There are a few discussions of the greatly neglected Sarah Grand in other books, but this is THE BOOK on this important WOMAN WRITER. I thought that this was a biography at first, but it's not. It really gets into the Victorian period, and I learned a lot. I have only read one Sarah Grand book, but I want to read them all now! Are they in print?

For anyone interested in the sadly neglected British author Sarah Grand, or the phenomenon she named -- the new woman -- this book is a must. The research is incredible and the writing is unusually clear and even moving for a work of criticism. I've only read one novel by Grand -- The Heavenly Twins -- but this book made me want to read more. I read a library copy of Magnum's book, but I wish it would come out in paperback so I can get my own, since as a teacher and reader I will want to consult it in the future.

If you are a Victorian novel aficianado as I am, you should thoroughly enjoy Sarah Grand's sprawling, strange story. The eponymous twins are bizarrely, intriguingly atypical as far as nineteenth-century characters go. Grand gives a picture of feminism in its embryonic stage--the woman was certainly before her time, as are most of her female characters. Fear not, however; this is no simple "men-bad-women-good" tale. Nastiness and nurture are fairly evenly distributed between the sexes. Although the story meanders at times between its main branches, it is well-written and worth resurrecting for the 1990s. My main quibble is that Grand's voice tends to take over at certain moments (especially when she's getting angry about her society). But please read this book anyway, especially for its shockingly non-Victorian ending.

This is one of the "lost books" by a forgotten female writer who didn't make it into the literary canon.

Unfortunately, that's probably a good thing. The book purports to be the history of a "woman of genius" and the intro to my edition of the book waxes eloquent about authenticity of voice and how Grand was able to capture the mental and emotional growth of a child from birth onwards.

The problem is, the book is badly written. Grand contradicts herself time and time again in her characterization of Beth. Beth had "no ear for music" on one page and then on the next she possesses a "great talent for music." Beth is "painfully sensitive to others' feelings" yet her favorite passtime as an adolescent is to beat up on her younger sister.

Where it really gets strange is in the final quarter of the book. Here Grand throws in everything but the kitchen sink: drunkenness, immorality, prostitution, and vivisectionism.

The book ends up being more polemical than anything else, which may have been Grand's point, but to call this good writing is to besmirch the memories of the truly fine "forgotten" women writers.

My friend found this jewel of a book (The Beth Book) at a Garage sale for ten cents. Now in our small town teachers and waitresses are discussing the profound nature of Sarah Grand's masterpeice.

Originaly I was intrigued by the oldness of the book, but was swiftly engrossed in the details of Beth's life, upbringing and the changes she makes from sheer determination. The inconsistancies in her nature make her real. The loss of her Father is eloquent and vivid.

Adolecense is as troublesome for beth as is anyone. The author gives a great story of someone whom we can understand and not understand at times. She is all human. Both great qualities and some not so great accompany Miss Beth's diverse if not contradictory charater. The woman she becomes is to be admired.

The Beth Book is seemingly a biographical novel of a genius female raised in the days that her peceptions and intellegence is squashed and suspect. Rather than be beaten down, comes through life triumphantly. The Beth book is not only a story of life, but one of abuse, feminism and true love.

I highly recommend The Beth Book. I anticipat learning more of Sarah Grand and reading more of her works.