researched and laden with faithful reproductions of correspondence involving the subject it becomes weighted down by the tedium of the sheer volume of saved missives. The allusions to the different poetical works of Millay are routinely brilliant, getting to these gems is unfortunately more laborious than necessary. …
Even if you don’t care for poetry or biographies, you will really enjoy reading about this modern woman.
Hard to believe this world.
Fascinating story of a very different kind of person.
Very thorough biography. Enlightening about bohemian life in the first half of the 20th century. Appreciate that it included excerpts of her works.
This was an informative personal story of what it takes to be an EMT. Going behind the scenes gives the reader a look at the details involved– the late night calls, the equipment carried, the on the scene decision-making. The author was originally drawn to the work because she was frightened of it, and we watch her evolve into a true professional.