Madame Blavatsky: The Mother of Modern Spirituality

by Gary Lachman

Kurt Vonnegut called her "The Founding Mother of Occult in America." Pioneer, visionary or charlatan? Madame Helena Petrova Blavatsky has been hailed as an icon and scorned as a fraud. At last, there is a full, comprehensive biography on the woman who founded the Theosophical Society, wrote the most influential occult book ever (The Secret Doctrine) and helped introduce Eastern and esoteric spiritual ideas to the modern West.

Acclaimed spiritual biographer Gary Lachman (who was also a founding member of the rock band Blondie and is an inductee in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame) follows up his book "Jung the Mystic" with this concise new biography that examines the controversial life and legacy of the influential thinker and one of the most polarizing pioneers of modern alternative spirituality--Madame Blavatsky--the Mother of Modern Spirituality.

Genres: Occult, Biography, History, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Religion, Theosophy

352 pages, Paperback

First published October 25, 2012

About the author

Gary Lachman is an American writer and musician. Lachman is best known to readers of mysticism and the occult from the numerous articles and books he has published.

Reviews

[Cypress Butane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book. This is the third book I've read about H.P. Blavatsky, and I'm currently also about a third of the way into 'Isis Unveiled', and she is definitely fun to read about. This book just came out and is a 'clarifying' biography, meaning it tries to make sense of the cloudy past and past biographies of Madame Blavatsky, seeing as how she is shrouded in mystery and their is much contention over details of her life, her 'works' and the overall myth that surrounds her. But this was a good one. It is written by what I'd call a believer skeptic. He believes, but he can make enough sense of things to write the truth. He doesn't let his belief get in the way of critical thinking, and it only tints the 1/10 of a percent where you ask yourself if their were any 'miracles' involved with Blavatsky's life, the feats which she herself downplayed as unimportant to actual belief and understanding.

I'd also recommend 'Madame Blavatsky's Baboon' by Peter Washington. It's more critical and is also a more general history of Theosophy, covering more of the development of the Theosophical Society beyond Blavatsky, whereas Lachman stuck to Blavatsky.

Gary Lachman is also a definitely recommended author. I've read 'A Dark Muse: A History of the Occult' and it was excellent and he's written many other books about the occult and occult figures to date.

[Hutch · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is certainly not the first book I've read about Madame Blavatsky, and probably not the last, but it's one of the better ones. This is the second book I've read by Gary Lachman (the first was Rudolf Steiner). (Author side note: Lachman was a founding member of the band Blondie. I found that fascinating, to think he went from rock n' roll guitarist to researcher/writer of New Age topics.)

So, Madame Blavatsky: she's a polarizing figure, some people love her, some people hate her, and some people just think she was a big, fat fraud. To be honest, she was very stout, and in some things she probably was fraudulent, but she was also highly educated, charismatic and driven. Lachman does an excellent job of balancing the criticism and praise that Blavatsky aroused, managing to stay unbiased and believable about 87% of the time.

Blavatsky, like other Theosophists, Spiritualists, and various other groups, fascinates me because she dwells in the realm of the occult. If you believe everything she wrote, she could teleport to far off places using her astral body, materialize items out of nothing, and communicate with the Masters of the Secret Doctrine. How much of it is true is up for debate. (My personal view on all of these "spirit" based groups is that I don't really believe anything they posit, but I also don't disbelieve everything they posit. I'm on the fence, but enjoy exploring the ideas of spirit communication.)

Where HPB (as Blavatsky was popularly known) differs from the concurrent Spiritualist movement is that she didn't believe that you could contact the spirit of a person who had died, in the sense that the person's spirit was now residing in a heaven-like place and could pop back to tell you where they had left behind a missing photo album. No, HPB saw souls on a constant path of evolution, and the spirits you could communicate with had evolved to a higher plane of existence. She felt that average mediums were contacting something (a psychic shadow left behind on earth) but no one was communicating with the dead. Instead, she communicated with the Great White Brotherhood of Masters who showed her how she would reach a higher plane, and how to communicate with those already there, akin to the Mahayana Buddhist school of thought, where bodhisattvas remain on earth until everyone has reached their full potential for enlightenment.

Lachman does an excellent job providing notes and references to outside sources, and particularly in explaining HPB's own writings. I've personally attempted her book "The Secret Doctrine," which makes no sense to me whatsoever. I may try it again now that I have a better understanding of what HPB was trying to accomplish. This is a thorough book, and if you're not familiar with the names in this story (Annie Besant, Bulwer-Lytton, and many more) you should try reading this with Wikipedia handy for cross referencing.

Lastly, I will compare this with another HPB book I've read: Madame Blavatsky's Baboon: A History of the Mystics, Mediums, and Misfits Who Brought Spiritualism to America. That one is a large tome, with a good post-Blavatsky overview of the Theosophical Society. (It still exists today, I know of a local branch in Cambridge, MA and have considered attending one of their meetings.) It's much more anti-Blavatsky, but as she is part humbug, part genuine article, I believe that it's better to read all points of view to know her better.

[patrick q okane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome!

Lachman does another fine job of distilling the essence of an esoteric giant's teaching, life, and personality. Cheers to you Gary Lachman!

[Valarie · Rating 2 out of 5]

To say this book kinda jumps around a bit is an understatement. I was able to stick with it, but I'll admit that many times I wasn't sure why. It's clear (and Lachman admits throughout) that he could no more get a handle on Blavatsky than anyone else who has tried, but, in this case, sometimes you wish that he was slightly less objective, as that may have organized his thoughts a bit better. The book kind of reads like a debate on CNN -- you grapple with one side, then the other and Lachman then chooses to "leave it there" so he can move on. It's about as annoying in book form as it is on CNN.

We get it -- the woman is complicated and may be a charlatan but may be real and there are people who argue on both sides and nearly all those people have an agenda, etc. But I don't think Lachman really did a great service to anyone by writing such a jumble of a book.

[Julia Simpson-Urrutia · Rating 4 out of 5]

The name of this woman, who died over a hundred years ago, still inspires controversy among people who interest themselves in proofs of spiritual realities that are unexplainable in terms of our material mundane existence.
In other words, she could pull real rabbits out of her hat. However, she could not explain those rabbits.


I came to this book from two perspectives. One was as a Muslim who believes in (and has studied writings on) angels, jinn, and the supernatural.

I found myself wondering what Madame Blavatsky felt her life mission was, and what revelation her abilities made in her own mind. The author, Gary Lachman, is helpful because he examines the vicissitudes in the life of Madame Blavatsky and her alleged proofs of extrasensory powers with an open but cautious mind. His evaluations are made from every angle to the extent of offering possible methods of deception. Until the final page, readers need not feel Lachman is attempting to convert them into Theosophists.

During Madame Blavatsky’s lifetime, a Theosophist would have meant a member of the Theosophical Society. One of the mission statements produced by said society (and which Lachman notes still guides its many branches today) was
1. To form the nucleus of a universal brotherhood of humanity without distinction of race, creed, sex, caste or color.
2. The study of ancient and modern religions, philosophies, and sciences, and the demonstration of the importance of such study.
3. The investigation of the unexplained laws of nature and the psychical powers latent in man.


Born in the Ukraine in 1831, Blavatsky had enough romantic drama in her life and soul to fuel a TV series. She was the frail infant of a likewise frail teenage mother, Helena Andreyevna, the latter being daughter to a princess. Blavatsky’s mother achieved acclaim shortly after having her first child through her writing. Helena Andreyevna wrote under the pen name, “Zenaida R-va” and was nicknamed the “Russian Georges Sand” by at least one critic.

Blavatsky’s father was a descendant of German nobility, a captain in the Royal Horse Artillery, later a colonel. He had a traditionally 19th century male chauvinist attitude towards his wife’s “career.” Blavatsky’s grandfather was a governor; she had access to his large library. Lachman tells us that Blavatsky, her mother, and her maternal grandmother were all noted for intelligence and self-education.

The psychological implications of Blavatsky’s family circle are satisfactorily explored. Apart from governesses, Blavatsky had “extracurricular input” from her serf, Baranig Bouyak, an aged healer who could allegedly read the future. At a very young age, Blavatsky claimed a secret friend or protector whom she saw in dreams (and who was probably one of the “masters” referred to in much the rest of the book—all her masters seemed to have been from India).

When she was six, Blavatsky accompanied her mother and maternal grandfather (trustee for the nomadic Kalmuck Buddhist tribes of Astrakhan) on a 1,000 mile journey to Central Asia. The sojourn lasted a year, affording the girl her first contact with Buddhism. Buddhism was the only religion to which Blavatsky ever formally laid claim, much later in life, and even then, it was not in a traditional sense.


Blavatsky’s double life (worldly and inner) began at the age of 16. Her sister, Vera, talked of strange powers Blavatsky evinced from childhood, able to put pigeons to sleep, create knocking sounds in whatever vicinity she was in, or make pertinent objects materialize. These supernatural parlor tricks were at first prolific with the young woman, but later she showed increasing reluctance to indulge requests, saying that they were distracting to her purpose—and the purpose of her secret “masters.”


Blavatsky wrote two massive books: Isis Unveiled and The Secret Doctrine. She saw manuscripts in the air, which she had to read backwards. These were her references and account for her horrible punctuation.


Blavatsky’s travels through Cairo, Syria, Palestine, and Lebanon brought her into contact with Muslims including the Islamic reformer Al-Afghani. Of course she was familiar with Christianity. While her life purpose seemed to have been emphasizing the fact that spirit matters more than the body, there is no clear demonstration in this biography that she held out any spiritual benefits to her followers or that she believed in God.

Lachman tells us that the “masters” were angry with Blavatsky towards the end of her life for sharing too much special knowledge with crass Westerners.

The reader may wonder how the “masters” were not able to predict this dissatisfying outcome. They could have avoided wasted effort in guiding and protecting her.

The upshot of a journey through this fascinating book is not that the paranormal is all hogwash--not at all. However, just like our journey through the material world, that one accessible to the majority of created beings, the paranormal world does not offer any clear or firm answers save this: there is more to existence than meets the eye.

As for faith, you will have to use your own mind and heart. There is nothing Blavatsky demonstrates to prove or disprove it. (There is no compulsion in religion.—the Quran)

[Carl Rollyson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Madame Blavatsky (1831-1891), born as Helena Petrovna von Hahn in the Ukraine (then a part of Russia), is the world famous founder of the Theosophical Society (1875). Theosophy draws on the great religions of the world but claims, as well, to have identified the Absolute, upon which all spiritual knowledge is founded. The doctrines of theosophy are many and complex, but they do not avail unless one believes the theosophist has access to esoteric, occult knowledge that derives from both scholarly study and personal contact with the spirit world. This was, of course, Madame Blavatsky's assertion, promulgated in her major works, "Isis Unveiled" (1877) and "The Secret Doctrine" (1888). She believed that individual souls were part of an oversoul and, therefore, that contact between the living and the dead was possible. World figures as different as Mohandas Gandhi and Thomas Edison found theosophy persuasive. Many others regarded Madame Blavatsky as a world class fraud, a trickster and plagiarist whose ruses were exposed and whose accounts of her own life were largely fiction.

Pity the poor biographer who has to deal with such an elusive and prevaricating figure. Gary Lachman is undeterred because, as his subtitle suggests, he regards her as the "mother of modern spirituality." That claim seems rather overdone, and Lachman is not exactly an apologist for the Madame, but he does appear to cede her more ground than other biographers. So he will usually present her version of events, while also reporting the three or four other accounts that apparently seem just as credible to him. Some readers will probably think this is a fair way to proceed, but others, especially if they have read Marion Meade's Madame Blavatsky: The Women Behind the Myth, now available in an e-reads edition, may wish the biographer could make up his mind. Sure, it is difficult, Mr. Lachman, but which stories seems most credible to you based on your reading of the Madame's character? Ms. Meade may not always be right, but she does make some choices that advance her clean narrative line. Too often Mr. Lachman just seems to stall.

But at least some of the big picture is clear. Helena Petrovna married young to an older man (though not as old as she later claimed) without much enthusiasm but with a desire to couple with a male who apparently was sympathetic to her already burgeoning belief in the spirit world and in her own occult powers. Well, it turned out that Nikifor Blavatsky was just being agreeable and that after she married him she was on her own--so far as her wish to hone up on her contact with the "other world."

The couple never divorced but HPB, as she liked to style herself, soon found a way to escape Russia, travel to Tibet (maybe) and other Far Eastern lands, and arrive in New York in 1873, eager to capitalize on a wave of interest in spiritualism. She alternated between exposing spiritualist frauds and perpetuating them. No biographer can really know to what extent she was sincere in presenting the manifestations of the spirit and also establishing her bona fides by discrediting competitors. It seems, though, that she was like certain modern scientists who fake the evidence because they are in a hurry and need to demonstrate what may be true even if they cannot summon real proof.

HPB liked the public and her followers to believe that she was a rarefied conduit rather than a fleshpot of ideas. Mr. Lachman seems impressed with her claims that she did not consummate her marriage and that "never, physically speaking, has there ever existed a girl or woman colder than I. I had a volcano in constant eruption in my brain, and--a glacier at the foot of the mountain." Ms. Meade, whom Mr. Lachman calls an "anti-Blavatsky" biographer, has no patience for such piffle, and lays out a pretty persuasive case for a robustly sexual Madame.

As different as Madame Blavatsky and Ayn Rand are--one a militant spiritualist and the other a militant atheist--both of these stocky Russian women had a charismatic following that continues to this day, and a cadre of believers that are sure to dump on Mr. Lachman as they did on Ms. Meade when her biography first appeared. And yet Mr. Lachman aggrandizes his subject in ways that the faithful should approve. After wading through her turgid prose and skimming through the scandals of her life, Mr. Lachman calls the Madame "one of the most creative synthesizers in modern thought . . . from a dizzying range of sources. Certainly he shows that her belief in the occult originated in her earliest days in Russia. It was no put on. All the same, it would seem her power is the result of what certain readers of her prose project into her in their desire for a Master.

[J.T. Wilson]

Helene Petrovna Blavatsky, the founder of the Theosophist Society, was one of the standout Victorian mystics in a crowded field. Originally emerging from Spiritualism, she could produce mysterious parlour tricks if called upon, but is best known for an Eastern-derived theory which encompasses the Astral Light, the Masters (quasi-supernatural gurus), Atlantis, and the mysterious Book of Dzyan, supposedly written in the equally unknown Senzar language.

HPB’s own books sound to me like a sort of Jorge Luis Borges: rather than write the book, she wrote a commentary about a book that didn’t exist. Her works are probably ones of the imagination, possibly to be read allegorically to make her points about universal brotherhood and the enlightenment of all men and so on.

It’s hard to imagine Blavatsky having existed in this time, and not just because of the context (Victorian openness to the occult; the intrigues of the Empire). So much of her mystique leans on unverifiable claims (had she been in Tibet, did she do any of her manifestations, had she met the Masters) and on magic tricks involving letters magically appearing from locations she couldn’t have been in. Nowadays, the Masters could probably just email, like celestial catfish, and both her wandering and magic tricks would be filmed or photographed. This age is great for scientific, quantifiable evidence, but at the cost of romance and magic; our magical thinking is more pessimistically used on conspiracy theories and dumb confirmation bias social media posts.

Anyway, to the book itself, finally. Lachman has a lot on his plate here to try and summarise this life with so many doubtful and contested facts, and to cover her ideas without getting lost in the weeds of all the contemporary thinkers and critics. (I do think he hits the Gurdjieff comparisons a little hard.) Clearly he is sympathetic, or at least open-minded to some of her outlandish claims. Yet he always makes it readable and, while inconclusive, it’s never over-complicated.

[Teri Uktena · Rating 1 out of 5]

The writing style is aweful. Sentences are so convoluted for no reason other than to be clever I had a hard time following what was meant. The bits about Blavatsky are so sparse as to be almost non-existent. This reads more like a gossip column about all the people who talked about Blavatsky rather than any attempt to present information about her. She herself made sure no one could give an accurate biography of her, but one which at least tries to present what we do know or suspicion would be helpful rather than this mess.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

As an occultist himself, Lachman comes from a very Team Blavatsky platform in this interesting biography. For those wanting to know the truth about this mysterious, fascinating woman, look elsewhere -- but for those who want to explore the myths, fictions, and facts about Blavatsky, this is a good place to start. Even if less than half of what she got up to was true, she is still an unparalleled figure in history and culture. (Also, why hasn't Netflix jumped on making a period detective show of her and Olcott busting spiritualists?! I'd pay to see that shit!)

[Greg Guma · Rating 5 out of 5]

More than a century after departing the material plane, the life and thought of Helene Blavatsky remain compelling, controversial, and greatly under-appreciated. Gary Lachman’s sympathetic biography revisits many of the key mysteries surrounding HPB with an open mind and heart, from her early adventures and “manifestations” to the possible identity of the secret masters who guided her spiritual mission. Assessing previous biographies and the arguments of critics, this smart, accessible book is a welcome reminder of how Blavatsky challenged both materialism and repressive religion at a key moment, launched the Theosophical movement, and inspired artists, thinkers and leaders from Kandinsky and Yeats to Annie Besant and Mahatma Gandhi.

[Temple · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can one say about Mme Blavatsky...she has had such a profound influence on modern thinking, and hopefully, this book will contribute to the credit she deserves! Having been a member of the Theosophical Society for many years, it has been enthralling to see the path that Mme Blavatsky's life took to formulate her philosophy.

[Jacques · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fair biography, with lucid analysis of the various pros and cons, without excess. Gary did not bring much new facts, but describes the various events of Mme Blavatsky life, trying to extract some unbiased real facts. Bravo!

[Katya de Becerra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, this was a brilliant book. If I was rather curious about the notorious HPB before reading this, now I can say I'm full-on obsessed. Bravo, Mr. Lachlan.

[Full review to come!]

[Kristy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Going into this book, my impressions of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (aka HPB) were a vague idea of some spiritual phenomena, occultist fervor, and probable hoaxes. After reading Lachman's book, I can't say I'm any more of a believer, but I have a better understanding of what Blavatsky and Theosophy were going for: a reaction against the extremely popular "spiritualism" movement of the late 19th century (with mediums, ectoplasm, and psychic phenomena) and a push towards Western understanding of Eastern traditions, a seeking for a primordial religion that would bring all people together into a "universal brotherhood," and an alternative to the strictly materialist science of Darwin or the dogmatism of the Christian church. There is no doubt that today's yoga practitioners, mindfulness guides, and western Buddhism owe a debt to this enigmatic Russian woman.

Blavatsky did a lot of self-mythologizing and revision of her own biography, which makes the tasks of a writer delving into her life and work rather difficult. The first half of the book is a little hard to get a grasp on as Lachman (who was also, weirdly a founding member of the band Blondie) bounces through various versions of the HPB origin story. If I had taken a shot every time he mentioned getting ahead of himself, or that we'd hear about a certain event or person again later, I would have been too drunk to get to the second half of the book, where things gel together into more of a narrative. I was also at a disadvantage having not read anything else about HPB or the occult in general -- Lachman has written extensively on the topic which leads him to drop a lot of names I didn't know and shortcut through some of the (rather heady) topics. This is definitely not a scholarly work, although it is well researched. We get a lot of Lachman's personality and quirks in the text, which sometimes leads to compelling reading, and sometimes becomes a little irritating. For example, he has a rather irritating jokey obsession with Blavatsky's weight, bringing it up over and over and over again, often with a cutesy aside.

While I would have liked to see a little more wrestling with the race and class issues surrounding Theosophy (HPB is a pretty wealthy Russian woman, although she sometimes has a cash flow problem, who both celebrates and co-opts Indian and Tibetan culture), this is a worthwhile and entertaining read. Blavatsky's impact on the ways that the west engages with Eastern philosophy, and her direct impact on the Indian independence movement (Ghandi was a fan, with reservations) are undeniable and something I'd like to read even more about. This one takes a little patience, but pays off.

[S. Wigget · Rating 3 out of 5]

If the subject weren't so fascinating--Madame Blavatsky, that is--I'd give up because I really don't like the author. He sprinkles his fatphobia throughout the book so frequently that I lost count how many times--before I reached page 75.
Even though the book was published in 2012, not prior to the 1990s, he uses the "default male" pronouns only, never alternating between "he" and "she." I also see why readers on StoryGraph and/or Goodreads say he jumps around chronologically.
I've decided I don't want to read anything else by this author.

On that note, the book has plenty of fascinating information and paints a vivid picture of Madame Blavatsky, who was as eccentric and bohemian as I expected. I had no idea she was ace and pretty much Buddhist. I read a few pages about her in Toil and Trouble: A Women's History of the Occult by Lisa Kroger and Melanie R. Anderson, so it's exciting to read an entire book about her. The more I read, the more I want to know.
The final chapter is less about Blavatsky--it's about Theosophy after she died, and it's about the mysterious "Masters" and whether they were real people (according to Blavatsky they were) or spirits. If I wrote something fictional inspired by this stuff, I wouldn't make the Masters (urgh, a cringey word) characters all male.

Page 162 (and probably others): As a high school English teacher said years ago, "If it's 'needless to say,' don't say it." That phrase is useless.

Page 264: Eye roll. Theravada Buddhism isn't about "ignoring the suffering of others" and only saving oneself. If that were true, it wouldn't include metta, a.k.a. lovingkindness meditation. I'm sure I've mentioned this in other book reviews, but I'm sick of la-de-da Mahayana Buddhists demonizing Theravada Buddhists just because the Bodhisattva comes from Mahayana Buddhism. Theravada Buddhism is the closest we have to what the historic Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, practiced. So when you insult Theravada Buddhists, you insult the Buddha.

I also posted this review on StoryGraph. My account there is se_wigget. I might stop using Goodreads altogether, since nowadays it only lets me log in via DuckDuckGo on my phone. Otherwise, it pretends my password is wrong... even after I change it... and change it....)

[NosNos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great and riveting biography of Mme Blavatsky and her incredible life. Gary Lachman manages to present a balanced narrative despite the fact that it's nearly impossible to know anything definitely about Blavatsky. Lachman does tend to go into a state of apologetics or bias here and there, but it's manageable. Popularizing Buddhism and Hinduism in the West; establishing an occult society that included such people as Gandhi, W. B. Yeats, and Thomas Edison; being a moving force for many progressive causes; and writing two HUGE tomes of esoteric life-philosophy are some of Blavatsky's achievements.

If you like reading about eccentric 19th century Russian women who were super influential (a rich tradition, actually), then you will love this book.

[Rachel Carr · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book from a goodreads giveaway.

I don't typically like biographies, and I knew nothing about Madame Blavatsky or Theosophy, so this book was definitely outside of what I would have normally picked up to read. I did find the writing style challenging at times - there were a lot of people to keep track of, as well as the timeline and events, so it was slow going, but the topic was interesting and has definitely opened up my interests to learning more about Theosophy and esoteric/occult subjects. Perhaps with a bit more background reading, I'll gain more from reading this book again, so I'm hanging on to this one.

[Abby Beers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Madame Blavatsky is a very interesting character, but this book is a bit hard to follow. While I will fully admit that HPB is a subject matter that anyone would struggle to explore concisely, sometimes Lachman's writing style made the story even harder to follow. To Lachman's credit, this book is well researched and does explore the topic of occultism without blindly discrediting anything out of the ordinary while at the same time thinking critically about the topic. While I would not really recommend this book to just anyone, I think that if you are interested in HPB it is worth a try.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a straightforward biography of Madame Blavatsky, the mystic, maybe charlatan, founder of Theosophy. I wanted to read this since Theosophy has been influential. She was charismatic, intelligent, and confusing--did she travel to Tibet to confer with the "masters," was she able to teleport objects.... If you are interested in a well-written biography by a admittedly admiring biographer, this is the book for you.

[Edwin Ortiz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent fair biography !!!

Having read a bit of theosophy in my life I was I interested in the latest biography of Madame Blavatsky or HPB . I wanted a well researched book with a respectful but fair assessment of HPB and this book does it well . Mr Lachman lays out a. Complete story with a very fair assessment based on the latest sources . With very readable writing style I think this book is a must read for those interested in the life and an Occult giant .

[Krista Ann Schwimmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite biographies! I felt I was right there with this incredible woman who defied social norms, had numerous crazy adventures, followed a truly mystical life, and left a legacy that continues to grow. I even cried at the end when Lachman writes about her death.

This book single-handedly changed my view of Blavatsky from possible fraud to genuine spiritual teacher. Plus, I learned the word flapdoodle, which comes in handy these days.

[Joshua · Rating 2 out of 5]

This isn't a horrible account of an outstanding figure in the esoteric circles of the Victorian era, but there were some strange choices about how to approach the question of deception. I find it admirable not to dismiss claims of supernatural occurrences out-of-hand, but there were many times when the author seemed to be going out of his way to provide justifications for Blavatsky's deceptions.

[Steven Chernikeeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed reading this book about the infamous 'Madame' and enjoyed Lachman's style. Not sure I agree with his ending conclusion but still, a nice tale and well written.

[R.J. Gilmour · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written biography of one of the most fascinating woman In the 19th-century. I am surprised how little I knew about her life and work.

[Sumit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not so interesting.

[Robert K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a good insight to the foundation of TS, and why so many people had varying opinions over the year about HPB. It was a good overall read.

[Lori]

A brilliant account of an elusive and controversial historical character, this book is absolutely mesmerizing. Lachman affords HPB the honor and recognition she well deserves.

[Cynthia Morethson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bem escrito. Leitura fácil. Reviravoltas na vida e outras figuras polêmicas fazem do livro uma aventura

[David Corvine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clear, concise overview of what is at times a somewhat nebulous subject matter.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

The kind assessment of this biography is that it is an heroic bio. It is probably closer to the mark to suggest uncritical and sycophantic.

There are excuses and rationationalizations offered again and again to provide cover for this spiritual grifter and her damaged cultists.

I've always been a fan of the moral depravity of HPB and her strange cult, Theosophy, but the author of this biography throws away a golden opportunity to engage with one of the 19th century's strangest women, or men for that matter, in favour of the construction of an idolatrous life.

I was not looking for a hostile biography, but I was hoping for an honest one, and that just isn't available here.

Beyond the aesthetic the biographer offers here there is little effort made to increase the details of Ms. Blavatsky's shadowy life...most especially her early years. The last is the saddest because the early years are in desperate need of a spotlight.

All-in-all, this is a typical biography offered by the cultists with no real interrogration of the life on offer.

One of the most unforgivable moments in the biography is when the author explains away the 'Masters' by suggesting it was just a serious joke or 'ludibrium' [location 4147] that got out of hand. If this were the case there was no real attempt by Blavatsky to attempt to correct this, though the author makes several attempts to rationalize it way.

At this point it would be possible to continue through this biography point by point in order to list the author's failures to engage, critically, with an important, if minor, life but there seems little point. Just as there was little point in the biography.

Lachman's is another hack biography.

2 out of 5 stars.