My Name is Rose

by Theodora Keogh

5 ½ x 8 ½ (approximately) 223 pages. BACKGROUND/ First Printing. FARRAR, STRAUS AND CUDAHY, NY 1956.

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1956

About the author

A granddaughter of president Theodore Roosevelt, Keogh wrote nine novels during the period of 1950 to 1962. Her novels tended to focus on characters with psychological conflicts and often dark sides to their personalities. In this regard, her themes are similar to those of novelist Patricia Highsmith.Theodora’s works explored such dark areas and themes as rape, incest, double lives, and a doctor’s psychological and emotional fascination with a child criminal. Her novels were also noteworthy for exploring gay and lesbian themes, which were daring topics for the era in which she was writing. Such themes brought Theodora a measure of notoriety in her day. Her novels were largely neglected after the 1960s but have recently been rediscovered and reissued. (summary ex Wikipedia)