In these 13 stories of Almost Famous Women, Megan Mayhew Bergman (Birds of a Lesser Paradise) saves historical women from near-obsolescence through imaginative tales inspired by their acts of derring-do--or, in some cases, inspired by their mere existence.
Historians have noted Lord Byron's illegitimate daughter, who died at age six; Bergman fleshes out "The Autobiography of Allegra Byron" through a nun who cared for the young girl after she was banished to the convent at age three. The unnamed narrator and the child share heartbreaking rejection and find a glimmer of joy in each other. Thrill-seeking women abound in the collection, chock-full of bravery, defiance and creativity. "Hazel Eaton and the Wall of Death" focuses on a motorcycle racer raised in a Maine lighthouse. Joe Carstairs zips around the Bahamas in her speedboat in "The Siege at Whale Cay." A woman who loved Dolly Wilde despairs when she finds love letters from Dolly to Joe--a clever callback--in "Who Killed Dolly Wilde?"
Defying racism, Tiny Davis--leader of an integrated all-woman traveling jazz band during the Jim Crow era--relies on Ruby, the narrator of "Hell Diving Women," though she doesn't return Ruby's unconditional love. Perhaps the most bizarre story is "The Pretty, Grown-Together Children," narrated by Daisy Hilton, who used to perform with her conjoined twin, Violet. Only one story departs from history: a futuristic spin on the Shirley Jackson classic, titled "Lottery, Redux."
Vintage photographs of the heroines and author's notes add to the charm of these stranger-than-fiction (but still fictionalized) stories of women salvaged from history's footnotes. --Cheryl Krocker McKeon, manager, Book Passage, San Francisco