Becoming George

'From [Sampson's] approach emerges a writer who seems as alive as if she had just walked out of the room and could return at any minute. Sand would probably have appreciated Sampson’s sympathetic assessment of the challenges faced by female writers... She would also have enjoyed Sampson’s quietly witty touches. When Sand died... Hugo sent a tribute claiming: “I mourn a dead woman and I salute an immortal one.” Many readers will start this fascinating biography with the assumption that he was merely being polite. By the time they have finished it they will probably agree with him. -- Robert Douglas-Fairhurst * The Times (Book of the Week) *
Thought-provoking . . . BecomingGeorge is a book written with energy, passion and commitment to its fascinating subject. Indeed, it does just what a literary biography should do: it leaves one wanting to read Sand for oneself. -- Lucasta Miller * Literary Review *
Confession, I’ve never read any of her novels – but that doesn’t stop one enjoying this biography of her extraordinary life. * Daily Mail *
Engaging . . . elegant . . . empathetic -- Anthony Cummins * Guardian *
Sampson's vivid and innovative biography will hopefully send a new generation of readers to Sand's work to grapple as she did with her combinations of audacious modernity and old fashioned storytelling. -- Lara Feigel * Observer *
A romp to read . . . Ms Sampson is a skilful writer, who deftly evokes the cultural firmament in which Sand lived and worked. * The Economist *
[Fiona Sampson] expertly immerses readers in the cultural and intellectual world that produced one of the greatest practitioners of 19th-century literature . . . Becoming George re-creates Sand’s life with thoughtfulness and attention to detail . . . Fittingly, Becoming George neither accuses nor glorifies its subject. It functions, instead, as an honest and inquisitive interrogation of a life that has been, for too long, shrunken down and underappreciated. -- Donna Sanders * Wall Street Journal *
A highly readable, subtly inventive book that argues for Sand’s importance not just as a writer but as a cultural figure... It reminds us that Sand is synonymous with the 19th century, France and the extraordinary written culture of that time and place. -- Juliet Jacques * New Humanist *
Biographer Fiona Sampson rehabilitates her as the beating heart of 19th-century French literature. * i Paper *
What comes through most strongly in this lucid and at times insouciant biography is the irrepressibility of Sand’s voice. It is almost as if she has spurred Sampson on, at least stylistically, even from beyond the grave. * Sydney Morning Herald *