I love this book for its insight into unconventional lives and the enumeration of the ways people find to be happy, even when poor or unsuccessful in their chosen line. Most of the people mentioned are not famous for their art, but for the way they helped shift the collective mind away from the stuffy, constricting ways of the Victorian/Edwardian era. Much like the Feminine Mystique presented the "problem with no name," the people examined by Virginia Nicholson tackled the repressions of their day by choosing to disregard public opinion and social expectations, living to the fullest no matter the cost. Inspiring.
