creative ageing

Molly Peacock's book The Paper Garden:an Artist Begins Her Life's Work at 72, is a biography but so much more. Written by poet Peacock, the author entwines scenes from her own life with that of her subject: Mary Granville Pendarves Delany, (1700-1788). Her life reads like a gothic novel, at seventeen she was married off to a drunken elderly aristocrat to improve her family's fortune. When widowed seven years later she waited until mid-life to marry a modest but loving Irish clergyman. When widowed once again at 72, she climbed out of her grief to start a fantastic art project, botanically correct flowers of cut paper (that she colored herself). This project occupied her for the rest of her life and now resides in a British museum. In between all this life drama she consorted with royalty and literary lights of the day as writing many letters that have been edited into a book. A well written exploration of creativity, ageing, and love, with compelling detail and insights. I loved it! ML