Twain’s End by Lynn Cullen
Samuel Clemens was his name and Mark Twain was his lot in
life. We all know Mark Twain by what he
wrote and often think we then know him as a person. But we are wrong. Twain’s End, takes us into the pages of
the diary of his secretary and confidant and inseparable companion, Isabel
Lyon. Sam Clemens was a tortured soul
with the betrayals of his childhood haunting him and probably making it
impossible for him to love another person.
Little by little we find out what his childhood did to him as an adult.
Clemens had a very
sick wife, a daughter who died and whose death he blames himself for, two
daughters he refuses to allow to marry,
an entourage of the wealthy and famous who covet even a moment of his
time, legions of fans around the world
all clamoring for a glimpse of him. And
then there is Isabel Lyon, the one person he feels he can care about.
When Isabel and Clemens’ business manager marry, Samuel pretty much loses control of himself and
publicly vilifies her. In print and
through his lawyer he calls her “a liar,
a forger, a thief, a hypocrite, a drunkard, a sneak, a humbug, a traitor, a
conspirator, a filthy-minded and salacious slut pining for seduction.” He takes away her home and fires her and her
husband.
One thing Samuel Clemens couldn’t do was share the
limelight. He couldn’t be turned
down. He couldn’t be bested. Anyone who tried or succeeded would live to
regret it. He made sure.
Within these pages we are privy to the life behind the
scenes of his stories based on the diary of Miss Lyon. This was an exceedingly
good story.
No comments:
Post a Comment