Synopsis
James Barry, whom Florence Nightingale called "the most hardened creature I ever met," was a Victorian military doctor who administered to the sick in diverse lands including the Cape of Good Hope, St. Helena, Corfu, and Canada. While his reputation as a doctor soured, he became equally known for his eccentricities--many of which contribute to speculation that he was actually a she. This biography captures his personality and the tone of his time.
| Details | | Publication Date: | 2003-01-01 |
| Size | | Length: | 361 pages | | Height: | 9.8 in | | Width: | 6.8 in | | Thickness: | 1.2 in | | Weight: | 23.4 oz |
Publisher's Note
An explosive story of colonial life, nineteenth-century science, and the mysteries of sexuality, Rachel Holmes's Scanty Particulars transcends the genre of biography. Through prodigious research and vivid storytelling, Holmes brings to life one of the most enigmatic figures of his time.
In the 1820s, Dr. James Barry burst into the English establishment from nowhere. He landed in Cape Town and became the leading military doctor in the South African colony, working tirelessly to improve the conditions of free and enslaved women, lepers, and the indigent. Barry's further travels included postings to the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, and Canada. In his career, he collided with some of the leading figures of the age, and his exploits were regarded with fascination by Mark Twain and Charles Dickens.
Barry was a flamboyant bon vivant: fashionably dressed, flirtatious, and always accompanied by a poodle. Wherever he went, he sparked gossip, made enemies, and inspired relentless curiosity about his identity--curiosity that erupted into international scandal upon Barry's death, when his maidservant discovered the truth about this brilliant but mysterious icon of the Victorian age.
Industry Reviews
"Holmes...has done an exemplary job of excavating the 'scanty particulars' of Barry's early life....Holmes writes eloquently and with huge sympathy about the high price that Barry, like many other cross-dressing women of the that era, paid for occupying his privileged and unique position within Victorian society...Holmes has written a deeply compelling biography, which teases out the complex historical and philosophical issues of Barry's story with consummate skill and great empathy."
Literary Review - Julie Wheelwright (05/01/2002)
| See an error? Submit a change request |
All rights reserved.
