Golden Years, The

Minimal library distinctions, pocket removed, light toning, some light staining first few pages, smudge page 33, 38 & 39, else no other marks noted. Boards display moderate surface/edge/wear, as shown, some smudging but boards remain strong. A good reading & sentimental copy.

KIRKUS REVIEW: This is Shelley's story, and, in the main outline of his harried life, the story holds to the facts. Opening with the issue which resulted in his expulsion from Oxford with the distribution of his pamphlet, The Necessity of Atheism, the record goes on to his meeting with Harriet Westbrook, their elopement- and the omnipresence of the mischief-making sister, Eliza, who eventually smashed the marriage with her lies and jealousy. Shelley seems haunted by sisters, for again- and repeatedly- Claire, Mary Godwin's stepsister -- proved a disrupting factor in their romance. And it is the story of these four women and,Shelley whom they all loved, which provides the matrix of a fictional biography in which-for this reader- Shelley, the poet, is never a reality. One feels that his emotional life is the dominant factor- and that never cuts very deep. The whole story is told in something of a vacuum of the times; other literary figures are shadows, even Byron who was so vital in Shelley's life. As for his work, that is mere thistledown; most of his activities are centered in finding ways to chivvy money out of those he already owes-escaping the sheriffs- moving from one "dyllic" spot to another- and fending off the women who pursued him. Not an appealing portrait on any score. F. W. Kenyon does better with historical figures. Victorian & Victorianism

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