Girl Called Vincent

March 14, 2016
An obvious labor of love, Goddu's biography of irrepressible poet Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892â1950) strikes a fine balance between academic presentation and devoted characterization of a life well lived. From the early description of Millay's home lifeâincluding the trials and tribulations of being a child loosely supervised, along with her two younger sistersâthrough brief explorations of Millay's impact on the sociological feminist paradigm shift in the 1920s, Goddu, a PW contributor, moves briskly from one major life event to the next. Myriad archival photographs, snippets of Millay's verse, and accompanying descriptions offer additional insight into the era in which Millay lived, as well as a young woman "by turn gay and grave, pompous and flippant," who clearly felt that rules were for other people. Overall, Millay is painted as a brilliant narcissist whose literary contributions continue to influence generations of readers. Source notes and other resources round out a biography that, while accessible to the target audience, has plenty to offer older readers as well. Ages 9âup. Agent: Jennifer Unter, Unter Agency.

February 1, 2016
The rags-to-riches story of one of the most popular poets of the Jazz Age has caught the eye of adult biographers repeatedly, and here Goddu brings Millay's action-packed life to light for young readers. Named in honor of Manhattan's St. Vincent's Hospital, Edna St. Vincent Millay early on came to be known as Vincent. Goddu takes great care in highlighting the formative trials and successes of Vincent's abbreviated childhood and precocious development as a poet. The eldest of three girls raised in rural Maine by a caring, hardworking, and often absent single mother, Vincent found herself having to parent her siblings by age 12. Goddu convincingly shows how Vincent's adventurous spirit and love for nature--not to mention the spotlight--arose from her hardscrabble, largely unsupervised upbringing, leading her to enter poetry contests at a young age as "E. Vincent Millay" and have the confidence to deliver a recitation that would earn her a tuition-free ride to Vassar just a decade before winning the Pulitzer Prize. In addition to showcasing Millay's path-breaking feminism alongside her playfulness and tireless work ethic, Goddu's well-researched account produces an illuminating snapshot of the uphill battle female writers faced trying to earn a living in the first half of the 20th century. A revealing glimpse of a gifted poet whose impassioned works and acts are sure to capture the imaginations of young readers. (timeline, notes, bibliography) (Biography. 10-16)

COPYRIGHT(2016) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

February 1, 2016

Gr 7 Up-A biography of Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892-1950). Raised in rural Maine, Millay (known as Vincent) overcame poverty, illness, and sexism to become one of America's most celebrated poets. Readers learn about how she cared for her family as a young girl, left home to attend Vassar College, and became the "It Girl" of Greenwich Village in New York City. The narrative is direct and clear. The facts are well researched and laid out chronologically, and students will come away with a good sense of Millay's life, which was filled with adventures and accomplishments, from writing "the greatest American opera" (according to The New Yorker) to riding horses and climbing mountains in Indonesia. The text is accompanied by relevant photos of Millay, and the layout is clean. Excerpts of her poems are expertly chosen. Comparable to Carolyn J. Brown's A Daring Life: A Biography of Eudora Welty (2012) and Song of My Life: A Biography of Margaret Walker (2014, both University Pr. of Mississippi), this is a great option to recommend to aspiring poets, writers, and feminists, as well as those who enjoy historical nonfiction. VERDICT A strong addition to any collection, especially those seeking out new titles for Women's History Month.-Jaclyn Anderson, Madison County Library System, MS

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.