Marguerite Radclyffe-Hall was born into a degree of wealth and society but also into a family torn apart by conflict. Abandoned by her father, treated badly by her mother and abused by her stepfather, her early years were difficult. However on the death of her father she came into money and Marguerite transformed into Radclyffe Hall, writer and 'invert'.

Perhaps most famous as the author of 'The Well of Loneliness', a lesbian novel famously banned for obscenity, this biography tells how the trauma of Marguerite's early life had such an influence on her writing and her lifestyle. Mannish in her appearance, Radclyffe Hall had three serious affairs with women lasting many years. Her lifestyle was extravagant, travelling extensively and keeping various pets (usually discarded after a short period for various faults), Radclyffe wrote several books but none matched the impact of 'The Well...'

Souhami is an excellent biographer who produces an unflinching portrait of a woman I found hard to like. Yes, she suffered because of her sexual proclivities but she chose to flaunt her 'inversion' in a conservative society. She felt that she was a great writer but critics were not in agreement and, whilst her most famous oeuvre was banned for obscenity, there was no sex in it. As a sexual predator and great manipulator of her lovers Hall does not present as a sympathetic character but Souhami does a great job of placing her actions into context. ( )

Unappealing people unsympathetically portrayed. ( )