Isobel Field, the stepdaughter of Robert Louis Stevenson, was a wonderful storyteller, and a writer of great wit and acuity. She was with her mother, Fanny, when they met Stevenson in Grez, France, in 1876; when Fanny and Louis married in 1880 in San Francisco and at the Silverado sojourn; with the Stevensons in Hawaii in the late 1880s; and finally with them in Samoa from
Isobel Field, the stepdaughter of Robert Louis Stevenson, was a wonderful storyteller, and a writer of great wit and acuity. She was with her mother, Fanny, when they met Stevenson in Grez, France, in 1876; when Fanny and Louis married in 1880 in San Francisco and at the Silverado sojourn; with the Stevensons in Hawaii in the late 1880s; and finally with them in Samoa from 1890 until Stevenson's death in 1894.
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Paperback
Published
by Great West Books
(first published March 10th 2013)
I had to take off one star for absolutely horrible editing. If I pay this much for an e-book, I expect it to have been edited. But don’t let all the typos and missing words put you off. If you persevere, I promise you won’t regret the time you spend reading this book.
The first part describes Belle’s early childhood in mining camps in Texas and Nevada, then life in the art world of San Francisco and Europe.
Eventually, her mother marries Robert Lewis Stevenson. The family moves to Hawaii, and
I had to take off one star for absolutely horrible editing. If I pay this much for an e-book, I expect it to have been edited. But don’t let all the typos and missing words put you off. If you persevere, I promise you won’t regret the time you spend reading this book.
The first part describes Belle’s early childhood in mining camps in Texas and Nevada, then life in the art world of San Francisco and Europe.
Eventually, her mother marries Robert Lewis Stevenson. The family moves to Hawaii, and here the story becomes even more interesting. Belle gives us a firsthand look into life in Hawaii in the late 19th century under the monarchy. During this era, Hawaiians dressed in European fashion. In spite of the heat, men wore full suits. Women dressed in corsets, leather boots, and leather gloves. Belle became a close friend of the royals and spent much time in private conversation with King Kalakaua. Some of the details she reveals are not found in any other writing, and the information is priceless to historians.
Belle’s family left Hawaii for Samoa, where European influence was much less prevalent. Upon their arrival, they were greeted by something they’d never seen before - people dressed in nothing but a lavalava. Once again, Belle’s inside view of Samoa in the 1890’s, and her family’s interactions with the people there, is amazing. Belle relates many delightful stories of her family’s interactions with the local people. Robert Lewis Stevenson (Belle’s stepfather) called the Samoan people “God’s sweetest work.”
This book so intrigued me, I started reading other writings about Belle, her mother Fanny, and RLS. I discovered a Hawaiian historian who wrote a play about Fanny and Belle, and spent some hours in conversation with her.
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