Shared Lives

Lyndall Gordon, the acclaimed biographer of T.S. Eliot and Virginia Woolf, grew up in Cape Town, South Africa in the 1950s. This intimate and moving memoir is the story of Rosie, Ellie, and Romy- her closest friends from childhood until their early deaths.

Daughters of Jewish immigrants, these girls grew into adulthood together, shaped by their parents' and grandparents' Eastern European heritages, the stifling atmosphere of their proper girls' school, South Africa's politics, and the intense pressure within their bourgeois milieu for early marriage. Though miles distanced them as they grew older and went off to New York, Oxford and Paris, their bonds of friendship remained strong, separated only by their untimely deaths.

“[Lyndall Gordon] has rendered so faithfully, so lyrically really, the way things were. Added to the delightful candor with which Lyndall writes both of herself and of her characters, the wry humor of her writing. It is a marvellous book.”

- Lynn Freed

Lyndall Gordon is the prizewinning author of biographies including CHARLOTTE BRONTE, VIRGINIA WOOLF, SHARED LIVES and MARY WOLLSTONECRAFT. Born and raised in South Africa, Lyndall is a fellow of St Hilda's College, Oxford.

Lyndall Gordon, the acclaimed biographer of T. S. Eliot and Virginia Woolf, grew up in Cape Town, South Africa, in the 1950s. This intimate and moving memoir is the story of Rosie, Ellie, and Romy - her closest friends from childhood until their early deaths. Daughters of Jewish immigrants, these girls grew into adulthood together, shaped by their parents' and grandparents' Eastern European heritages, the stifling atmosphere of their proper girls' school, South Africa's politics, and the intense pressure within their bourgeois milieu for early marriage. We meet and follow Rosie, whose career plans vanish into marriage and motherhood; Ellie, who became a psychologist but struggled with her own depressions; Romy, the exuberant rebel who, resisting marriage, enraged the men who loved her; and Lyndall Gordon herself, struggling to adjust to the power games of big-time academia. Yet, though miles distanced them as they grew older and went off to New York, Oxford, and Paris, their bonds of friendship remained strong, separated only by their untimely deaths. This heartfelt tribute to three obscure women who left nothing but their stories, letters, and memories reveals the significance of their lives, their hidden possibilities, and, most importantly, the redemptive power of friendship between women.

Lyndall Gordon, the acclaimed biographer of T. S. Eliot and Virginia Woolf, grew up in Cape Town, South Africa, in the 1950s. This intimate and moving memoir is the story of Rosie, Ellie, and Romy - her closest friends from childhood until their early deaths. Daughters of Jewish immigrants, these girls grew into adulthood together, shaped by their parents' and grandparents' Eastern European heritages, the stifling atmosphere of their proper girls' school, South Africa's politics, and the intense pressure within their bourgeois milieu for early marriage. We meet and follow Rosie, whose career plans vanish into marriage and motherhood; Ellie, who became a psychologist but struggled with her own depressions; Romy, the exuberant rebel who, resisting marriage, enraged the men who loved her; and Lyndall Gordon herself, struggling to adjust to the power games of big-time academia. Yet, though miles distanced them as they grew older and went off to New York, Oxford, and Paris, their bonds of friendship remained strong, separated only by their untimely deaths. This heartfelt tribute to three obscure women who left nothing but their stories, letters, and memories reveals the significance of their lives, their hidden possibilities, and, most importantly, the redemptive power of friendship between women.

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.