Addicted to Romance: The Life and Adventures of Elinor Glyn

by Joan Hardwick

An account of the turbulent life of the glamorous redhead, novelist, war reporter, Hollywood screenwriter and Grand Dame. Though not a feminist, Elinor Glyn was a pioneering woman, and this book should receive plenty of attention from the media.

Genres: Biography

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[Luke Devenish · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was expecting this to be a biog of a crackpot old biddy. It wasn't! She's been treated pretty comically in other books I've read where she's made a passing appearance. And I've no doubt she was a bit hilarious quite a lot. But Elinor Glyn was also downright inspirational. So much to enjoy but her friendship with Clara Bow will stay with me. Clara's reaction when she heard of Elinor's death brought a tear to my eye. Lovely.

[Lynaia · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book about a very fascinating and complex woman. To a very large extent she was self educated and was interested in learning all of her life. She is credited with inventing the feminine erotic novel and yet was actually very conservative in her attitudes about love and sex. She was a wife and mother but also a writer, a war correspondent at the front and a Hollywood scriptwriter. She could be haughty and vain but also quite kind and tenderhearted. I would highly recommend this book about this very flawed, very human but also very remarkable woman.

[Boniva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elinor Glyn was a Canadian bon vivant & authoress (1864-1943) who wrote wildly popular romance novels and screenplays for silent movies. She coined the use of the word "it" to mean sex.

She led an interesting life & looks strangely like my mother. A song from her day goes:

Would you like to sin
With Elinor Glyn
On a tiger skin?
Or would you prefer
To err with her
On some other fur?

Joanna Lumley played Glyn in the 2001 movie The Cat's Meow. She was a huge influence on Dame Barbara Cartland (princess Diana's grandmother) who is one of my favorite writers of all time.

[Juho · Rating 5 out of 5]

what a great lady !