My notes on Julia Jones' biography The Adventures of Margery Allingham include the following observation: "Where judgement or interpretation is required, or where conclusions must be drawn, this has been done in a very carefully measured way. A well-balanced book; the author likes and admires her subject and portrays her frankly, honestly and directly."
You can't say that about every biography, but it shines out from this one, helped in part by the fact that Julia Jones spoke to many people who knew Margery Allingham, so her sources were very much alive and involved in, or at one remove from, events - hence the 'directness' I mentioned. It's clear that the book stems from a love of Allingham's novels, and here they form a fascinating strand within the 'plot', charting her growing maturity and progression as a writer, and her ever-deepening acquaintance with and concomitant ability to develop her characters. (To savour this, Julia Jones advises the reader to tackle the books in chronological order).
As to the life itself, complex, troubled, dedicated, the "ink in the blood" proving as strong a driving force as the fear of being unable to pay the bills, I hesitate to give anything away, but it's almost a series of "if only"s - had things been just a little different here and there......read it and you'll see.
I was interested in how Margery Allingham saw herself as a writer, and here's her view on the subject: at a point far on in her career "she was ready now, she thought, to set aside the detective formula and 'attempt a real novel'"! Well, real or not, I was greatly taken with the two works of hers I have read (more here and here) and they led me to the biography which in turn is heading me back to the books.
I do recommend this excellent book if you are at all interested in the lady or her writing - it frames both beautifully, explains and expands where necessary, but also lets its subject speak for herself. When I read The Tiger in the Smoke (my first Allingham, and said to be her masterpiece) I wrote this:
"My
impression was that Margery Allingham directed proceedings as it were
from centre stage, working out her plot and her characters' roles by
intense mental engagement: no arm's-length manoeuvring from her, she's
right in the thick of it, and the immediacy that brings to the novel is
sharp. This does mean that on occasion she gets a little carried away,
but I forgive her that because her writing has such a lithe, agile
quality to it, and the whole thing is vivid and compelling and speaks
of her enormous enjoyment in creating it."
Re-reading that now in the light of the biography, I think (she says immodestly) that I was absolutely right, and that in turn shows how apparently accurate a portrait of the subject this book actually is.
I'm a great lover of Allingham and really want to read this biography so thanks for this review.
Posted by: Harriet | 30 July 2009 at 09:22 AM
I've been looking forward to your review (hooked by your short posts on it) and you've certainly persuaded me that I want to read it soon.
Posted by: GeraniumCat | 30 July 2009 at 06:24 PM