Thursday, December 10, 2009

Celebrating a forgotten woman writer


Know the name Margaret Woodward Boyd? I didn't, either. It's actually the pen name of Margaret Woodward Smith Shane, who was discovered by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald took her novel, The Love Legend to his famed editor, Maxwell Perkins, who promptly published it. In 1922, The Love Legend rocketed to the bestseller list and was praised by The New York Times as "a lively colorful tale."

Finding lost literary talents like Boyd is the work of the fabulous David Wilk and Rvive Press, whose mission it is to revive a large list of great books that have been out of print for far too long. When he asked if I'd read Woodward's book and write an intro, how could I resist?

So is The Love Legend as good as Fitzgerald said it was? Yup. The story of four sisters in 1920s Chicago, it presents a fascinating portrait of politics, culture, love, marriage and career. If you'd like a copy of this--or any terrific books that are being revived, please visit the website.

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