A Wilder Shore

Praise

Praise for A Wilder Shore:

“Engrossing . . . Fanny’s writing has received scant attention from previous Stevenson biographers but Peri, co-editor of the essay collection Mothers Who Think, accords it respect.” —The New York Times Book Review

“Peri’s joint biography is a thrilling, haunting yarn of the sort that the Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson himself became famous for—and couldn’t have written without his wife.” —The Atlantic

“[Peri’s] richly researched and vivid double portrait makes a convincing case that Fanny pulled off a rare feat, enabling Louis’s genius to mature while releasing his boyish energies . . . I am grateful to Peri for telling the story of their marriage, in all its complexity, with sympathy and spirit.” —Phyllis Rose, The Atlantic

“[A book] to lift your spirits . . . [Fanny’s] support allowed Stevenson to write without distraction, and their circumvention of Victorian norms allowed for a marriage where love flourished.” —Washington Post

“[Peri] describes her book as: ‘an intimate window into how [the Stevensons] lived and loved — a story that is at once a travel adventure, a journey into the literary creative process, and, I hope, an inspiration for anyone seeking a freer, more unconventional life.’ That it is.” —Maureen Corrigan, NPR

“Meticulously researched . . . [Henry James] wrote of the couple on their departure for the wilder shores of the Pacific, ‘They are a romantic lot—& I delight in them.’ Thanks to Peri’s wonderful book, readers will delight in them too, and may well fall in love.” —Los Angeles Review of Books

“Peri soars . . . [A] compassionate but clear-eyed work.” —The American Scholar

“Ambitious . . . Speaking for myself, after reading A Wilder Shore, I’m inspired to do two things: I want to reread Robert Louis Stevenson’s three great works of fiction: Treasure Island, Kidnapped and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. And, I want to schedule a séance with Fanny to get some one-on-one instruction on how to live more fearlessly as a woman.” —NPR’s Fresh Air

“An engaging account of an unconventional, turbulent, loving relationship.” —Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

“[A Wilder Shore] celebrates commitment and the enduring power of human imagination.” —Alta Journal

“Peri writes with passion and enthusiasm about these two remarkable artists, and most readers will share her affection. She is adamant about defending Fanny against a century of critics who have treated her as little more than a jealous failed novelist or obsessive care-giver . . . With this fine book, A Wilder Shore, Peri convincingly argues that there was nothing remotely ordinary about either of these people — who went to the well so often that there was no water left when they were finished.” —The Spectator

“An epic love story, rivaling that of the Fitzgeralds . . . The compelling narrative reads like a cross between Henry James and Louisa May Alcott, while Peri’s deep knowledge and extensive research are woven seamlessly into the texture of the story.” —Booklist

“Riveting . . . Peri convincingly argues that without Fanny, who was 10 years Stevenson’s senior and married with children when they met, there would have been no Robert Louis Stevenson as we know him.” —Air Mail


“Journalist Peri draws on considerable archival sources to create a perceptive portrait of the unlikely marriage of Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) and Fanny Osbourne (1840-1914) . . . A richly detailed chronicle of two eventful lives.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Peri offers a nuanced take on her subjects’ relationship . . . This detailed history gives Osbourne her overdue turn in the spotlight.” —Publishers Weekly

“Lavish with historical erudition yet wonderfully lucid, A Wilder Shore brings fresh insight into the life of Robert Louis Stevenson and his wife, Fanny, herself a brilliant writer who, in a more just world, would be a household name. Camille Peri writes with such authority and novelistic brio, you’d hardly believe this is her debut. A remarkable achievement!” —Abbott Kahler, author of Where You End

“A love story, an adventure story, two literary biographies in one: A Wilder Shore is these things and more—and it’s very, very good.” —Roddy Doyle, Booker Prize-winning author of Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha and The Women Behind the Door

“Camille Peri’s A Wilder Shore is a deeply researched portrait of boundary-breaking bohemians Fanny and Robert Louis Stevenson. With astute critical evaluation of the great Scottish writer and his talented American wife’s works, the book takes us around the globe on their truth-is-stranger-than-fiction adventures. A page-turner!” —Holly George-Warren, author of Janis: Her Life and Music