"[KM was] the only writer I was ever jealous about." -- Virginia WoolfA gorgeous portrait of a complex and passionate author. Mansfield's literary career was on the rise when on her thirtieth birthday her doctors advised her to stop writing, move to a sanatorium, and quietly die of tuberculosis in six months. Unwilling to accept her death sentence, she became a wandering consumptive and traveled from London to Paris, to the Riviera, and up into the Alps in pursuit of a cure.Extracting Mansfield's correspondence and diaries, FitzPatrick captures the extraordinary mind and heart of a great writer-her successes and disappointments-during her heroic battle against the debilitating disease that sapped her energy, derailed her marriage, and fostered a growing dependency on her devoted caregiver."One of the delights of the book, which adds to the poignancy and authenticity of the story as a whole, is the frequent use of direct passages taken from KM. This book will delight all KM devotees, who will relish another chance to live through the extraordinary life of KM-a life which never ceases to fascinate and move . . .. ---Dr. Gerri Kimber, The Katherine Mansfield Society